Frequently Asked Questions for Denied Applicants

First, applications are reviewed against the state minimums for admissions. If the application meets those minimum requirements, the application is then reviewed against UF’s admissions standards, which vary based on the type of applicant, listed below.

Freshman Applicants If you have 0-11 transferable college credits, your application will undergo a holistic review. Your high school record, college transcripts (if applicable), extracurricular activities, unique contributions, and admissions essay are reviewed. If you graduated high school within the last 5 years, standardized test scores are also collected with your application.

Since your high school record constitutes the majority of your academic work to date, your academic performance in high school weighs heavily into your admissions decision.

The state minimum requirements for Freshmen applicants can be found here; however, UF’s standards for admissions are significantly higher than the state minimums. Applicants who are admitted typically have at least (and usually higher than) a 3.7 High School GPA.

Recommended next steps: If denied at this level, we would recommend earning at least 30 transferable credits at a local state college or university. This coursework should include some competitive admissions courses for your intended UF Online major, as well as college level Math and English courses.

Lower Division (12-59 transferable credits): If you have 12-59 transferable college credits, your application will undergo a holistic review. As with freshmen applicants, your high school record, college transcripts, extracurricular activities, unique contributions, and admissions essay are reviewed. If you graduated high school within the last 5 years, standardized test scores are also collected with your application.

The state minimum requirements for Lower Division applicants can be found here, however, UF’s standards for admissions are significantly higher than the state minimums. Generally, we are looking for applicants with over a 3.0 High School GPA and over a 3.0 College GPA. The more college credits an applicant has earned, the less heavily the high school coursework weighs in the decision-making process. Additionally, the closer an applicant is to being an Upper Division transfer (60 credit hours), the higher the expectation that the applicant would have more of their intended major’s upper division competitive admission criteria met at the time of admission.

Recommended next steps: If denied at this level, we would recommend earning at least 60 transferable credits and meeting all of the competitive admissions criteria for your intended major before reapplying. To ensure that all UF general education requirements are completed and to take advantage of articulated transfer pathways, Florida residents are strongly encouraged to complete their Associates of Arts Degree at a Florida state college prior to reapplying. Admission processes and degree programs at each institution are found on the individual college’s webpage. For your convenience, the following Florida Department of Education website provides links to all the institutions included in the Florida College System: https://www.fldoe.org/schools/higher-ed/fl-college-system/about-us/colleges.stml.

Upper Division (60+ transferable credits): Unlike freshman or lower division applications, your high school record and test scores are not required to determine your eligibility for admissions. Your college coursework is used to determine your eligibility for admissions as an upper division applicant. Below are the state minimums and UF standards for Upper Division transfer admissions:

State Minimums

• A cumulative 2.0 GPA in all college coursework
• A 2.0 GPA or higher from the last institution attended

UF Standards

In addition to meeting the state minimums, applicants must also meet the competitive admissions criteria listed for their intended major. Each major has:

• A minimum overall GPA requirement
• A list of Competitive Admission coursework
• A minimum prerequisite GPA

Failure to meet all of this criteria would result in denied admission. Please note that for most majors, all attempts at competitive admissions coursework are taken into account during the review process.

Recommended next steps: If denied at this level, please review the competitive admissions criteria listed for your intended major.

• If you are missing prerequisites courses, you will need to complete the missing courses before reapplying.
• If you have completed all of your prerequisite coursework, but did not meet both of the GPA requirements, you may need to take some additional courses or retake a course to earn a higher grade before reapplying. Please note that for most majors, all prior attempts at a competitive admissions coursework are factored into this GPA calculation.
• If you have received an AA degree from a Florida College System institution, please consider applying to one or more of the other 11 institutions that comprise Florida’s State University System if you have not already done so. Admissions processes and degree programs at each institution are found on the individual university’s websites. For your convenience, the following State University System of Florida website provides links to the undergraduate admission websites for each institution: https://www.flbog.edu/universities/admissions-transfers/undergraduate-admissions/.

Post-baccalaureate (Already have a Bachelor’s Degree): This category falls under the same review process as Upper Division students. Please see above.

Readmissions (Previously attended the University of Florida): All readmissions applicants go through an extensive hands-on review process directly by the College to which the applicant is applying. Due to the unique circumstances of each student, the readmissions process can look very different from one student to the next.

Recommended next steps: If denied at this level, please refer to your decision letter available on your application status page. If your College provided specific admissions requirements, you should satisfy these requirements prior to reapplying.

Courses in progress are taken into account during the review process for admissions. It is very important to accurately report all courses in progress on your application, especially if you are taking prerequisites required for the major to which you are applying as an upper division applicant. With courses in progress, we do not assume that a specific grade will be earned, only that the current GPA will be maintained.

The University of Florida conducts its own GPA calculations of your academic records. Each school transcript is reviewed individually for applicable transferrable work, which is why we require all transcripts be submitted with your application. How we calculate a GPA is detailed below:

High School GPA: Your coursework in English, Math, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Foreign Language are utilized for your GPA calculation. All other non-academic coursework is excluded.

Note: Applicants utilizing a high school equivalency examination (GED, etc) are exempt from this GPA calculation and their applications are reviewed holistically.

Overall College GPA: Each transcript is reviewed individually and your grades are combined into one overall GPA. Coursework classified as vocational or from unaccredited institutions are excluded from this calculation. You must have at least a 2.0 overall college GPA and at least a 2.0 GPA at your last institution to be eligible for admission. Upper division applicants should know that each major has a specified minimum overall GPA, which can be located in the competitive admissions criteria section on each major’s webpage

Competitive Admissions College GPA (Upper division applicants only): Your competitive admissions GPA is calculated by averaging your grades across the prerequisites listed for your major. Most programs include every attempt at a competitive admissions course, regardless of possible grade forgiveness. Each major has a minimum overall GPA requirement and a minimum prerequisite GPA specified for admissions, which you can locate on your major’s webpage.

If your prior academic record was negatively impacted by serious extenuating circumstances that can be documented, consider the possibility of retroactively dropping and/or withdrawing from the issuing institution. If the issuing institution grants the retroactive drop/withdrawal, you could reapply for a future term using the updated transcript.

Credit is awarded for college-level coursework completed at a U.S. institution of higher education accredited by one of the following institutional accreditors or its equivalent from a foreign institution:

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

Foreign institutions must be recognized by the Ministry of Education in that country. Courses must be similar in nature and content to courses in our undergraduate curriculum to be transferred. Courses that are remedial, technical, vocational or doctrinal in nature are not transferable to an undergraduate degree. It is the prerogative of the student’s UF college to determine how transfer credits apply to a degree. Students should expect to receive 60 transfer credits with an AA degree from a Florida public community/state college.

Review the University of Florida’s full transfer credit policy.

If you earned less than a 2.0 overall GPA or earned less than a 2.0 GPA at the most recent institution you attended, unfortunately, you are not currently admissible to UF. We recommend you return to your previous institution and improve your GPA prior to reapplying.

No, the University of Florida does not issue grade forgiveness. Every attempt at transferable coursework is included in your GPA calculations. The one exception for grade forgiveness is if you have earned an Associates of Arts (AA) degree from a Florida state college. In that case, grade forgiveness is honored for the overall GPA calculation and only up to the term for which the AA is earned.

If you were denied because you were missing specific courses, you will need to take those courses before re-applying to UF Online. Be sure to enroll at an accredited institution recognized by the University of Florida for any future coursework. To find online courses offered by Florida institutions, you can use the Course Search tool on the Florida Shines website. If you intend to reapply to UF Online, do not register for non-degree courses at the University of Florida. Non-degree coursework taken at the University of Florida will not be applied towards a UF degree. Non-Degree coursework at the UF includes flexible learning, transient coursework, and generally all coursework taken at UF before being admitted to a degree program.

Applicants should reapply once their academic record has changed and they have taken the recommended steps on this webpage to positively improve their academic record. All application deadlines for future terms must be met. If you require more information, please contact the UF Online OneStop.

A formal appeals process exists for applicants whose individual circumstances may not have been sufficiently accommodated in the application process. Appeals can only be considered for the same major in the term for which you applied. If you wish to be considered for a different major, then a new application will be required. When you appeal, you are asking the Committee to make an exception in the case of your application. Every appeal will receive a fair review. However, exceptions, by definition, are rare and require substantial evidence or reasoning to warrant approval. Some appeals are approved; most are not. Since the appeal process varies based on the major to which you applied, please contact the UF Online OneStop for more information.

Although we cannot offer you admissions to UF Online at this time, we encourage you to continue pursing your academic goals. If you are interested in reapplying to UF in the future, we encourage you to take the recommended steps listed on this page. However, if you want to learn about other degree programs and explore options outside of UF Online, read below.

If you have received an AA degree from a Florida College System institution, please consider applying to one or more of the other 11 institutions that comprise Florida’s State University System if you have not already done so. Details about individual program opportunities and admission processes are found on the individual university office websites. For your convenience, the following State University System of Florida website provides links to the undergraduate admission websites for each institution: https://www.flbog.edu/universities/admissions-transfers/undergraduate-admissions/