The University of Central Florida is planning to build a new home for its College of Nursing adjacent to the UCF College of Medicine on the school’s 50-acre health sciences campus in Lake Nona. The 90,000-sq.-ft. building will be almost twice the size of the college’s current leased space at the Central Florida Research Park. The university says the added space will enable it to enroll and graduate more nurses to help address the state’s nursing shortage.
Earlier this year, the university secured $29 million in state support for the $64-million project, and it has launched a fundraising campaign for the remaining costs. UCF aims to open the building during the 2025-26 school year. Located about 25 miles south of its main Orlando campus, UCF’s health sciences campus is within walking distance of the UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, the UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center, University of Florida’s Pharmacy College, the Orlando VA Medical Center and Nemours Children’s Hospital.