Fisher School of Accounting

Academic Policies

The information provided in this catalog is necessarily brief. In addition to the information described herein, students are responsible for compliance with the policies and procedures described in the Fisher School of Accounting Student Handbook (refer to bottom of page).

Admission Requirements

Submitting an Undergraduate Application

Native students who have selected accounting as their major upon entering the university will automatically be classified as accounting students. This classification will remain as long as the student meets the continuation requirements described below.

All other natives who want to change their major to accounting should apply at the Fisher School office. Transfer students apply through the university’s Office of Admissions.

Continuation Policies for Native Students

Students majoring in accounting must comply with the following requirements to remain in the program:

Within two attempts, including drops and withdrawals, students must achieve a grade of B in ACG 2021.
Comply with all universal-tracking provisions.
Maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in all attempts of preprofessional course work.
Maintain a minimum 3.0 overall GPA.
Upon satisfactory completion of all freshman and sophomore year requirements, including general education, preprofessional, critical tracking, CLASR, an A.A. degree and a 3.0 minimum GPA, the student will shift from continuation status to retention status (2.0 GPA required).

Undergraduate Transfer Applicant Pool

The Fisher School of Accounting uses an applicant pool for undergraduate admission. All applicants who meet minimum standards are placed into a pool from which the most qualified are selected for admission each term. Because of this process, most admission decisions are not made until well after the application deadline.

It is unlikely that many students who meet the minimum standards will be admitted. Admission is selective and subject to enrollment capacity. A Fisher School of Accounting faculty committee is responsible for admission decisions, which are not based solely on GPA. Other factors, such as performance in any accounting courses completed before application and the overall quality of the academic record, are considered for admission.

Minimum Standards for Entry Into the Transfer Applicant Pool

Completion of, or in the process of completing, at least 60 semester hours of course work at an accredited institution. Students transferring from a Florida community college must have their Associate of Arts degree before enrollment in the Fisher School.
A 3.0 cumulative GPA calculated on all attempts of all college-level course work. If a student has attended the University of Florida and another institution, the GPA calculation will be based only on the UF course work.
A 3.0 cumulative GPA calculated on all attempts of preprofessional course work.
Completion of 21 semester hours of preprofessional course work as described below. CLEP credit is not acceptable to replace preprofessional course work.
In applying all of these admission requirements the following standards apply:
1. In the case in which an applicant is repeating a course after having earned a grade of C or higher, the repeat grade will not be averaged into the preprofessional grade point average computation (unless the repeated grade is lower than the initial grade).
2. When the applicant completes two or more different courses (and each course fulfills the same preprofessional requirement), then the course used to compute the preprofessional grade point average shall include only the first course completed.
3. Grade forgiveness is not considered when computing the grade point average.

Preprofessional Course Requirements

Preprofessional course requirements which must be completed at the time of application:

ACG 2021 Introduction to Financial Accounting or equivalent, with a minimum grade of B. If a series of courses is completed as equivalent to ACG 2021, then a B must be achieved in each course. Students are allowed a maximum of two attempts, including drops, to achieve a grade of B in ACG 2021.
CGS 2531 Problem Solving Using Computer Software or equivalent.
ECO 2013 Principles of Macroeconomics or equivalent.
ECO 2023 Principles of Microeconomics or equivalent.
MAC 2233 Survey of Calculus 1 or equivalent.
STA 2023 Introduction to Statistics 1 or equivalent.

Please note: MAC 2234 Survey of Calculus 2 is a critical-tracking course for students with a catalog year after 2003 and is a mandatory prerequisite for some junior-level courses. This course is not required for admission, however. Transfer students will complete MAC 2344 their first term of enrollment.

Admission Policies

Admission requirements for the Fisher School are subject to change. Please check the Fisher School office (210 Gerson Hall) for the current standards.

Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to the Fisher School. Admission to the Fisher School does not constitute admission to the 3/2 program. This requires a separate application to the graduate school.

The Office of the University Registrar determines if credit earned at other institutions can be transferred. Credit for vocational or technical courses, repeats of previous courses taken or credits from non-accredited institutions will not transfer to UF for degree credit.

Community college transfers are cautioned that ACG 2071 or its equivalent will count toward the B.S.Ac. degree only as elective credit.

Courses Taken at Other Institutions Before Admission to the University

Professional course work that is required as part of the third, fourth or fifth year should be taken only at the University of Florida.

Students transferring from four-year colleges and universities who have previously completed professional course work must submit substitution forms to establish equivalency. A maximum of one 3000/4000-level approved business core course may count toward the student’s undergraduate degree. The student will be required to take another course in the area waived. The department will identify the substitute course.

Accounting course work taken elsewhere cannot be substituted for the accounting courses required for the B.S.Ac. degree.

Courses Taken at Other Institutions After Admission to the University

Once admitted to the Fisher School of Accounting, a student may not take any preprofessional, accounting or business core course work required as part of the Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree at any other institution.

Performance Policies

Satisfactory-Unsatisfactory Grade Option

An undergraduate student may request the S-U option for elective courses only. Courses taken to satisfy general education, degree requirements or preparatory course work for the M.Acc. program cannot be taken S-U.

Unsatisfactory Performance

Students who do not make satisfactory academic progress will be dropped from the accounting program. In addition to university regulations concerning unsatisfactory performance, the school will exclude students from further registration for the following reasons:

Freshmen and Sophomores

The student does not comply with the minimum universal-tracking requirements.

Has not earned a B grade in ACG 2021 after two attempts (including drop or withdrawal)
Cumulative GPA fell below 3.0 and remained there after one subsequent term of enrollment
Cumulative GPA on all attempts of preprofessional course work fell below the minimum 3.0 required and remained there after one subsequent term of enrollment
Withdrawn from the university three times while classified as an AC student

Juniors and Seniors

The student earns two grades below C in accounting courses numbered above 3000 regardless of whether the student was in the Fisher School at the time they earned those grades. Junior and senior accounting students, as well as students not in the Fisher School who register for 3000/4000-level accounting courses, must comply with the following items, or they will be denied further registration in accounting courses:

Accounting GPA, calculated on all attempts of all required accounting courses numbered 3000 and above, fell below 2.0 and remained there after one term of enrollment
Cumulative GPA fell below 2.0 and remained there after one subsequent term of enrollment
Withdrawn from the university three times after admission to the Fisher School of Accounting
Failed to complete a required 3000/4000-level accounting course for two consecutive semesters of enrollment
The following rules apply to the definition of a term with regard to the policies above:
1. Any term for which a student registers for courses at the university counts as a term of enrollment, even if the student subsequently withdraws from the term (after drop/add).
2. Summer registration is viewed as registration for one term (e.g., whether a student registers for Summer A alone or a combination of Summer A, B or C, the student is considered registered for one term).

Undergraduate Drop Policies

During a student’s first 60 credit hours completed at UF, a total of two drops are permitted. Two additional drops are provided for the student’s second 60 credit hours. Unused drops from the student’s first 60 credit hours are not available to use during the second 60 credit hours. Withdrawal in any term (fall, spring or summer) is counted as one drop for the purpose of applying the two-drop policy.

The associate director, as advised by the Professional Program Committee, must act upon all other drop requests. The committee is very strict when considering such requests and will not approve drops for reasons that are not clearly beyond the student’s control.

This policy applies to drop requests made after drop/add and before the period governed by the Faculty Senate Committee on Student Petitions.

Correspondence Courses and Registration at Other Institutions

Courses may not be taken by correspondence. Required courses (in preprofessional, critical tracking, accounting and supporting fields) may not be taken outside the university. No exceptions are permitted.

Elective and general education courses may be taken outside the university only if:

The student will have more than 30 hours left to graduate from the Fisher School upon completion of such courses.
The student obtains the advance approval of the associate director.

Dean’s List