Course Load Requirements

The minimum full-time load for undergraduate students is 12* credits. The minimum full-time load for a six-week summer term is 6 credits and for the twelve-week summer term is 12 credits. Postbaccalaureate students are considered undergraduates.

The minimum load for full-time undergraduate student benefits from the Veterans Administration or Social Security Administration is 12 credits for fall and spring, eight credits for Summer C and four credits for the six-week summer terms. Refer to the Campus Life and Student Support section of the catalog for enrollment requirements for students receiving financial aid and students with disabilities.

University regulations allow a maximum load of 15 credits for a student whose previous term average was below a C. Some colleges have differing maximum loads that are stated in the college sections of this catalog.

Students with college approval may register for less than the minimum or more than the maximum load. After late registration, no student may drop below the minimum load without successfully petitioning his or her college dean.

Simultaneous enrollment in correspondence courses or extension work at another college or university is counted when computing the maximum course load but not the minimum course load.

*Students with disabilities, registered with the Disability Resources Program (Dean of Students Office), are eligible for full-time status and all the benefits thereof at or below 12 credit hours. For more information, contact the Disability Resources Program in the Dean of Students Office.

Courses may be dropped or added during the drop/add period without penalty. Classes that meet for the first time after the drop/add period may be dropped without academic penalty or fee liability by the end of the next business day after the first meeting. This does not apply to laboratory sections.

After drop/add, a course may be dropped up to the date established in the university calendar. A grade of W will appear on the transcript, and students will be held liable for course fees. All drops after the drop/add period must be submitted to the Office of the University Registrar by the deadline and are subject to the following restrictions:

• Students get two drops in their first 60 credit hours attempted at UF (hours carried plus S/U credits, not counting full-term withdrawals from all courses).
• Students get two more drops beginning the term after the first 60 hours attempted.
• Students with disabilities who need to drop a course due to disability-related reasons are allowed to petition for additional drops. For more information, contact the Disability Resources Program in the Dean of Students Office.
• Students transferring to UF with an A.A. degree from a Florida public community college or with 60 or more transfer credits earned from another college or university get only two drops.
• Students who can document extenuating circumstances may petition their college for additional drops.
• Approval to drop a course must be obtained from the student’s college.
• After the deadline, students may petition to drop provided they can document sufficient reason to drop, usually hardship or medical condition occurring after the deadline.

The Dean of Students Office coordinates withdrawal procedures. Withdrawal formally drops all courses in a term. Students who withdraw after drop/add and before the deadline for withdrawal will receive a grade of W for all courses. Any student who withdraws after the deadline will receive WF grades in all courses and will be subject to dismissal. Students who leave UF without withdrawing normally receive failing grades.

Students on academic probation who withdraw from UF before the deadline will continue on probation until their grade point deficit is reduced to zero. Students on Admissions Committee probation must meet the terms of their probation.

Per Florida Statute 1004.07, any student enrolled in a postsecondary course or courses at a state university shall not incur academic or financial penalties by virtue of performing military service on behalf of our country. Such student shall be permitted the option of either completing the course or courses at a later date without penalty or withdrawing from the course or courses with a full refund of fees paid (see refund of fees information in fees and fiscal section). If the student chooses to withdraw, the student’s record shall reflect that the withdrawal is due to active military service.

Per Florida Statute 250.482, if a member of the Florida National Guard is ordered into active service, no private or public employer, and no employing or appointing authority of this state, its counties, municipalities, political subdivisions, community colleges, or universities, shall discharge, reprimand, or in any other way penalize such member because of his or her absence by reason of state active duty.

In general, students may transfer 60 credit hours from community colleges as part of the hours needed for their UF degrees, regardless of when these hours are earned, subject to university and college degree requirements.

Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree recipients from Florida public community colleges who continue enrollment at the school that awarded the A.A. may be granted additional transfer credit for one or more courses that satisfy their UF degree requirements.

Junior-/senior-level (courses numbered 3000-4000) course requirements for the major must be completed at UF or, with permission of the student’s college, at another baccalaureate degree-granting institution. At least 25 percent of semester credit hours must be earned through instruction at the University of Florida.

Accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools states, "an adequate number of hours with appropriate prerequisites must be required in courses above the elementary level." The University of Florida interprets this, based on commonly accepted good practice, to mean 30 credits in 3000-/4000-level courses.

Courses completed with grades of D or higher at other regionally accredited degree-granting institutions that reasonably parallel the curriculum at this university will be accepted for transfer credit as hours earned. It is the prerogative of the student’s college to determine how transfer credit satisfies the specific degree’s course requirements. Students are required to submit final official transcripts from all institutions attended before or during their enrollment at UF. Failure to declare attendance at another institution can invalidate admission to UF and any credits or degrees earned.

Non-degree enrollment is restricted to participants in special programs, off-campus programs, university-affiliated exchange programs, those participants with non-degree educational objectives at the university, and high school/college dual-credit enrollment. (Special regulations govern high school/college dual enrollment for academically advanced students in Florida high schools.)

Undergraduate students who have been denied admission to UF for any term are not eligible for non-degree registration. Students who have previously attended UF in a degree-seeking status who did not subsequently earn a bachelor’s degree are not eligible for non-degree registration.

Auditing courses may be approved on a space-available basis. In addition to paying tuition and fees, the student must obtain approvals of the instructor and dean of the college offering the course. Immunizations also are required. Audited courses are not reflected on the academic transcript. Information on procedures for auditing courses is available from the Office of the University Registrar. Students auditing a course to complete course requirements should refer to the Grades/Grading Policies section.

Normally, UF students are not permitted to register at another institution for a course or its equivalent that is offered at UF.

Undergraduate students in good standing at another accredited collegiate institution can enroll full time at UF as non-degree transient students to complete work to transfer back to the parent institution. The university has limited space for transient students during the regular academic year (fall and spring semesters).

UF will not evaluate work previously completed, and it is the student’s responsibility to secure approvals required by the parent institution. Certification to Social Security and Veterans Administration programs also is the responsibility of the student, who must request each institution to furnish records. Non-degree enrollment is subject to the availability of faculty, space and facilities. No application for admission is required; the non-degree registration form is available from the Office of the University Registrar.

• Non-degree students must meet State of Florida immunization requirements.
• Course enrollment requires the approval of the college at the beginning of each term. The college of enrollment has the authority to terminate a non-degree enrollment before registration for any term. Generally, nondegree registration is for one term only.
• Registration is not permitted until the last two days of the drop/add period and must be completed by the last day of late registration; failure to register by that deadline will result in a late registration fee.
• The same grading system is applicable to degree and non-degree students. Non-degree credit is not applicable to a UF degree except by subsequent admission to degree status and successful petition for application of such credit. Authorization to enroll as a non-degree student in no way implies future approval for admission as a degree-seeking student.
• Non-degree enrollment status will be denied to any student under suspension/dismissal from a postsecondary institution or not in good standing at any institution previously enrolled, including UF, even if the student has subsequently attended another institution. Non-degree students are subject to other regulations and restrictions imposed by the college or department in which they wish to enroll.
• Non-degree students taking courses at the university will be required to register for and to attend classes under the university calendar. Non-degree students must pay appropriate UF fees based on course level, number of credits and residency status.