UCF Apartments Near UTC: A Comprehensive Guide to Housing Options
The University of Central Florida (UCF) offers a diverse range of housing options for its students, both on and off campus. These options cater to different preferences and budgets, ensuring that students have a comfortable and convenient living environment during their academic journey.
On-Campus Housing
The Department of Housing and Residence Life administers the residence hall system at UCF. On-campus housing is divided into five communities, each with its unique characteristics. These communities offer various living arrangements, including residence hall-style suites and apartment-style housing.
Residence Halls
Residence hall-style suites are available in the Libra, Apollo, and Academic Village (Neptune, Hercules, and Nike) communities. These suites feature bathrooms shared between two or three rooms, providing a more private alternative to communal bathrooms.
Apartment-Style Housing
Apartment-style housing is available in the Academic Village (Nike, Hercules, and Neptune) communities, the Towers at Knights Plaza (Tower I, II, III, and IV), the Lake Claire Courtyard Apartments Community, and NorthView. These apartments offer more independent living, with amenities such as kitchens and living areas.
Rosen College Apartments
UCF also provides 400 beds at the Rosen College Apartments Community, located on the Rosen College of Hospitality Management campus. This community offers a specialized living environment for students pursuing hospitality-related fields.
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Resident Support
Some communities have resident assistants, graduate assistants, and area coordinators to support residents. On average, there is at least one resident assistant per 40-70 residents, ensuring that students have access to guidance and assistance when needed.
Towers at Knights Plaza
In 2007, UCF constructed the Towers at Knights Plaza, an athletic village that includes the CFE Arena, FBC Mortgage Stadium, and 183,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. Retailers and restaurants in Knights Plaza include Barnes & Noble, Domino's, Subway, Burger U, Jimmy John's, Starbucks, Gringos Locos, and Knightros. The apartments in the Towers are available in three different floorplans: 1 bedroom/1 bathroom and 4 bedroom/4 bathroom, with the majority being 4 bedroom/2 bathroom. Each Tower houses approximately 500 residents.
NorthView
NorthView, a luxury student housing community completed in 2013, is located directly north of UCF's main campus and within walking distance of Spectrum Stadium. The community houses 600 students and includes two faith-based community centers: the Hillel Jewish Student Center and the Catholic Campus Ministry center. NorthView offers additional amenities such as an outdoor pool, rooftop tiki deck, study room, dry sauna, beach volleyball area, human-size chess board, indoor gym, entertainment lounge, and same-floor parking in the attached garage.
Rosen College Apartments Community
In 2005, UCF opened two on-campus housing buildings at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management. The dorms can house 400 residents and 8 resident assistants. The community includes an outdoor pool, community center, outdoor grill area, and key-card only access to the building. The campus is under the law enforcement jurisdiction of the UCF Police Department and provides shuttles to the main campus on class days.
UnionWest at Creative Village
UnionWest at Creative Village, UCF Housing's newest community, opened in fall 2019. The 15-story structure is within walking distance of the Amway Center, Camping World, and the Bob Carr Theatre and houses 600 residents. UnionWest is a high-rise complex that combines academic classrooms (floors 1 through 5) and residential spaces (floors 6 through 15). The community has a connected parking garage and retail space on the first floor. Students from UCF and Valencia College can apply to live there.
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Greek Housing
Greek housing is available on the main campus in the Greek Park community, which consists of over 450 beds. There are nine sororities and four fraternities housed on campus. There was an additional fraternity house on campus that was demolished in May 2008, and two new houses along with a Greek Life Center are currently under construction in its location.
Off-Campus Housing
To supplement the beds provided on campus, UCF has partnered with off-campus housing communities to create "University Affiliated-Housing." These communities offer additional housing options for students who prefer to live off campus or cannot be accommodated in on-campus housing.
University Affiliated-Housing
These communities consist of about 3,750 beds available at Knights Circle and The Pointe at Central. Housing on the main campus typically fills to capacity well before the start of the fall semester and cannot accommodate everyone who applies.
American Campus Communities (ACC)
Since 1993, American Campus Communities has been the nation's leading provider of academically oriented student communities. ACC offers a range of amenities and services to enhance the student living experience.
Roommate Matching Program
ACC's roommate matching program is powered by RoomSync-a roommate matching app. This app allows students to create a personal profile, search, filter, chat, and match with other residents who will be living in the community. Students can specify their preferences, such as major, sleep schedule, and interests, to find compatible roommates.
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Individual Leases
ACC provides individual leases, which means that each resident is only responsible for their rental installments and applicable utility and parking charges. This arrangement eliminates the financial risk associated with joint leases, where roommates are responsible for each other's obligations.
Furnished Units
Nearly all ACC properties offer fully furnished units at no extra fee. This eliminates the need for students to purchase and transport furniture, making the move-in process more convenient.
Recurring Payments
ACC allows residents to set up recurring payments through their Resident Portal. This feature ensures that rental installments are paid on time, avoiding late fees and potential complications. ACC accepts credit cards, debit cards, and ACH payments online.
Installment Structure
The typical lease term is approximately 11.5 months of occupancy, coinciding with the university’s academic calendar. The resident is charged a total rent amount for the contracted occupancy period. The lease agreement reflects the total rent amount, typically divided into 12 equal installments due August 1 - July 1.
Insurance Requirements
ACC requires all residents to obtain minimum coverage of $100,000 in Legal Liability to Landlord (LLL) insurance. Residents can purchase the policy of their choosing, provided it satisfies the minimum insurance requirements. Alternatively, American Campus Communities may satisfy the insurance requirement for you by placing coverage for your unit under a LLL policy.
Room Assignment
Students can list their preferences on their housing application, and ACC will do its best to place them in the unit that fits those requests.
Understanding Room Numbers
Room numbers typically follow a specific format. For example, in the UC Foundation:
- UCF-5308A: 5 is the building number, 3 is the floor level, 08 is the apartment number, and A is the room number/bed space.
- UCF-5120A1: 5 is the building number, 1 is the floor level, 20 is the apartment number, and A1 is the room number/bed space.
If a room assignment ends with a number, the student is in a shared room.
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