The medical school that anchored Medical City: when it actually opened, what it costs, and what its campus has turned into.

UCF College of Medicine building at Lake Nona Medical City

By David Myers, Broker Associate · NonaOrlandoProperties.com · Last updated September 2026

The UCF College of Medicine is the University of Central Florida's medical school, based at 6850 Lake Nona Boulevard on UCF's Health Sciences Campus in Lake Nona Medical City. Its charter class of 41 students started in August 2009 in temporary space near UCF's main campus, and the college moved into its 170,000-square-foot Lake Nona building in summer 2010. It earned full accreditation in 2013, the year its first class graduated, and each class now enrolls about 120 students. UCF lists 2026-27 MD tuition and fees at $29,680.20 a year for Florida residents and $59,241.16 for non-residents. UCF does not provide on-campus housing for medical students, who live in apartments and homes in and around Lake Nona.

The UCF College of Medicine is the reason Lake Nona's Medical City exists in its current form. The hospitals, the research buildings and much of the professional workforce that followed arrived because a medical school committed to a mostly empty stretch of southeast Orlando in the mid-2000s.

An earlier version of this post got the basic timeline wrong and filled the rest with forecasts nobody could check. This update sticks to the record: when the school opened and where, what it costs, what has been built around it since, and what it means for people who live here.

What is the UCF College of Medicine?

It is the University of Central Florida's public medical school, headquartered in the Medical Education Building at 6850 Lake Nona Boulevard in Lake Nona Medical City.

Florida approved the school in 2006, and it was built from scratch rather than grown out of an existing hospital. The college includes the MD program and the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, which runs UCF's biomedical undergraduate and graduate programs. UCF's Health Sciences Campus sits about 25 miles south of the university's main campus in east Orlando, according to the college.

The four-story Medical Education Building houses the health sciences library, clinical skills and simulation centers, an anatomy lab and the bioskills center. The Burnett Biomedical Sciences building is on the same campus.

UCF College of Medicine at a glance
Address 6850 Lake Nona Blvd, Orlando, FL 32827
Approved 2006
First class 41 students, August 2009, in temporary facilities near UCF's main campus
Lake Nona building Opened summer 2010; four stories, 170,000 sq ft
Full accreditation 2013 (LCME)
Class size About 120 MD students per year
MD tuition and fees, 2026-27 $29,680.20 a year (Florida resident); $59,241.16 a year (non-resident)
Student housing None on campus for MD students

When did the UCF College of Medicine open in Lake Nona?

The Lake Nona building opened in summer 2010; the school itself started a year earlier, in August 2009, in temporary space near UCF's main campus.

Some sources, including an earlier version of this post, say the college opened in Lake Nona in 2009. The charter class began in 2009, but its first year was not in Lake Nona. UCF says the students and faculty moved into the new $65 million building at Lake Nona in 2010.

That charter class is the school's best-known fact, and it is accurate: all 41 students received full four-year scholarships funded by community donations, which UCF describes as a first for an entire class at a U.S. medical school. The school earned full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in 2013, and the charter class graduated that May.

What does UCF medical school cost, and what degrees does it offer?

UCF lists 2026-27 MD tuition and fees at $29,680.20 a year for Florida residents and $59,241.16 a year for out-of-state students, before living costs.

The base tuition line is the same for both groups; the gap comes from the out-of-state fee. Rates are reset each year, so check UCF Student Accounts for the current figures. Beyond the four-year MD, the college has offered joint MD/PhD and MD/MBA programs, and the Burnett School runs bachelor's, master's and PhD programs in biomedical sciences.

The earlier version of this post described the school's technology in general terms. The one specific, checkable detail from the college's own account: the Lake Nona library was built to be almost entirely digital.

What else is on UCF's Lake Nona campus now?

Since the medical school opened, UCF has added a teaching hospital, a cancer center and, in fall 2025, its College of Nursing to the Lake Nona campus.

Aerial view of UCF College of Medicine in Lake Nona Medical City

UCF Lake Nona Hospital opened in 2021 as the medical school's teaching hospital. In December 2018, UCF bought the former Sanford Burnham Prebys research building, which now houses the UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center. In fall 2025, the UCF College of Nursing moved into the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion on the same campus.

The rest of Medical City is not UCF's. Nemours Children's Hospital, the Orlando VA Medical Center, the UF Research and Academic Center and Valencia College's Lake Nona Campus are separate institutions. The earlier version of this post called UCF the district's first major tenant; UCF itself describes the college as a founding member, which is the safer claim.

Where do UCF medical students live?

Off campus: UCF says it does not plan to provide on-campus housing for MD students at Lake Nona, so they rent apartments and homes in and around Lake Nona.

The college points students to the apartment buildings inside Medical City and to housing communities within an easy drive. With about 120 students per class across four years, plus the nursing students who arrived in 2025 and the residents and staff at the teaching hospital, the campus adds a steady base of renters to the area.

In our experience, students cluster as renters in and around Laureate Park. That does not mean a medical student next door everywhere. UCF's own advice to incoming students has noted that many rent houses with roommates, and medical students move on a schedule set by the academic calendar and residency match, not by the housing market.

Does the medical school matter if you're buying a home in Lake Nona?

Indirectly: you will not use the school yourself, but it anchors the hospitals and health employers that make up Medical City.

The practical benefits for a household are the institutions that grew around the school: a teaching hospital, a children's hospital and a VA medical center within Medical City. The Lake Nona health and wellness hub covers them together.

For buyers, the bigger effect is on the other side of the market: in our experience, physicians, other medical professionals and faculty tend to buy, and Laureate Park and Eagle Creek are the neighborhoods they choose most often. For owners thinking about renting out a property, the campus is a real source of tenants, but a specialized one. Roommate households and moves tied to the school year suit some owners and not others.

Pros, Cons and Our Take

Pros

  • A fully accredited public medical school with a teaching hospital, cancer center and nursing college on one campus in Lake Nona.
  • In-state MD tuition and fees under $30,000 a year in 2026-27, according to UCF.
  • The anchor for Medical City's hospitals and health employers.
  • A steady source of renters for owners near Medical City.

Cons

  • No on-campus housing, so students compete in the same rental market as everyone else.
  • About 25 miles from UCF's main campus, according to the college, so most UCF programs are not taught in Lake Nona.
  • Out-of-state MD tuition and fees are about double the in-state figure.
  • Student renters follow the academic calendar and move on after training, which means turnover for landlords.

Our Take

The medical school matters to Lake Nona more as an anchor than as a neighbor. Most residents will never set foot in the Medical Education Building, but the teaching hospital, the cancer center and the nursing college that followed it are why Medical City is more than a sign on the highway.

The earlier version of this post oversold the story with forecasts about digital health and global leadership. The checkable record is strong enough on its own: approved in 2006, a fully funded charter class, full accreditation in 2013, and a campus that has kept adding institutions since.

What the Neighbors Know

If you live in Lake Nona, you drive past the UCF campus on Lake Nona Boulevard all the time, and it is easy to treat it as scenery. What neighbors notice is what grew up around it: a teaching hospital, a children's hospital and a VA medical center within a short drive, and the health-care workers who live nearby. In our experience, the split is clear: medical students tend to rent, especially around Laureate Park, while physicians, other medical professionals and faculty tend to buy, with Laureate Park and Eagle Creek the most popular choices. For a buyer, the medical school is a reason Medical City exists, not an amenity you will use directly.

Official Sources

Buying or selling in Lake Nona? Call/Text David Myers at 407.801.3286 or use the contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do UCF medical faculty and doctors live in Lake Nona?

In our experience, physicians, other medical professionals and faculty working in Medical City tend to buy rather than rent, and Laureate Park and Eagle Creek are the most popular neighborhoods for them.

Where is the UCF College of Medicine?

The college is at 6850 Lake Nona Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32827, on UCF's Health Sciences Campus in Lake Nona Medical City, about 25 miles south of UCF's main campus.

When did the UCF College of Medicine open?

The school enrolled its first class of 41 students in August 2009 in temporary facilities near UCF's main campus. It moved into its Lake Nona building in summer 2010.

How much is tuition at UCF College of Medicine?

UCF lists 2026-27 MD tuition and fees at $29,680.20 a year for Florida residents and $59,241.16 a year for non-residents. Living costs are extra.

Is the UCF College of Medicine accredited?

Yes. It received full accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education in 2013.

Does UCF provide housing for medical students in Lake Nona?

No. UCF does not provide on-campus housing for MD students at Lake Nona. Students rent apartments and homes in and around Lake Nona and Medical City, and in our experience many rent in the Laureate Park area.

What else is on UCF's Lake Nona campus?

Besides the medical school, the campus includes the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, UCF Lake Nona Hospital, the UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center and, since fall 2025, the UCF College of Nursing.