The University of Florida plans to instruct students at its Jacksonville campus by the fall 2026 semester. (Rendering via City of Jacksonville)
Promising to highlight accessibility and visibility, University of Florida Board of Trustees has agreed its new campus in Jacksonville will be located downtown, in the area surrounding the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center.
The location, which received approval from committee members Thursday before going before the full board on Friday, includes 22 buildable acres in the LaVilla neighborhood on the west side of downtown Jacksonville.
The site would “bookend” downtown, with the Jaguars’ stadium on the city’s east side. The location is two miles from UF Health, the university’s academic health center.
The location will allow the campus to build on health professional and graduate degree programs offered in Jacksonville, enabling it to add to its class size capacity, said Jennifer Hunt, dean of the UF College of Medicine.
‘Answer to a crisis’
Hunt said the expansion in Jacksonville, approved by the Florida Board of Governors in April, is “the answer to a crisis.” The university needs a bigger footprint to grow its medical school and physician-assistant program class sizes, she said.
“As all of you know who have tried to get a primary care appointment in the state of Florida, there is a health care crisis,” Hunt told trustees. “We don’t have enough providers to take care of the citizens of our state. So, for us, expanding into Jacksonville is actually a mandate. It’s more than just an opportunity to take our greatness to another city, it’s also an answer to a health care crisis.”
The campus will host more than health-related fields at the new location. UF plans to offer graduate programs in business administration, engineering management, business management, and computer science with artificial intelligence concentrations, non-lawyer legal studies, and artificial intelligence in biomedical health sciences by fall of 2026. The school’s master’s in architecture will be featured in the new campus, too.
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The Florida Semiconductor Institute, a national effort to research and develop semiconductor chips to decrease reliance on other countries’ manufacturing, will be at the new campus.
“In addition to the campus’s academic offerings, UF will establish a world class research presence in the city. One focus area will be semiconductor technology through the Florida Semiconductor Institute (FSI). Fueled by a vision for global leadership in specialty electronics, FSI is building partnerships, accelerating [research and development] and expanding the workforce pipeline to support the semiconductor industry in the state of Florida and beyond.”
University leaders praised Jacksonville as the location for the semiconductor site, given its proximity to military installations and an airport with direct flights to cities with parties interested in the campus, such as Washington, D.C.
Near the interstate and industry
Kurt Dudas, UF vice president for strategic initiatives, praised visibility and proximity to the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center and major employers that “pair well with our graduate offerings.” The campus will be located near Interstate 95.
The site is “near the location of dozens of corporate headquarters and offices,” UF said in a news release. “The future campus will amplify investments being made in the city’s historic LaVilla community, be within walking distance to the growing Brooklyn neighborhood, and benefit from proximity to McCoys Creek and the Emerald Trail more broadly.”
Dudas said the final decision came down to three locations: the one selected; Florida State College at Jacksonville on the north side of downtown; and the Jacksonville Fairgrounds adjacent to the Jaguars’ stadium.
“The City of Jacksonville is committed to being on the cutting-edge of workforce development and building a thriving downtown where our citizens can learn, live, work, and play,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said in a news release. “This campus and the degrees that will be offered are another monumental step towards Jacksonville being a national leader in the industries that will shape our collective future.”
According to Hosseini, the school has secured $300 million for the new campus. That number includes $150 million from the state, $50 million from the city of Jacksonville, and more than $60 million in donations, the Jacksonville Business Journal reported.
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