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Associate in Arts Transfer Guarantees

Community college Associate in Arts graduates are guaranteed certain rights under the statewide articulation agreement (Rule 6A-10.024). The articulation agreement governs the transfer of students from Florida public community colleges into the State University System. The agreement addresses GENERAL ADMISSION to the State University System and PROGRAM ADMISSION to selected programs at a university.

General Admission

Guarantees:

The articulation agreement designates the Associate in Arts degree as the transfer degree. In doing so, the agreement guarantees that:

  1. Community college A.A. degree holders will be granted admission to a university within the State University System, but not necessarily to the university or program of choice.
  2. Upon transferring to a state university, A.A. degree graduates will be awarded 60 credit hours toward the baccalaureate degree.
  3. Generally, 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 entire program, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment as defined in that catalog and completes the program within the university’s specified time frame. Note: Certain changes in law may affect the catalog.
  4. Once a student has completed the general education requirements and this is so noted on the transcript, regardless of whether 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 requirements.
  5. When transferring among institutions participating in the Statewide Course Numbering System, a receiving institution must accept all courses taken at the transfer institution if the same course with the same course number is offered at the receiving institution.
  6. Credits earned through articulated acceleration mechanisms, such as dual enrollment, International Baccalaureate, early admission, advanced placement, and credit by examination, that are earned 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. In most cases, students without an A.A. degree will have to meet freshman admissions standards.


Program Admission

General

The universities determine the courses and prerequisites that must be taken in order to receive a baccalaureate degree for a chosen program. Although all credit earned toward an A.A. degree will transfer to a university, not all credit 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 of these courses as possible at the community college while completing the A.A. degree.

Limited Access

Because of demand or limited resources, most of the universities have programs that are called limited access programs. Admission to limited access programs is granted on a competitive basis. Consequently, limited access programs have additional admission requirements that are more restrictive than the universities’ general admission requirements. These requirements include one or more of the following: minimum grade point averages, test scores, prerequisite courses, auditions and portfolios.

Guarantees

Neither Associate in Arts graduates nor native university students are guaranteed admission to limited access programs. However, the articulation agreement does provide certain guarantees, including 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 must be established and published in catalogs, counseling manuals, and other appropriate publications. Changes in program enrollment criteria must be given with sufficient advance notice for prospective students to adjust their programs to meet the new criteria.

Should any of these guarantees be denied, the student has the right to file an appeal. Each state university and community college has established appeal procedures. These procedures must be published in the university catalog. 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.

Admission Appeals

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 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 requirements.
  4. A signed statement requesting a review of the denial.

Students should keep a copy of all correspondence and a log of all telephone contacts. A copy of all of the above information should be forwarded to the university admissions office and the university articulation 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. Articulation officers at the community colleges are also responsible for assisting in the transfer of students to universities and can advise students in the interpretation of the articulation agreement and appealing an admissions decision.

Appealing to the Articulation Coordinating Committee

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, Tallahassee, Florida, 32399-0400). 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. The procedures 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 from 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. ll student appeals and policy concerns are reviewed by the Articulation Appeals Subcommittee, which then forwards its recommendation(s) to the Articulation Coordinating Committee. Issues not resolved by 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 deans, and copies are simultaneously sent to all persons involved, including the student. The decision of the Articulation Coordinating Committee shall be final.