While many ufologists strive for legitimacy, and some are respected scientists in other fields, ufology has never been fully embraced by the scientific community, for a number of reasons.

Despite involvement of some respected scientists, the field has seen very little attention from mainstream science.

One cannot obtain a "ufology" degree from any college or university, though there have been a few college or university courses on the subject, often from a folklore perspective. Several Ufologists, such as Thomas J. Carey and Donald R. Schmitt, who investigated the Roswell incident, have dedicated their whole lives to their studies and attempting to sell the public on their theory of a worldwide UFO cover-up.