About U-LEAD Scholars

The University of Central Florida is currently seeking well-rounded and talented transfer and upper division students for the LEAD Scholars Academy U-LEAD programs. This is a selective four semester leadership development program offering unique courses and opportunities to its students. The program emphasizes academics, community service, and leadership.

As a means of targeting talented UCF students and integrating them with the academic and co-curricular aspects of college life, the U-LEAD programs were established at the University of Central Florida in 2015. Until the Fall 2015 semester, the LEAD Scholars Academy was strictly a two-year program that catered solely to FTIC students. However, this meant the LEAD was unable to provide leadership development opportunities to a majority of students, since over 2/3 of UCF students are transfer students. So in order to reach this group of students, LEAD created what were then known as the “leadership tracks”, programs for upperclassmen and transfer students.

In the Fall 2018 semester, the LEAD Scholars Academy rebranded the leadership tracks as the U-LEAD Programs, or Upperclassmen Leadership Programs. The U-LEAD programs within the LEAD Scholars Academy specifically assists in reaching the university’s goals of offering the best undergraduate education available in Florida, becoming a more inclusive and diverse institution, and becoming America’s leading partnership university. As such the LEAD Scholars Academy and U-LEAD programs exist within this context and is dedicated to providing high-quality educational experiences and leadership opportunities to prepare students for positions of leadership both inside and outside the UCF community.

Students participating in the U-LEAD Scholars program receive additional benefits beyond their classroom and service-learning experiences. Students receive priority registration for the next semester, a $200 fellowship for each term they are in the program, additional recognition at commencement if they complete four of the U-LEAD courses. Students enroll in one of two repeatable courses, LDR 2262 Focused Community Service or LDR 3905 Independent Study, which focus on different aspects of leadership. Each course requires a minimum amount of service-learning and gives the students the opportunity to learn more about themselves and their communities. See program options for specific course topics.

For more information, visit our About U-LEAD Scholars page, or our FAQ.