Transfer Manual: Application Procedures and Policies

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the University receives the following:

A completed application for admission with application fee.

All of the application's additional required documents, depending on the applicant's status, program and level (e.g. letters of recommendation, preliminary undergraduate degree plan, certification of finances, essay, test scores, etc.)

Official transcripts (or other documentation where appropriate) from each source of transfer credit and every school attended.

Transcripts should be sent directly from their source, in a sealed envelope to the Office of Admission. Transcripts opened by an official representative of USF are acceptable. Photocopies of irreplaceable official transcripts from overseas are acceptable if copied by a USF official.

The recorded transfer credit on one institution's transcript from another will not be used in the evaluation of transfer credit to USF. Credit will only be granted for work completed at the institution from which the transcript was received. An exception can be made for AP, CLEP, and IB exam results if the applicant's score is recorded clearly on another school's transcript.

Courses in progress must be listed on the application. Upon completion a transcript must be sent to the Admission Office.

Additional application procedures and requirements may be found elsewhere in this manual, in the USF catalog, and with the application itself.

Special Note: Some CPS students who are enrolled (matriculated) at USF may not yet be admitted to the University. Although allowed to enroll after meeting their academic advisor and prior to the completion of their application they must still submit an application and meet all admission criteria.

Evaluation of Credit and Admission Decision

An application will only be evaluated when the file is complete and all documents have been received. (The Admission Office will verify recognition of overseas academic transcripts prior to receiving an application).

To be considered for admission a transfer applicant must have an overall minimum 2.0 cumulative college grade point average (GPA) from all transferable course work and must be in good standing at the last institution attended. Students who were academically disqualified from the last institution attended must meet additional requirements prior to being considered for admission.

Calculation of the GPA will be according to the principles outlined in the Transcripts, Grades, and GPA section of this manual.

Certain USF colleges and programs may have different academic requirements for admission than are regularly required.

Full Admission to the University

Traditional Undergraduate

Transfers in good standing at the last institution attended must have a minimum of 24 transferable semester units. Students with less than 24 units are required to submit official transcripts from all secondary schools attended. Students who would not have been acceptable based upon their secondary school records must normally complete at least 24 units with a 2.5 GPA to be considered for admission.

Although the minimum acceptable GPA is 2.00, the evaluation of the application will take into account the program to which the student is applying, the student's grades in major academic subjects, the number of units in transfer, and the student's last semester of transferable course work. Some programs may have special restrictions and requirements (e.g. business and nursing).

In some instances conditional admission may be granted (see below).

College of Professional Studies

Applicants in good standing at the last institution attended are required to have a minimum of 50 transferable units with a 2.00 GPA. While up to 16 units of USF Evening and Weekend College (visiting student status) credit may be used towards the 50 units required for admission, units earned in the cohort program do not.

Conditional Admission to the University

Students may be granted conditional admission to the University when their application does not qualify them for full acceptance. The reasons for conditional acceptance may vary from program to program. A student on conditional status has been admitted on the basis of one or more conditions, which must be met for the student to be eligible for regular student status.

Disqualified Students:

Conditional acceptance may be granted to a student who has been academically disqualified at another regionally accredited institution under the following circumstances:

When the disqualification occurred 10 or more years prior to the semester of application and a calculation of the transfer GPA (with 10-year grade forgiveness policy) yields at least a 2.00.

When the disqualification occurred less than 10 years prior to the semester of application if the student completes additional units with a minimum GPA of 2.00 and the overall GPA is at least 2.00.

Traditional undergraduates must normally complete a minimum of one full time term at another institution.

CPS students must complete a minimum of six semester units at another institution or at USF as a visiting student.

If a student has been disqualified from a school or college at USF the matter must be referred to the Dean or Associate Dean of the College the student is seeking Admission.

Low GPA CPS Conditional Admit:

In some cases, primarily when the student has been incorrectly advised before admission and does not have a 2.00 GPA, an advisor may appeal for a conditional admit. The advisor should submit to the University Evaluator a letter with the advisor's recommendations as to why the applicant is eligible for a conditional admit (the student can have no lower than a 1.85 GPA and must have at least an overall 2.5 GPA in their last six academic units). This applies to students who were disqualified from the last institution attended as well. CPS students must file a Petition for an Exception of Policy (PEP) in order to be conditionally admitted. They can do so at: http://www.cps.usfca.edu/student/resources/petition.pdf

Conditions:

When a student is admitted conditionally according to the policies listed above the following conditions apply:

Traditional Undergraduates are limited to 12 units of academic course work their first semester at USF, and must maintain an overall GPA of 2.00. In addition they must enroll in the 1 unit USF College Success course. Other conditions may be applied in special circumstances. Failure to meet these conditions may result in administrative withdrawal from the University.

CPS students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.00 in their first 6 units at USF and students may be held to some other conditions as outlined in their memorandum of understanding with USF. Failure to meet these conditions may result in administrative withdrawal from the University.

Unofficial Document Conditional Admit:

In some cases, to speed up application evaluations, unofficial documents may be submitted. It is up to the University Evaluator to determine the suitability of such documentation. A student admitted based on unofficial documents will be admitted conditionally. The condition is that the student must ensure that official documents are received by the end of their first semester or risk administrative withdrawal.

Denied/RejectedApplications

Students that do not meet the stated admission requirements will be denied.

Applicants who received an academic disqualification from the most recent institution attended will be denied unless they meet the requirements for conditional admission listed above.

For CPS applicants the University Evaluator will contact the appropriate academic advisor prior to denying the application to inquire about mitigating factors (e.g. additional credits from CLEP or courses in progress) or to ask if there is a basis for an appeal for conditional admission.

Visiting Student Status

A visiting student is not formally admitted to the University but is permitted to take classes (up to a maximum of 8-units per semester).

A visiting student is not a degree-seeking student. All requirements for regular admission must be met before units earned as a visiting student may be applied to a degree program.

Re-Application

A student who wishes to re-enroll after withdrawal or failure to maintain continuing student status must submit a re-application to the office of Admission. There is no fee.

If the student has completed course work at another institution since being enrolled at USF the student must submit transcripts of all such work.

A re-entry student's original transfer evaluation remains valid even if changes have been made to transfer policies during the student's absence from USF. For example the number of transfer units granted and USF equivalency coding, if still applicable, remain the same.

However, re-entry students are required to meet all current admission, program, and graduation requirements in place at the time of re-admission.

Academic and Financial Eligibility

Students who are academically ineligible (disqualified) to re-enroll will have their re-application referred to the appropriate Dean's office. CPS students who have been disqualified usually must take a minimum of six units at another institution with a minimum 2.00 GPA in those units and an overall 2.00 GPA before the student will be considered for re-entry.

Students who are financially ineligible to re-enroll will be notified by the Admission Office. The student must then contact the appropriate office (e.g. Bursar, Library) to have the financial ineligibility hold cleared.

Eligibility to Enroll

Once a CPS student has applied, the student has up to one year from the date of application to enroll with out the need to re-apply. A student who fails to enroll within a year will forfeit any tuition deposit.

Applicants to all other undergraduate programs at USF must notify the Admission Office of their desire to defer their application and may defer enrollment from Fall semester to Spring semester, providing no coursework is taken during this time. Students wishing to defer from Spring semester to Fall semester or who have taken additional course work elsewhere since admission to USF must re-apply.

Appeal of Transfer Credit Decision

University transfer credit and admission policies are administered by the Admission Office. If a dispute arises between a USF School or College and the Admission Office about a transfer credit decision, that dispute may be settled by an appeal to the Academic Vice-President.

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