Age of Credit

Undergraduate credits which are more than ten years old may be reviewed and reevaluated for credit toward current degree requirements at UWF. Specific programs and teacher education programs may have more stringent requirements.

Transfer Credit

Transfer of credit is guided by UWF Regulation 3.033, Transfer of Credit, as it may be amended. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions must be provided official transcripts or credentials in order to review courses for transfer credit.

Level of Transferred Courses

Courses from institutions whose accrediting agency is included on the list of approved accrediting agencies with appropriate grades are acceptable for transfer credit and will be transferred at the level that the course was classified by the institution granting the credit. 

Transfer Grades

A 'P' grade in a transferred pass/fail course may be used to satisfy General Education and Gordon Rule requirements if there is documentation provided by the student that the 'P' was equal to a grade of C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher or if pass/fail was the only grading system available for the transferred course.

Transfer Credit

1. The receipt and coordination of the evaluation of undergraduate transfer credits is the responsibility of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions evaluates transfer credit for General Education, Gordon Rule, foreign language, civic literacy, and multicultural course requirements necessary for graduation with a baccalaureate degree. However, the department chairperson for the program to which an applicant applies has authority in determining which courses are applicable toward the requirements for that degree at UWF. In many instances, exact course equivalents are determined after consultation with the departments.

2. UWF will only accept transfer credits from institutions whose accrediting agency is including on the UWF list of approved accrediting agencies. For applicability to a given degree program, departments may specify that transfer credits must be earned at an institutions accredited by a specific accrediting agency.

3. Applicants who have earned an AA degree from a Florida public higher education institution are automatically awarded a minimum of 60 semester credit hours. The credits of all other AA degree transfer applicants will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis. College work completed with satisfactory grades by a student at an institution whose accrediting agency is included on the UWF list of approved accrediting agencies prior to graduation from high school will be considered under the same guidelines as other transfer work.

4. All satisfactorily completed courses from a Florida public postsecondary institution or a postsecondary institution whose accrediting agency is included on the UWF list of approved accrediting agencies that participates in Florida’s Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) and bear the same SCNS course prefix and last three digits as a UWF course will automatically be transferred pursuant to the Florida Statewide Articulation Agreement. Applicability of such credits to a degree program will be determined by the degree program requirements in effect at the time of the student’s admission to the University or readmission in the event the student does not maintain continuous enrollment. 

   1. Credits earned from Florida public institutions will be evaluated on the basis of the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System.

   2. Those courses considered equivalent will be accepted for transfer credit at the level at which the course was classified by the institution originally awarding the credit.

   3. Courses are considered equivalent when the prefix and the last three numerical digits of the course number are the same.

   4. Courses not considered equivalent may be accepted for transfer credit at the discretion of the departmental chairperson.

   5. All grades earned at other institutions whose accrediting agency is included on the UWF list of approved accrediting agencies are entered on a student's record at the time of transfer exactly as earned. Such grades are averaged separately from grades earned at UWF and are not considered in the UWF GPA.

   6. Transfer grades are used in determining baccalaureate honors. Transfer courses appear on the UWF transcript.

5. Applicants with credits from institutions whose accrediting agency is not included on the UWF list of approved accrediting agencies or an institution that participates in Florida's SCNS at the time the credits were earned may petition the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for a re-evaluation of the credits earned at such institutions. In order to be eligible to submit a petition, an applicant must have earned a minimum of 20 credits at UWF with a cumulative UWF Grade Point Average (“GPA”) of at least 2.0.

6. UWF reserves the right to evaluate specific courses and deny undergraduate transfer credit.

7. Courses that are remedial (i.e., pre-college), technical,  occupational, or vocational in nature will not be accepted for transfer credit.

8. Transfer credit will not be awarded for tests taken for the purpose of earning a GED credential.

9. Service school courses will be evaluated with reference to the recommendations of the American Council of Education and Florida Department of Education guidance on postsecondary credit for military courses and occupations when official credentials have been presented. 

10. A maximum of 60 semester hours of nontraditional credit (e.g., military service credits, AP, IB, AICE, DANTES, CLEP, etc.) can be applied to the student's record. No more than 45 credits of any one type of credit can be applied, with the exception of credit from military service schools for which a maximum of 60 semesters may be accepted.  No more than 20 semester hours may be used for upper-division credit. For those credits awarded by examination, official score reports from the testing agencies may be required.

11. An applicant’s grade point average for the purpose of admission is computed based on grades earned in courses that are acceptable for transfer credit. For the purposes of the GPA computation, incomplete grades (“I”) will be computed as failures (“F”). 

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

13. UWF has made agreements with institutions and agencies which address the transfer of credits. UWF will make additional agreements with institutions or agencies which address the transfer of credits. The provisions of the existing and future agreements which address the transfer of credits are, and shall be, exempt from the requirements of this policy and UWF Regulation 3.033 to the extent that such provisions are, or shall be, contrary to the provisions of this regulation.

Transfer of Credit for Matriculated Students

UWF degree-seeking students completing coursework at other institutions should complete and submit the Transient Student Form. Completion requires that the student:

1. Obtain permission from the major advisor prior to enrollment at another institution;
2. Consult with the Director of First Year Advising if completing the UWF General Education requirements
3. Obtain certification from the Office of the Registrar for residency and degree status for students taking courses at a Florida public college or university.

The determination of specific course requirements (Gordon Rule, General Education, etc.) will be made upon receipt of the official transcript. The major department will determine course equivalency for courses in the major.

UWF List of Approved Accrediting Agencies for Acceptance of Transfer Credit

Courses from institutions whose accrediting bodies are listed below will be eligible for transfer to UWF.

• Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Western Association of Schools and College
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• 
  
  Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE)
• 
  New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
• 
  Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• 
  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
• 
  WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

Non-Traditional Credit

The University recognizes the following programs for which undergraduate students may receive academic credit. A combined total of 60 semester hours, of which not more than 20 semester hours may be upper-division credit, may be accepted for transfer. Credit toward major requirements must be approved by the student's major department. Categories and maximum acceptable limits are as follows:

Dual credit on CLEP is not allowed for similar examinations. For example, a student may earn credit on the CLEP general examination in English composition or on the subject matter examination in English composition, but not on both. Likewise, as student may earn credit for college algebra or on college algebra/trigonometry, but not both. In accordance with the articulation agreement and because CLEP credit is regarded in the same category as transfer credit, students who have earned CLEP credit in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the A.A. from a Florida public institution will be awarded credit on the basis of their presentation of the A.A. The University of West Florida will not evaluate individually the credits on which the A.A. degree is based. Transfer students who have completed a General Education program at a Florida public institution and whose transcript is so marked will be considered to have completed the General Education requirements at UWF. A second evaluation of CLEP credits will not be undertaken at this University. CLEP credits for transfer students other than those identified in the above sections will be awarded according to the guidelines stipulated by the Florida Administrative Code. Contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for detailed information. 

Massive Open Online Courses

1. Undergraduate students who are admitted as degree-seeking students to the University of West Florida (UWF) and who have completed nontraditional online college level courses prior to initial enrollment as a degree-seeking student in undergraduate education at UWF may request that the University evaluate that work to determine if credit might be awarded. These courses may include, but are not limited to, massive open online courses (MOOCs)
2. Award of credit for nontraditional online courses must meet the following conditions:
   1. University faculty have determined the online course content and learning outcomes to be comparable to a course offered at the institution;
   2. Nontraditional online courses meet the quality and accreditation standards intended for a transfer course;  
   3. The subject area faculty have determined that the online course is relevant to the student’s intended program of study; and
   4. The coursework must have been completed prior to the student’s initial term of enrollment.
3. Students wishing to have such online coursework evaluated for the purpose of receiving credit must comply with procedural guidelines established for this policy.
4. If the online college coursework did not result in credit awarded by the institution offering the online course the student must provide the following information for evaluation by qualified faculty at UWF:
   1. Name and address of the institution/organization offering the online course;
   2. A syllabus for the course;
   3. Credentials of the faculty who taught the course;
   4. Course objectives and learning outcomes for the course; and
   5. Other information requested by an academic department’s subject area faculty in order to determine demonstrated mastery of course learning outcomes.
      1. The provision of these materials does not constitute the University’s acceptance of the online college coursework for academic credit. Any award of UWF academic credit for the coursework presented must be based on an independent verification by qualified UWF faculty of the knowledge and skills attained in the coursework. This is done through a mechanism such as a UWF proctored proficiency examination.
5. If credit for the online coursework was awarded by another institution of higher education the student must submit an official transcript reflecting the award of credit. The transferability of that work will be determined with the same processes and criteria for other credit-bearing transferred courses.
6. Students will be notified if the credit sought has been approved. If they wish to appeal the decision of the faculty they may do so by submitting an appeal to the college dean, per procedural guidelines established for this policy. Credit awarded for online coursework completed prior to the initial term of enrollment will not be noted on a UWF transcript until completion of the first semester of enrollment as a degree-seeking student. Students who do not enroll at the University of West Florida will not receive a UWF transcript.

Reference: UWF Policy AC-42.01, Credit for Nontraditional Courses, Including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), Prior to Initial Enrollment, as it may be amended

Correspondence Study

Students who anticipate taking correspondence courses or have completed correspondence courses previously should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for guidance. It is the student's responsibility to have an official transcript forwarded to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for any completed coursework.

Credit by Proficiency

Degree-seeking Students

Transfer credit earned through credit by proficiency from another regionally accredited institution of higher education can be articulated to UWF credit pending approval from the UWF department chair that owns the course.  A maximum of thirty (30) semester hours of credit by proficiency (all categories) can be applied to an undergraduate degree at UWF.  Once a student is offered admission to UWF, the burden is on the student to request that their credit by proficiency be evaluated by the UWF department chair that owns the course.  Upon the Office of Undergraduate Admissions receiving official approval from the department chair for credit by proficiency and the UWF course equivalent, the course credit will be applied to the students’ degree plan. 

Non-degree-seeking Students

Transfer credit earned through credit by proficiency from another regionally accredited institution of higher education will only be considered for evaluation for Non-Degree students if the course has the potential to articulate as a prerequisite course required for registration into the course of which the Non-
Degree student wishes to enroll.  The approval process for credit by proficiency for Non-Degree students is the same for Degree-Seeking students and must be approved by the UWF department chair who oversees the course.  Once a student is cleared as a UWF Non-Degree student, the burden is on the student to request credit by proficiency be evaluated by the department chair.

References: BOG 6.006, Acceleration Mechanisms, as it may be amended and UWF Policy AC-41.01, Credit by Proficiency, as it may be amended

Advance Placement Program (AP)

*

General transfer credit, course not offered at UWF.

**

General Education elective credit.

¹

Previously Studio Art: 2-D Design Portfolio

²

Previously Studio Art: 3-D Design Portfolio

³

Previously Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio

⁴

Award min. 3 credits if ENC X101 already satisfied.

Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)

*

General transfer credit, course not offered at UWF.

**

General Education elective credit.

¹

If credit already awarded for ENC X101 or ENC X102, may award ENC X121 and ENC X122.

²

Award credit for ENC X102 if the student has credit for X101.

³

Award credit for ENC X102/LIT X006 if student has credit for ENC X101.

⁴

Only offered at AS-level.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) 

*

General transfer credit, course not offered at UWF.

**

General Education elective credit.

¹

Replaced by College Composition.

²

On Level 2 French Language exam-score of 59  earns a minimum of two semesters of Elementary Language I and II (min. 6 credits). No literature credit. College Board recommended score change from 62 to 59 December 2007.

³

On Level 2 German Language exam-score of 60 earns a minimum of two semesters of Elementary Language I and II (min. 6 credits). No literature credit. College Board recommended score change from 63- to 60 by August, 2008.

⁴

On Level 2 Spanish Language exam-score of 63 earns a minimum of two semesters of Elementary Language I and II (min. 6 credits). No Literature credit. College Board recommended score changes from 66 to 63 in spring, 2007.

Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT)

*

General transfer credit, course not offered at UWF.

**

General Education elective credit.

ADDENDUM - 8/18/2023

International Baccalaureate Program (IB)

*

  General transfer credit, course not offered at UWF 

**

 General Education elective credit

¹

Effective 9/23/2020

²

English A1 is no longer offered, replaced by English Language A: Language and Literature & English Language A: Literature.

³

Effective for exams taken after 5/16/2018

⁴

MAC X147 can substitute for MAC X140 and MAC X114

UEXCEL (Excelsior) Examinations

*

General transfer credit, course not offered at UWF.

**

General Education elective credit.

¹

Effective for exams taken after 5/16/2018.

²

Effective for exams taken after 5/22/2019.

DSST Examination Program (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests)

*

General transfer credit, course not offered at UWF.

**

General Education elective credit.

¹

Discontinued 12/31/2014.

²

2008: See Substance Abuse.

³

Effective for exams taken after 5/16/2018.

Military Service Schools