A.A. Certificate – Associate of Arts certificate, awarded upon satisfactory completion, with an overall C average, of 60 credits (at least 36 at UF), including general education requirements, writing and math requirements (Gordon Rule), and College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) requirement.

Academic Year – The traditional annual cycle of academic terms: Summer B, Fall, Spring, Summer A, Summer C.

Admitted – Students who have applied and have been accepted to the university in a degree-seeking status. Admission is not validated until the student registers for and attends classes.

Audit – Permission to attend and to participate in a course without benefit of a grade or credit. CEUs (continuing education units) may be awarded at the discretion of the instructor.

Baccalaureate – Bachelor’s degree, the traditional undergraduate degree.

Calendar, University – An annual publication listing all official dates and deadlines for the academic year.

Catalog Year – The year during which the regulations published in a specific edition of the Undergraduate Catalog apply. A student’s academic year, which begins when the catalog takes effect in the Summer B term, is governed by the regulations for academic requirements published in the catalog in effect at the time the student begins undergraduate studies.

Certificate Program – an organized concentration of study in an approved subject area. These programs are not recognized on a student transcript.

Classification/College – A code indicating a student’s academic level (year) and college affiliation.

CLAST – College Level Academic Skills Test required by Florida statutes and designed to test communication and computation skills.

Combined Degrees – An accelerated program that allows students to count 12 graduate credits toward their undergraduate degree.

Common Course Numbering System – A statewide system of course prefixes and numbers developed to facilitate the transfer of credit by identifying equivalent courses.

Continuous Enrollment – Undergraduate students who register for and complete at least one course in one term in an academic year are continuously enrolled.

Corequisite – Two courses that must be taken concurrently.

Correspondence/Extension Work – Division of Continuing Education course offerings. Consult your college dean’s office for restrictions and limitations.

Credit – One semester hour, generally representing one hour per week of lecture or two or more hours per week of laboratory work.

Cum Laude – Graduating "with honors."

Deficit Points – The number of grade points below a C average on hours attempted at the university. If the grade point average is less than a 2.0, there is a grade point deficit. Refer to "Grade Point Averaging and Deficits" in the academic regulations section of this catalog.

Dismissal – Students with a grade point deficit of 15 or more will be placed on academic dismissal and will not be permitted further registration at UF.

Drop – To drop a single course from a given term.

Drop/Add – A period of time beginning the first day of classes when students can adjust schedules by dropping or adding courses or changing sections of a course. Courses dropped during the official drop/add period are not subject to fees.

Dual Enrollment – Simultaneous registration at two educational institutions.

Early Admission – Admission as a freshman following completion of the junior year of high school.

Early Decision – The application process in which the student makes a commitment to the university, that, if admitted, the student will enroll.

Enrollment – Registration for course work and payment of fees constitutes official enrollment.

GatorLink – A student’s computer identity at UF, usually in the format of a username@ufl.edu. All students are required to sign up for a GatorLink account, since official university communications are sent to this e-mail address.

Gator 1 Card – UF’s official university photo identification. All enrolled students must have a university ID card.

General Education Requirement – Universitywide requirement of the basic studies that form the foundation of all undergraduate degree programs.

Good Standing – Eligible to continue to register for university course work.

Grade Point Average (GPA) – The ratio of grade points earned to semester hours carried. The UF GPA is computed on University of Florida course work only.

Grade Points – The number of points attributed to a grade (A=4, B=3, etc.) times the number of credit hours in the course.

Graduate Student – A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree and who has been admitted to the Graduate School to pursue a graduate degree program (master’s, specialist, engineer, doctorate).

ISIS (Integrated Student Information System) – Web-based system for students to access their records at www.isis.ufl.edu.

Magna Cum Laude – Graduating with "high honors."

Major – A subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization.

Matriculation – Enrollment as an admitted, degree-seeking student.

Medical Withdrawal – Student drops all courses in a given term based on medical documentation. Fees for the semester are refunded.

Minor – An officially recognized secondary concentration of study in an approved subject area, consisting of at least 15 credits of appropriate course work.

Permanent Academic Record – The complete list of a student’s courses attempted, grades and credit earned, degrees awarded, and any other pertinent academic information.

Petition – A written request seeking a waiver of or an exception to a university regulation, policy or deadline.

Postbaccalaureate – A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree and been admitted for continued study but who has not been admitted as a graduate or professional student.

Prerequisite – A condition that must be met to establish eligibility to enroll in a program or course.

Probation, Academic – Any undergraduate with less than a 2.0 cumulative UF GPA shall be placed on academic probation while a grade point deficit exists. Refer to "deficit points."

Professional Student – A student who is admitted to pursue a Doctor of Dental Medicine, Juris Doctor, Doctor of Medicine, Doctor of Pharmacy or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.

Readmission – The procedure for a previously admitted/enrolled UF student to re-enroll in a degree-seeking status after a break in enrollment of more than one term.

Registration – The process by which a student officially selects and enrolls in university course work. Registration is not complete until appropriate fees are paid.

Regular Decision I – The Office of Admission receives a prospective student’s application, fee, transcript and test scores by October 15; admission decision is mailed in February.

Regular Decision II – The Office of Admission receives a prospective student’s application, fee, transcript and test scores by January 12 for the summer and fall terms only; admission decision is mailed in late March.

Residence – A student’s tenure within the university and/or a specific college or school.

Residency – Classification of students as Florida residents or non-Florida residents for tuition purposes.

Schedule Adjustment – A period of time following advance registration before the beginning of classes when students can adjust their course schedules.

Schedule of Courses – Registration information provided each term with academic regulations and a listing of all courses offered.

Semester – A standard academic term (fall or spring) of approximately 16 weeks of instruction. Refer to "term."

Summa Cum Laude – Graduating with "highest honors."

S-U Option – A provision by which a student may elect, with college approval, to enroll in a course, the grade for which is not computed in the grade point average. Grades awarded are S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory).

S.U.S. – The State University System of Florida. The University of Florida is one of 11 state-supported universities in the S.U.S.

Term – A period of instruction. During the fall and spring, the term is a standard 16-week semester. During the summer, various shorter length periods of instruction are offered: Summer A and Summer B are six-week terms; Summer C is a 12-week term.

Transcript – An official copy of the student’s complete course work, grades, credit and degrees earned at the University of Florida.

Transfer Credit – Course work completed at another institution that is accepted at the University of Florida and which may be applicable toward a specific major, minor or degree.

Transient Student – A student of another accredited institution who receives permission to register (for one term) as a nondegree-seeking student to earn credit to transfer back to his or her parent institution.

Universal Tracking System and Audits - A computerized academic advising and tracking program that provides an assessment of progress toward degree requirements.

Withdraw – To drop all courses for a given term.

Writing and Math Requirement (Gordon Rule) – A state law requiring that all students complete 24,000 words of designated writing courses and six hours of designated math courses prior to earning 60 credits. Courses are identified by category in the Schedule of Courses.