To be considered for admission, transfer applicants with fewer than 60 transferable semester credits must submit an SUS or USF Application for Admission, a non-refundable application fee, an official transcript from each previous college attended, an official high school transcript, official GED scores if applicable, official SAT or ACT scores, and a TOEFL score if applicable.

Lower-level transfer applicants must minimally meet the following requirements to be considered for admission in good standing; however, satisfying these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission: SAT or ACT tests taken after enrollment in college-level coursework cannot be submitted to satisfy the test score requirement.

1. Be in good standing and eligible to return to the last regionally accredited institution attended as a degree-seeking student;

2. Have an overall “C” average (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) as calculated by USF in all college-level courses acceptable for transfer credit to USF. (In the calculation of the GPA, incomplete grades are computed as failures and course “repeats” are not forgiven when the courses are repeated at different institutions.);

3. Satisfy fully all freshman admissions standards as described in the previous section entitled “Freshman Applicants.” (Meeting freshman admission standards is a critical requirement for undergraduate applicants with fewer than 60 transferable credits. Department of Education rules and policies do not provide for local exceptions to these requirements.);

4. Complete (with passing grades) two years of the same foreign language in high school or 8 to 10 semester hours of the same foreign language at the post-secondary level (as required by Florida Statute 240.233);

5. Present a minimum score of 213 (computer-based test) or 550 (paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if the applicant’s native language is not English. The TOEFL requirement may be waived on an individual basis when appropriate alternative evidence of English language proficiency is presented in writing.

To be considered for admission, transfer applicants with 60 or more transferable semester credits must submit an SUS or USF application for admission, a non-refundable application fee, an official transcript from each previous college attended, and a TOEFL score if applicable. Final transcripts with the A.A. degree awarded, or a minimum of 60 semester hours of transferable credit earned prior to initial enrollment at USF, must be submitted to determine final admissions eligibility.

Any transfer student with 90 or more semester hours who designates a desire for admission to a limited access undergraduate program must meet the overall admission GPA criteria of that program in order to be admitted to the University.

Applicants with Associate of Arts (A.A.) degrees from Florida public institutions will be admitted as juniors into the University within curricular, space and fiscal limitations. A.A. degree holders seeking admission to quota/limited access degree programs must also meet all requirements specified by the desired program. The admission of Florida community/junior college A.A. transfer students is governed by the Articulation Agreement between state universities and public community colleges in Florida.

Undergraduate transfer students who have not earned the A.A. degree from a Florida public institution or who have attended another college after receipt of the A.A. must meet the minimum requirements listed below to be admitted in good standing:

1. Be in good standing and eligible to return to the last regionally accredited institution attended as a degree-seeking student;

2. Have an overall “C” average as calculated by USF (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) in all college-level courses acceptable for transfer credit to USF. (In calculation of the GPA, incomplete grades are computed as failures and course “repeats” are not forgiven when the courses are repeated at different institutions.);

3. Complete (with passing grades) two years of the same foreign language in high school or 8 to 10 semester hours of the same foreign language at a previous college or university (as required by Florida Statute 240.233). Students who entered a Florida public community/junior college prior to August 1, 1989 and maintain continuous enrollment until the time of their USF entry as degree-seeking students may be admitted without the required foreign language study;

4. Meet the minimum grade point average required by the program if entering a limited access program and transferring 90 or more semester hours;

5. Present a minimum score of 213 (computer-based test) or 550 (paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL requirement may be waived on an individual basis when appropriate alternative evidence of English language proficiency is presented in writing.

USF also considers applicants who do not fully meet the minimum requirements as stated in #1. and #2. above but who have important attributes, special talents or unique circumstances that may contribute to a representative and diverse student body. These undergraduate transfer applicants are considered for admission by a faculty committee on the basis of other appropriate evidence of promise for academic success. These applicants should also submit appropriate alternative evidence of academic achievement, ability, motivation and responsibility that indicates a potential for academic success at USF.

Students Entering the Florida Community College System and Planning to Finish their Degrees at USF

High school graduates planning to start their college education at a Florida community college should confer with the community college counselor and ask that their academic program be planned with the assistance of the USF Undergraduate Catalog (USF’s Community College Counseling Manual has been incorporated into this catalog) that is available in all counseling offices. This catalog, prepared by the USF Office of Undergraduate Studies, explicitly describes the undergraduate program requirements and Florida’s common prerequisites that should be followed to ensure maximum ease of transfer into the students’ upper-level programs on a par with their native USF counterparts.

Students Entering the Florida Community College System and Planning to Finish their Degrees in the State University System

An articulation agreement, in effect since April 13, 1971 and later adopted by the Florida Legislature in statute form as Florida law, governs an effective and orderly transfer of Florida community college students into the State University System (SUS).

The agreement defines and establishes the Associate of Arts degree from a Florida public community/junior college as the basis for all articulation rights. Among these guarantees, the following are central to the transfer process:

1. A.A. graduates will be granted admission to a university within the SUS, but not necessarily to the university or program of choice.

2. A.A. graduates will have the same opportunity to enroll in a university limited access program as the native university student.

3. Upon transferring to a state university, A.A. graduates will be awarded at least 60 credit hours towards the baccalaureate degree, exclusive of occupational courses and basic required physical education courses.

4. Credits that are part of the A.A. degree earned through articulated acceleration mechanisms, such as dual enrollment, International Baccalaureate, early admission, advanced placement and credit by exam, will be transferable to the state university.

5. As participants in the Statewide Course Numbering System, receiving institutions must accept all courses taken at the transfer institution if the courses at each institution have the same prefix and the same last three digits of the course number.

6. The university catalog in effect the year the A.A. degree student first enrolled at the community college will remain in effect for the student’s entire program, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment as defined in that catalog.

7. Once a student has completed the general education core and this fact is noted on the transcript, regardless of whether or not an A.A. degree is awarded, no other state university or community college to which the student may transfer can require additional courses to the general education core.

1. The receipt and evaluation of transfer credit is the responsibility of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will evaluate the acceptability of total credits transferable to the University. The college of the student’s major will assign equivalent courses in determining which courses are applicable toward a specific degree at the University. In some instances, exact course equivalents will also be determined by other colleges that offer the same or similar courses as part of their programs of study. Transfer students should be prepared with personal copies of their transcripts of all past course work to discuss advisement and placement with the appropriate academic advisor and should contact the college of their major soon after registration so that an official evaluation may be completed.

2. USF will accept credits only from those institutions accredited by one of the regional accrediting agencies/commissions* at the time the credits are earned. (See * below for agencies recognized by USF.) Credits earned at an institution that is currently in “candidacy” status will not be considered for transfer credit until such time as the awarding institution receives full accreditation. Courses approved for transfer by the Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) from non-regionally accredited institutions may be considered for transfer credit.

3. USF reserves the right to deny credit for specific courses. USF does not award transfer credit from institutions that it determines to be occupational or vocational in nature.

4. Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree holders from Florida public accredited institutions will be considered as having met USF general distribution requirements and are automatically awarded 60 semester hours of credit. A course-by-course transfer credit evaluation will be done for all out-of-state and private in-state A.A. degree holders.

5. Effective Fall Quarter 1976, all courses from a Florida Community College/University bearing the same State Common Course prefix and last three numbers as a USF course are automatically transferred and transfer students may not be required to repeat these courses, unless a college age-of-record policy is involved. Excluded are graduate courses, studio courses in art, internships, practicums, and performing arts courses such as dance, theater performance, voice, and instrumental music.

6. Virtually all USF baccalaureate degrees require that at least 60 semester hours be earned from a baccalaureate-granting institution regardless of credit hours transferred from a community/junior college unless the student has received prior approval for waiver of this policy from the college of his/her intended major. This policy does not affect approved articulated programs based on the A.S. degree. For information regarding specific articulated A.S. degree programs, consult the Office of Undergraduate Studies, B.S.A.S. Program.

7. Credit will not be awarded for GED tests.

8. Military service school courses will be evaluated with reference to the recommendation of the American Council of Education when official credentials have been presented. Such recommendation, however, is not binding upon the University.

9. For ROTC and military science courses taken after Fall Quarter 1975, the maximum credit will vary with each college. A student must confer with his/her college advisor to determine the acceptability for his/her major. ROTC and military science taken prior to Fall 1975 are not acceptable for transfer credit.

10. A maximum of 45 semester hours of College Level Examination Program (subject and general examinations) credits can be accepted for transfer credit.

11. A maximum of 30 semester hours of extension, correspondence, and military service education credits can be applied toward a degree.

12. Grades earned in transferred courses are not computed in the student’s USF GPA except for the purposes of admission to limited access programs, the awarding of honors at graduation, and class ranking of baccalaureate students.

13. International credentials must be evaluated by an independent evaluation service, with associated costs to be paid by the student.

14. A continuously-enrolled USF degree-seeking student must obtain prior written approval from the college of the student’s major in order for courses taken at other regionally-accredited institutions to be applied to the USF degree program.

* Accrediting Agencies/Commissions: New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Learning; Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, Commission on Higher Education; North Central Association of Colleges and Schools; Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges; Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges; Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Accrediting Commission for Junior Colleges.