Home | Tip 1 | Tip 2 | Tip 3 | Tip 4 | Tip 5 | Tip 6 | Tip 7 | Tip 8 | Tip 9 | Tip 10 | Tip 11
Passport to Transfer - Travel Tip 5
Universal Tracking
While you are still in community college and especially when you transfer to UF, you can take advantage of a program that tracks your courses as you progress toward graduation. The universal tracking program will list the courses that you should take each semester, thus providing a course sequence for you to follow until you graduate.
With the help of the Undergraduate Catalog, you can follow the plan while you are in community college by taking community college courses that are equivalent to the UF courses required at the freshman and sophomore levels. You can be on track for a UF major while you are at the community college.
Tracking provides an optimal path to your degree. However, unlike domestic UF students, you do not have to follow the semester-by-semester plan precisely while you are at the community college. Your schedule may cause some changes in course sequencing. You must, however, have all requirements for admission to a UF major completed by the time you receive the A.A. degree.
Once at UF, you can use ISIS to view information on the courses and requirements that you have already completed and on the courses and requirements that still must be completed each semester before you can graduate. If you follow the plan, you will be on track for graduation.
Universal tracking also provides a feature known as degree shopping. If you are not making sufficient progress toward your degree (and are off track), you can search ALL possible majors at UF to find another major and, via computer simulation, determine whether any of your completed course work meets any of the requirements for another major.
Being On-Track
Generally, UF degree programs consist of 120 credit hours completed in eight semesters, plus appropriate summer terms. A track is the course plan that specifies the optimal path to a degree. Unless otherwise indicated, courses may be taken in any order. Each degree track uses several critical tracking criteria to judge whether you are on or off track in pursuit of a degree.
You must complete the courses and other criteria identified each term in your major's tracking plan. You are off track if you do not complete the courses and criteria required. Students who are off track cannot register until they see an advisor. If you are off track for two consecutive semesters, you will have to find another major for which you are qualified.
To remain on track and eligible to register each semester you must:
- take courses when they are indicated as mandatory in specific semesters (look for bolded courses in the catalog or >>> in ISIS),
- maintain the minimum GPA required for the critical tracking courses that determine admission to the major, and
- maintain the necessary overall GPA.
The University of Florida has developed a special section of ISIS for community college students - the Index to Majors and their Colleges/Schools . This section lists all common course numbers fulfilling each requirement for each UF degree and gives the critical overall and preprofessional GPA minimums. Any course you take at the community college with one of the matching numbers for any given UF course requirement will automatically fulfill that requirement. If your community college does not offer one of the course numbers listed, your advisor should contact the appropriate UF college for further information.
If you decided on a UF major late in your community college career, you still may be able to complete any additional preprofessional courses at your community college. Even with an A.A. degree, you may be better off completing admission requirements for a UF major at the community college.
Excess Hours Fee
There has been much discussion in the last 5 years about charging a fee for hours accumulated exceeding 115% of those required for graduation -- not counting AP, IB, CLEP, dual enrollment, or the new Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) credits. Currently, there are no charges for any excess hours; however, that policy may change in the future.
