Florida Student Bill of Rights and A.A. Transfer Guarantees

Florida community college Associate in Arts graduates are guaranteed the following rights under the Statewide Articulation Agreement (State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.024):

  1. Admission to one of the eleven state universities, except to limited access programs*.
  2. Acceptance of at least 60 credit hours by the state universities towards the baccalaureate degree.
  3. Adherence to university requirements and policies based on the catalog in effect at the time the student first entered a community college, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment.
  4. Transfer of equivalent courses under the Statewide Course Numbering System.
  5. Acceptance by the state universities of credit earned in accelerated programs (e.g. CLEP, AP, PEP. Dual Enrollment. Early Admission and International Baccalaureate).
  6. No additional General Education Core requirements.
  7. Advance knowledge of selection criteria for limited access programs.
  8. Equal opportunity with native university students to enter limited access programs.

*Limited Access is the designation given to programs that require additional admission requirements that are more selective than general admission requirements. These may include the following: increased total GPA and test scores; additional courses and prerequisites; and auditions and portfolios.

Should any guarantee be denied, students have the right of appeal. Each state university and community college shall make available established appeal procedures through the respective articulation officers.

Associate in Arts Transfer Guarantees

The Articulation Agreement designates the Associate in Arts degree as the transfer degree. The Articulation Agreement governs the transfer students from Florida public community colleges in the State University System. The agreement addressed GENERAL ADMISSION to the university and PROGAM ADMISSION.

General Admission Guarantees

Community college A.A. degree holders will be granted admission to one of eleven (11) state universities, but not necessarily to limited access programs. Upon transferring to a state university, A.A. degree graduates will be awarded at least 60 credit hours towards the baccalaureate degree. The university catalog in effect the year the A.A. degree student first enrolled at the community college will remain in effect for the student’s program, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment as defined in that catalog.

Once a student has completed the General Education Core and this is so noted on the transcript, regardless of whether or not an A.A. degree is awarded, no other state university or community college to which the student may transfer can require additional courses to the general education core. When transferring among institutions participating in the Statewide Course Numbering System, a receiving institution must accept all courses taken at regionally accredited transfer institution, if the same course with the same number is offered at the receiving institution. In a like manner, nationally accredited institutions who have courses entered in the statewide course numbering system will have these courses accepted by the receiving institution if it offers the same course with the same course number.

Credits earned through acceleration mechanisms (CLEP, AP, PEP, early admission, International Baccalaureate and dual enrollment courses) within the A.A. degree at the community college will be transferable to the state university. Students without an A.A. degree who are seeking admission to a state university do not have all the protection provided by the Articulation Agreement and may be denied admission or lose credit when transferring, Students without an AA degree will have to meet freshman admissions standards.

Program Admission

The universities determine the courses and prerequisites that must be taken in order to receive a baccalaureate degree for a chosen program. Although all credits earned towards an A.A. degree will transfer to a university, not all credits may satisfy the program prerequisites or the course requirements for a baccalaureate degree. Therefore, it is important to know the program requirements and to take as many courses as possible at the community college while completing the A.A. degree.

Limited Access Programs

Due to limited resources, some programs have additional Admission requirements that are more restrictive than the university’s general admission requirements. These requirements include one or more of the following: grade point average, test scores, prerequisite courses, auditions, portfolios. A.A. graduates are not guaranteed admission into limited access programs but are guaranteed that:

  1. The community college student will have the same opportunity to enroll in a university limited access program as the native university student.
  2. Selection and enrollment criteria for a university limited access program will be established and published in catalogs counseling manuals and appropriate publications. Notification of any changes in a program will include sufficient time for prospective students to have the opportunity to adjust to meet program criteria. 

Admission Appeals

As a general rule. If a student is denied admission to a university or a program at the university and wants to appeal, the appeal must be initiated at the University Admissions Office. Each university has established procedures for appealing admission denials. Those procedures must be published in the university catalog. If a student is accepted into a university, but is denied admission to a program, the university must state the reasons for the denial. This is usually done in a letter from the dean of the college, school or department. Any request for further clarification on the part of the student should include: 1.) A copy of the letter of denial; 2.) A copy of the student’s transcripts; 3.) A copy of the page(s) from the counseling manual or catalog, outlining the program requirement; and, 4.) A signed statement requesting a review of the denial. NOTE: Students should keep a copy of all correspondence and a log of all telephone contacts. A copy all the above information should be forwarded to the University Admissions Office and the University Articulations Officer.

Articulation Officers

The University Articulation Officer is responsible for assisting the community college student seeking admission to a university. If assistance is needed with an appeal request or if it appears that a department is not complying with the statewide Articulation Agreement, the University Articulation Officer should be contacted. The Community College Articulation Officer is also responsible for assisting
in the transfer of students to universities. 

Appealing to the Articulation Coordinating Committee

All of the avenues available to the student at the institutional level should be pursued prior to appealing to the Articulation Coordinating Committee. The student should keep a copy of all correspondence and a log of all telephone contacts. If the denial is upheld at the university level and there is still a question of potential violation of the Articulation Agreement, the student may request a hearing before the Articulation Coordinating Committee (Florida Education Center, 722 Turlington Bldg., 325 W. Gaines St., Tallahassee, Florida 32399). The procedure for filing such an appeal with the Articulation Coordinating Committee are as follows:

  1. The student submits a statement of the problem; a copy of the letter of denial form the university; a copy of the transcript in question; a copy of the page(s) from the catalog or counseling manual; and a request to have a hearing before the Articulation Coordinating Committee for purposes of adjudication.
  2. All student appeals and policy concerns are reviewed by the Articulation Appeals Subcommittee, which then forwards its recommendations(s) to the Articulation Coordinating Committee. Issues not resolved b the subcommittee are sent to the full committee for resolution.
  3. The Articulation Coordinating Committee and Articulation Appeals Subcommittee may request the appearance of representatives or statements from the receiving or sending institution to provide additional information or clarification on the issue.
  4. A decision letter on the disposition of an appeal is written by the chair of the Articulation Coordinating Committee to the division directors and copies are simultaneously sent to all persons involved. Including the student. The decision of the Articulation Coordinating Committee is final.