Orientation – Transfer Students

November 5, 2019

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.