Academic Policies and Procedures

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:. www.cba.ufl.edu/fsoa/forms.html.

The Fisher School of Accounting applies the same admission standards to students currently enrolled at the university (natives) and those seeking entry to the Fisher School from another academic institution (transfers).

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.

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

• Students must complete ACG 2021C with a minimum grade of B.
• Students are allowed two attempts, including drops, to achieve a grade of B in ACG 2021C.
• Students must comply with all universal-tracking provisions.
• Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 overall GPA.*

The Fisher School of Accounting uses an applicant pool for undergraduate admissions. 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 all 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. Factors such as performance in any accounting courses completed before application and the overall quality of the academic record are considered for admission.

A student will be considered for admission to the Fisher School of Accounting if the following are met:

• Completion of, or in the process of completing, at least 60 semester hours of course work at an accredited institution. Students transferring from a community college must have their Associate of Arts degree.
• Completion of 19 semester hours of preprofessional course work. CLEP credit is not acceptable to replace preprofessional course work. Although a student will be considered for admission upon completion of the 12 preprofessional credit hours described below, all preprofessional courses are prerequisites for 3000-4000 level courses. Students who have not completed all 19 hours upon admission will delay progress toward graduation.

The following preprofessional courses must be completed at the time of application:

• ACG 2021C, Introduction to Financial Accounting, or equivalent, with a minimum grade of B. If a series of courses is completed as equivalent to ACG 2021C, 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 2021C.
• MAC 2233, Survey of Calculus 1, or equivalent.
• Two of the following four preprofessional courses may be in process at the time of application, but two courses must have been completed successfully before enrollment.

• 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.
• In the case of a transfer student from the State of Florida, an Associate of Arts degree (A.A.) is required before enrolling in the Fisher School of Accounting.
• Satisfactory completion of the College Level Academic Skills Tests (CLAST).

Admission requirements for the Fisher School are subject to change. Please check the Fisher School office (267 Stuzin 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.

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

Professional course work that is required as part of the third, fourth or fifth year should be taken only at the University of Florida. Community college transfer students should avoid such courses as Business Law, Principles of Marketing, Principles of Finance, Principles of Management and accounting courses beyond the introductory level. A maximum of four semester credits may be allowed for courses taken during the first two years that are available only as third and fourth-year professional courses in the Warrington College of Business Administration. Any credit granted for such work will be granted only in the form of elective credit. In no case may such courses be in accounting.

In the case where a student wishes to waive a core course and substitute a community college course, waivers may be granted on an individual basis, but the student will be required to take another course in the area waived. The department will identify the substitute course.

The Office of the University Registrar determines the transferability of credit earned at other institutions. 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.

Information about general financial aid can be obtained from the Office for Student Financial Affairs, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-4025. Students who wish to be considered for scholarships awarded to fifth-year accounting students should obtain application forms from the Fisher School of Accounting and should complete them early in the spring term of their fourth year.

The associate director and undergraduate advisers are available for counseling on an appointment basis at the school’s office (267 Stuzin Hall). All students are advised to seek guidance well in advance of registration.

Once a student has been admitted to the Fisher School of Accounting, the student may not take any preprofessional, accounting or business core course work at any other institution.

Students who have taken 3000-4000 level courses at accredited universities before entering the Fisher School should submit course-substitution forms. A maximum of one 3000-4000 level approved business core course may count toward the student’s undergraduate degree.

Accounting course work taken elsewhere is not substitutable for the accounting courses required for the B.S.Ac. degree.

Students transferring into the Fisher School from other institutions may need to complete substitution forms for all of their preprofessional or degree requirements. These forms may be obtained from the Fisher School office and should be completed as soon as the student is on campus. Failure to do so may result in the student being dropped from a subsequent course.

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

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:

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

• The student has not earned a B grade in ACG 2021C after two attempts (including drop or withdrawal).
• The student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 and remains there after one subsequent term of enrollment.
• The student withdraws from the university three times while classified as an AC student.

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. 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.

• The student’s accounting GPA, calculated on all attempts of all required accounting courses numbered 3000 and above falls below 2.0 and remains there after one term of enrollment.
• The student’s cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 and remains there after one subsequent term of enrollment.
• The student withdraws from the university three times after admission to the Fisher School of Accounting.
• The student fails to register for a required 3000-4000 level accounting course for two consecutive semesters of enrollment.

For purposes of the above policies, the following rules apply to the definition of a term:

• 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).
• 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).

During a student’s first two years (1AC or 2AC classification), a total of two drops are permitted. Two additional drops are provided for the student’s last two years (3AC or 4AC classification). Unused drops from the student’s first two years are not available to use for the student’s last two years of study. 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 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.

Courses may not be taken by correspondence. Required courses (in preprofessional, 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.

Please visit our Web site for requirements specific to the Fisher School of Accounting.