Earning your degree is just one, albeit important, part of the college experience. Just as significant are the connections you make, the communities you join and the experiences that shape your time as a Knight.
This guide is a resource to help you develop a sense of belonging, find community and build lifelong friendships while studying at 166su.
Marquee Events
Whether you’re studying at 166su Downtown, the , Rosen College of Hospitality Management or the main campus, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get involved.
Some signature events have become beloved 166su traditions with not-to-be-missed programming:
- Pegasus Palooza, UCF’s annual welcome week, greets new and returning students to campus with a variety of events including notable headliners at Comedy Knight and Concert Knight.
- 166su Homecoming Week, featuring Spirit Splash, kicks off Monday, Oct. 19, and concludes with the 166su football team’s matchup against BYU on Saturday, Oct. 24.
- Space Game, a football game unlike any other in the nation, pays tribute to our 166su’s roots as America’s Space University. This year’s matchup against Baylor on Friday, Oct. 30, marks 10 years of the Space Game.
- , held each spring at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, showcases the artistic talents of 166su’s faculty and students in performances, exhibitions, presentations and interactive experiences.
- Gather Luncheon, a community-building event in the spring hosted by Wellness & Health Promotion Services and Dining Services, brings hundreds of students together for a free, three-course meal.
Recreation, Intramurals and Sports Clubs
In addition to its fitness and recreation facilities, the Recreation and Wellness Center has longstanding intramural and sports club programs that allow students to form friendships and win championships, sometimes on the brightest of stages.
The RWC’s intramural sports program welcomes all 166su students, especially those who are new to Orlando and haven’t met enough peers to form their own team. Thanks to its free agency feature, individuals ca be matched up with others or be paired with an established team.
The sports club includes 45 different sports, encompassing everything from judo to lacrosse to wakeboarding and have produced some of 166su’s most notable alumni. Gold medalist Phil Dalhausser ’02, who played club volleyball while pursuing his business degree, and bronze medalist Kristen Thomas ’16, who began her rugby career as a theatre studies major at 166su, both went on to represent Team USA at multiple Summer Olympic Games.
For more information, visit .
Registered Student Organizations
166su offers more than 650 registered student organizations spanning academic, professional, cultural and spiritual, social and recreational, and sports interests.
KnightConnect is 166su’s official involvement platform where students can explore these organizations or even create a new one. Each organization has its own page with meeting times, contact information, and ways to get involved.
Visit the to find the organization right for you.
Greek Life
The fraternity and sorority experience has long been a part of campus life. Since the 1970s, fraternities and sororities have been providing spaces of belonging for students to grow together during their collegiate years.
Currently our 166su Greek community is comprised of 47 organizations, which all share the values of scholarship, leadership, service and brotherhood/sisterhood.
For more information visit .
166su Athletics – Knightmare Society and Marching Knights
166su is a member of one of the premiere conferences in the nation, the Big 12. From Fear the Fronds to Zombie Nation, the student section’s energy is an integral part of the game day atmosphere and gives the Knights a distinct home field (and court) advantage.
All full-time UCF-enrolled students (except 166su Online) are eligible for free tickets to home sporting events. Please note: all seating is first-come, first-served and admission is not guaranteed. For more information, especially for football and men’s basketball student tickets, please visit .
The is an organization built and run by 166su students and supported by 166su Athletics. Joining the official group has its perks, including football tickets automatically loaded to members’ Ticketmaster accounts, a dedicated fast pass entrance at all 166su men’s basketball games, and first access to post-season student ticket claims.
Students can also contribute to game-day experiences by joining , a more than 390-member marching band student organization that performs at pregame shows, halftime shows, pep rallies and other fan-fest events. By creating the soundtrack for these dynamic events, the Marching Knights serve as one of the most vibrant and visible forces for school spirit.
Engage in Research
Undergraduate research provides opportunities to build a learning community with faculty and fellow students while engaging in meaningful work that develops solutions for challenges facing our communities, industries and the world.
In addition to forging connections with peers and mentors, this practical experience allows students to build their professional resumes before they graduate.
, UCF’s annual university-wide celebration of research and creative scholarship showcases graduate and undergraduate research. The week is scheduled for March 29 through April 2, 2027, featuring presentations, exhibitions and other events showcasing student research.
For more information on how to get involved with undergraduate research, visit .
Explore Orlando
166su students live in one of the most vibrant destinations in the world, Orlando. Whatever your interest, Orlando likely has it: theme parks, elite sporting events, electric festivals, Michelin-rated restaurants, nearby coastlines and natural springs.
Orlando is what you make it, and there are ways to experience it all on a student budget.
The offers discounted tickets to various attractions, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Kennedy Space Center. Every spring semester, UCF students enjoy free, exclusive access to Universal Islands of Adventure as part of Universal Knights.
gives Knights of all experience levels opportunities to go on hiking and camping trips at nearby springs, learn to surf, paddle through bioluminescent waters and more.
Several cultural museums in the area offer free entry, including the on the main campus, Rollins Museum of Art and Mead Garden in nearby Winter Park, and the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida in Maitland. The acclaimed Orlando Museum of Art offers free entry on the third Thursday of each month as part of its Access for All initiative.
Held annually at the start of the fall semester, Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining offers a chance to sample some the area’s exceptional restaurants at a fraction of the normal cost. Savor three-course, prix-fixe dinners — including at Aurora at the on-campus The Celeste Hotel — for just $40 or $60 per person from Aug. 14 – Sept. 30, 2026.
