Orientation

What is Orientation?

All undergraduate students are required to complete a UCF Orientation component prior to registering for classes to ensure best chances for student success in their first semester at the University. COSAS serves incoming students at Orientation by ensuring that students meet with their College and Departmental advisors to plan out a class schedule, learn about important policies and deadlines, first week survival, and by introducing students to numerous on-campus resources available to assist students with a wide variety of topics.

Orientation is a two-day event for all incoming Freshman students. Otherwise, all Transfer Orientations, and Regional Campus Orientations are single-day events.

COSAS would like you to keep this information in mind for Freshman and Transfer Students entering the College of Sciences. For more complete Orientation Information, visit UCF Orientation Services at http://orientation.ucf.edu

Orientation Self Assessment

To-Do List:

  • STEP 1: Have you applied and been accepted to UCF? If NO, apply through Undergraduate Admissions. If YES, proceed to Step 2.
  • STEP 2: You will need to attend a UCF Orientation. Please check out the UCF Orientation Services website.
  • STEP 3: Learn about the College of Sciences Advising Services (COSAS) portion of Orientation.

Orientation Forms

The forms we pass out at Orientation include:

Freshmen

For Freshmen entering the College of Sciences: COSAS will give you an overview of the college and split you into groups by major for a group advising session. The next day, you will be assigned a first year advisor who will help you register for your classes.

College of Sciences Freshmen Orientation Presentation

Transfer Students

Registration at the Transfer Student Orientation

How to plan for registration in your intended major on the day of Orientation:

  1. Transfer students’ academic credits previously earned can be reviewed by the student with their departmental advisor at the student’s request once the student has completed the Transfer Student Orientation. Each course must be evaluated by the department that offers the course to determine if it is equivalent to the UCF version of the course, so students may have to visit more than one department to review all of their courses. Click here to see a listing of all departmental advisors in the College of Sciences.
  2. If you plan to split a sequence course (ex. Biology I at the transferring institution and Biology II at UCF), unless you have already discussed this with your major advisor, the College of Sciences Advising Services (COSAS) office advises against splitting the sequence for a few reasons: 1. Because the teaching styles can vary among institutions, students generally feel lost with the coursework in the 2nd sequence, and as a result the major and UCF GPA will suffer; 2. Your major requires a minimum number of credit hours taken in the major department at UCF. Credits from another institution may not apply toward that residency requirement. This residency requirement does not mean “living on campus”, it applies to all students and simply means number of credit hours required for the specific major.
  3. Student/Advisor self-assessment. This assessment will be online, and feedback will be given based on how students answer the assessment questions. As a result of this self-assessment, students are generally encouraged to make an advising appointment with their COSAS Advisor simply to obtain professional guidance that will ultimately assist in achieving the academic goal(s). Click here to access the self assessment.
  4. If you have been admitted to UCF and have chosen a major within the College of Sciences that is considered Limited Access, you will not yet be eligible to declare that major officially until you have successfully taken required courses listed under each Limited Access major, which can be found in the most current UCF Undergraduate Catalog on line at http://www.catalog.sdes.ucf.edu/ AND you must apply to that major separately with the help of an advisor. This process will be covered in your Transfer Student Orientation. Please note that students are not able to officially declare the Limited Access major until they have been formally accepted into the major. Because of this process, students applying for a Limited Access major are encouraged to make an appointment with his or her COSAS Advisor early to ensure that prerequisites for the major are being met satisfactorily, and to develop an alternative plan with your advisor in the event that he or she is not admitted into the Limited Access major. The following is a list of College of Sciences Limited Access majors, and they reside in the Nicholson School of Communication:
    • Advertising & Public Relations
    • Journalism
    • Radio & Television
  5. If you plan to pursue a medical degree following the completion of your UCF degree, you will need to meet with a pre-professional advisor early to begin planning to incorporate the medical school pre-requisites into your track at UCF. You should seek guidance from both: 1. Your department advisor (ex. Biology department advisor), and 2. The Office of Pre-Professional Advising to ensure that you are meeting all prerequisites required for your professional school as these prerequisites are not automatically incorporated into the major that you have declared at UCF.
  6. Undecided Science majors should concentrate on taking the Common Program Prerequisites that are common between the potential majors (see the current on-line catalog for the Common Program Prerequisite details listed under each major). Meeting with your COSAS advisor is strongly encouraged to determine which major best fits your academic/career goals.
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR ALL TRANSFER STUDENTS:

You are starting at a new institution, which means you are registering as a new student, whereas most returning UCF students have already registered. This means high demand courses will be scarce and you should plan for alternative courses in your first semester.

If you are TRANSFERRING CREDIT out of state or from a private institution, IT IS IMPORTANT that you read the “Transferring Credits” section following this section. If this applies to you, you will need an alternative plan for course work in your first term, as your credit will need to be evaluated before it can count toward program requirements.

The College of Sciences Advising Services (COSAS) office will give you an overview of the College, and split you into groups by major for a major-related group advising session. COSAS advisors will then help you register for your first term at UCF. It is important that you bring your unofficial transcripts from your previous institution with you so that COSAS advisors can accurately answer your questions and help you with registration.

Transferring Credits

Getting credits earned at an out-of-state institution, in-state institution, or community college applied to your University of Central Florida transcript and degree program can be a confusing process if you are not familiar with the UCF campus and basic policies. However, there are steps you can take to make the process flow as smoothly as possible.

Credits are sometimes not applied to an intended requirement. In the following steps, you will see who to contact, what form to fill out, and what information you will need from your transfer institution.  Some credits will be transferred automatically, while others may require an evaluation.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact COSAS by emailing cosaudit@ucf.edu.

Some of your credits may need to be evaluated to determine if you have courses that may satisfy the General Education Program (GEP), Common Program Prerequisites and/or Major Requirements. If you are transferring from a Florida public institution, courses that follow common course numbering (the same prefix and last three numbers) are accepted automatically and will not need further evaluation. Some courses from out-of-state or private institutions may have to be independently evaluated for equivalency. If you think additional course work should be considered for evaluation, please follow the procedures for each requirement area as outlined below:

  • General Education Program

    To have a course evaluated for General Education equivalency, please complete the online Transfer Credit Request form on the Academic Services website (https://www.academicservices.ucf.edu). You will need to provide the transfer course prefix & number, the UCF course prefix and number, and the weblink to the transfer course description from your previous institution’s online catalog. For any questions, please contact Academic Services (Millican Hall 210, 407-823-2691).

  • Common Program Prerequisites (those courses common to all students in your major) and Major Requirements

    To have a course evaluated for common program prerequisites and/or major requirement equivalency you will need to get the course evaluated by the college that owns the course. For all courses done through the College of Sciences you will need to submit an evaluation request using the online College of Sciences Course Evaluation system.

Notes: Each college operates their evaluation process differently, be sure to contact the college of the major if you have questions about how to evaluate your courses. For the College of Sciences please contact COSAudit@ucf.edu.

Transient Credits

The transient form provides approval to take courses at another institution before you take the course. You should file an online transient form if you plan on registering for courses at another Florida public institution on a temporary basis. The purpose of the transient form is to check whether a course will be accepted for your degree prior to taking the course. It’s also required to link your financial aid between institutions when transient. A transient form must be filed for each semester you wish to take classes elsewhere.

The online process to file for transient status through Florida Shines can be found through the UCF Registrar’s Office: Transient Students resource.

Remember: Once you complete your course don’t forget to request your transcripts! Transcripts do not get sent automatically to UCF by the transient school. You must report all credit taken at other institutions to UCF, so make sure you request final official transcripts as soon as they become available at your transient institution with your final grade(s).

Transient Student Approval Forms (Paper Version):

Paper versions of Transient Student Approval Forms for Non-SUS of Florida institutions are available in COSAS (CSB 250) and also online in the Registrar’s Office (MH 161, 823-3100).

If you have any questions about this process, please contact COSAS at cosas@ucf.edu.