JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida leaders say they’re moving closer to opening the school’s new graduate campus in Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood.
Classes are expected to begin in the fall of 2026, with students first housed in an existing building while the rest of the campus is developed.
Kurt Dudas, UF’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, says the expansion will bring the same resources to Jacksonville as Gainesville.
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“Everything the University of Florida does in Gainesville, we should be doing in Jacksonville,” Dudas said. “So that means students, research, outstanding faculty. The best facilities that we have.”
Dudas explained that Lot 801 West Bay Street will serve as the launch site for initial programming before construction begins on new facilities at Lots 1A and 1B. He called it a “multi-year project” and said UF leaders hope the first new building will be open by 2029. Developers are expected to be chosen by spring 2026.
The campus is designed to serve as a hub for business, engineering, law, medicine, and architecture programs, while also supporting workforce development in Jacksonville.
City leaders say the project ties into ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown.
“The Park Street Road Diet, the Emerald Trail, Johnson Commons behind me… those are all projects that DIA helped spearhead,” said Colin Tarbert, CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority. “And so this is just going to continue to support those projects and investments that we’ve already made and hopefully create new ones.”
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