Student life
Activities
UNF’s Student Government is allocated $4.2 million in student fees annually to provide various services to students. The Student Government funds the Osprey Involvement Center (including over 200 clubs), the Lend-a-Wing Food Pantry, Osprey Life and Productions, the John A. Delaney Student Union, the Student Wellness Complex, and intramural sports.
It is made up of three branches and an independent office: Legislative, Executive, Judicial, and the Office of Elections. The Executive Branch is managed by the Student Body President who also serves as the student representative on the UNF Board of Trustees. The Legislative Branch is composed of the Senate with 40 elected senators, led by an internally elected cabinet.
The Judicial Branch is composed of nine justices, including a Chief Justice, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Office of Elections is managed by a commissioner appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.
UNF has 32 Greek-lettered organizations. The chapters are advised by university staff. As of Fall 2021, chapters of Kappa Sigma, Lambda Chi Alpha, and Pi Kappa Phi are unrecognized by UNF for conduct issues. Kappa Sigma is ineligible to return, while Lambda Chi Alpha is. Pi Kappa Phi will be eligible to return in fall 2024.
UNF has over 200 clubs and organizations for students. Intercollegiate club sports such as rugby, lacrosse, and ice hockey are available. Students also participate in intramural sports on campus like soccer, ultimate frisbee, and sand volleyball on campus. The UNF Alumni Association organizes the UNF Presidential Envoys, a group of UNF students who serve as ambassadors for the President and the university on campus and in the community.
Osprey Life and Productions is UNF’s entertainment agency. The free events they put on for students include concerts, comedy shows, movies, games, karaoke, and open mic nights.
The UNF Eco-Adventure Program allows students to use the miles of nature trails and multiple lakes on campus. The lakes are open to canoeing, kayaking, and catch-and-release, non-live-bait fishing. Students can also check out free outdoor equipment from the Eco-Adventure check out center.
| Race and ethnicity | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 62% | ||
| Hispanic | 15% | ||
| Black | 10% | ||
| Asian | 6% | ||
| Other[a] | 5% | ||
| Foreign national | 2% | ||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income | 32% | ||
| Affluent | 68% | ||
Demographics
In fall 2020, the University of North Florida had 17,043 students, with 14,662 (86%) being undergraduate students and 2,381 (14%) being graduate students. Among graduate students, 1,841 (77%) are in Master’s programs and 540 (23%) are in doctoral programs. Women make up 59% of all students. Full-time students make up 71% of the student body. The average student is 24 years old. Students from Florida make up 15,885 (93%) of all students, including 6,410 (38%) from Duval County alone.
Housing
The University of North Florida has seven areas of on-campus housing: Osprey Cove, Osprey Crossings, Osprey Hall, Osprey Landing, Osprey Village, Osprey Fountains, and The Flats at UNF. Cove, Crossings, and Landing offer similar, suite/efficiency-like rooms; each of these are designed for triple-occupancy and house two to three residents, with some accommodating individual rooms for disabled students.
Hall offers more of a traditional, dorm-like environment with double-occupancy rooms and communal bathrooms and showers. Village and The Flats offer an apartment-like feel with multiple-occupancy accommodations. Cove, Crossings, Hall, and Landing are designated for freshmen (although upperclassmen also live there), while Village, Fountains, and The Flats are upperclassmen residence halls.
Fountains is the only residence hall on campus that provides private individual rooms. The five-story building houses 1,000 students and consists of 365,000 square feet (33,900 m2). The building is divided into two towers, North and South, both of which has two “houses” per floor. It includes a convenience store, grill and common area, kitchens, a recreational facility, laundry rooms, a swimming pool, and a lazy river.
Other amenities include The Morgue, a library-like study room; Joe’s Diner, a 50s style study room with an iPod-compatible jukebox; and The Galaxy, a game room including Xbox 360s, PS3s, Nintendo Wiis, as well as some previous-generation consoles attached to wide-screen high-definition televisions.
Dining
The University of North Florida operates ten dining facilities on campus, plus three convenience stores called “Outtakes.” The “Osprey Cafe” is the main buffet style restaurant on campus, and is popular for students with meal plans. Other on campus choices include Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Chop’d and Wrap’d, and Jamba Juice. The Student Union has a food court with extra options like Einstein Bros. Bagels, Panda Express, and Qdoba.
In summer 2018, Papa John’s was removed as a campus vendor and replaced by an in-house pizza place over controversial comments made by John Schnatter. Overlooking a lake, the Boathouse is an eat-in or take out restaurant that offers wine and beer and often has live entertainment. The restaurant is a UNF tradition that first opened on campus in 1973 and has been rebuilt or renovated multiple times.
Media
The Spinnaker is the weekly student-run newspaper. UNF’s student-run television channel is Spinnaker Television, which shows full-length movies, UNF athletics and events. It is channel 170 on the campus. Spinnaker Radio broadcasts music at WSKR-LP 95.5 FM (100-watt low power FM), online, and on channel 171 on campus. The UNF Journal is the official publication for university alumni, and Inside is an electronic newsletter published monthly for faculty and staff.
The university is the home of literary journal Fiction Fix, which has published nine issues since its inception in 2002. Issues have included works by authors from UNF, across the United States and around the world.