It’s Good To Be A Transfer Student!

Students must satisfy the five graduation requirements listed below. The good news? Transfer students can satisfy three requirements using transfer credits: University Core Curriculum, Foreign Language (FLENT/FLEX), and Summer Enrollment. Civic Literacy can also be satisfied using transfer credits, but there are important restrictions, including for students transferring from outside Florida public colleges and universities. Learn more below.

University Core Curriculum (UCC)

All students must satisfy FIUs University Core Curriculum (UCC), which is FIUs General Education requirements (Communication/English, Humanities, Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Arts). Students transferring with an AA degree or General Education requirements met from a Florida public college or university, or a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, automatically satisfy the UCC. All others require course-by-course evaluations.

As soon as you transition to FIU, make sure to:

  1. Review FIUs UCC requirements.
  2. Review your Panther Degree Audit to learn how your transfer credits were applied to the UCC.
  3. Review the course equivalency process and submit courses that may satisfy the UCC.
  4. Meet with your academic advisor for advice on completing any pending UCC requirements.

FLENT / FLEX

FLENT/FLEX is a state-mandated requirement. It stands for Foreign Language Entrance, Foreign Language Exit. To meet this requirement, students must either “enter” (FLENT) with a foreign language, or “exit” (FLEX) with a foreign language. To be clear, the foreign language is a language other than English, including American Sign Language.

Students Satisfy FLENT/FLEX as Follows:

High School
  • Two years of the same foreign language in high school
Post-Secondary Institution
  • Two terms of the same language at the introductory level (levels 1 & 2) OR 
  • One term of an intermediate or advanced level course
  • Institution-specific assessment with passing scores/equivalencies on official transcript
Exams
  • Credit-by-Exam (AP, CLEP, IB)
  • Passing TOEFL or IELTS scores required for FIU admission
Foreign Credentials
  • International evaluation or high school transcript noting studies were completed in a country where English is not an official language
Degrees
  • A previously earned bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
  • An AA degree earned at a Florida public college or university prior to 1989

I Did Not “Enter” With Any of the Above. Now What?

You can “exit” FIU with a foreign language (FLEX) using one of these options:

Coursework
  • Two terms of the same language at the introductory level (levels 1 & 2) OR 
  • One term of an intermediate or advanced level course
Exams
  • Passing scores on CLEP exam (Spanish, French, German)
  • Passing scores on BYU FLATS (nearly 60 languages offered)
CLEP and BYU FLATS are offered in FIUs Testing Center. To satisfy the FLENT/FLEX requirement, students must demonstrate competency equal to two terms of an introductory level language (levels 1 and 2).  

Summer Enrollment

Students transferring to FIU with less than 60 credits are required to earn at least 9 credits during one or more summer terms at FIU or any other university in the State University System of Florida. Courses may be completed in person or online.

Completing summer courses at a Florida public college, such as Miami Dade College, Broward College, Valencia College, or a private institution, will not satisfy the Summer Enrollment requirement.

Civic Literacy

The Civic Literacy requirement is a statewide mandate that applies to undergraduate students initially entering a Florida State University System (SUS) and/or Florida College System (FCS) institution in the 2018-19 academic year and thereafter.

Requirement: Demonstrate civic literacy prior to graduation through one of two options presented below. No other courses or credit-by-exams may be used to satisfy this requirement. Transfer courses from outside a Florida public college (FCS) or university (SUS) may not be used to satisfy this requirement.

Option 1: Take a Course. Complete either POS 2041 or AMH 2020 beginning Fall 2018 and onward, which is when the new course competencies and outcomes were inaugurated. Both courses are part of FIUs University Core Curriculum (UCC) Social Science Group One category.

Approved Courses
(beginning Fall 2018 and onward)		 Minimum
Grade*
POS 2041 (American Government) D
AMH 2020 (American History Introductory Survey Since 1877) D

*A minimum grade of “C” may be required in some majors; AMH 2020 requires a minimum grade of “C” to satisfy Gordon Rule writing.

Option 2: Take an Exam. Earn the standard (minimum) score in one of the following exams:

Approved Exams Minimum Score
AP Government and Politics: United States (high school students only) 3
AP United States History (high school students only) 4
CLEP American Government 50
Florida Civic Literacy Test – FCLT (based on civics questions included in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Test) 60
Visit FIUs Testing Center to learn more about the CLEP exam and Florida Civic Literacy Test (FCLT), including registration, fees, and to access study material.

Transfer Students.

The Civic Literacy requirement applies to transfer students who are initially entering a Florida State University System (SUS) or Florida College System (FCS) institution starting in the 2018-19 academic year. Students who transfer from an institution outside the Florida SUS or FCS starting in the 2018-19 academic year, and have not satisfied this requirement, must do so prior to graduation.

Students who earned an Associate in Arts (AA) degree from a Florida SUS or FCS institution prior to the 2018-19 academic year are not required to satisfy this requirement because they are not initially entering the Florida SUS or FCS in the 2018-19 academic year.

For document archives, visit the Florida Department of Education. For a list of Civic Literacy FAQs, visit TTS Transition Resources.

Global Learning (GL)

The Global Learning for Global Citizenship (GL) requirement is unique to FIU, and therefore, students may not use transfer credits to satisfy it. GL courses, activities, and programs enhance students’ understanding of global issues and engagement as global citizens.

Transfer students may satisfy Global Learning as follows:

Category 1. Students who transfer with the UCC satisfied or AA degree from a Florida public college or university:

  • Complete 2 Discipline-Specific GL courses. One of the two courses may be a UCC Foundations course in consultation with an academic advisor.

Category 2. Students who transfer without the UCC satisfied:

  • Complete 1 Foundations GL course from the UCC.
  • Complete 1 Discipline-Specific GL course.
Discipline-Specific GL courses do not need to be in your major. However, some majors include these courses as part of their degree requirements, which means you can satisfy two requirements with one course!
  • For the UCC requirements, click here.
  • For a list of GL Foundations courses, click here.
  • For a list of GL Discipline-Specific courses, click here.
  • To learn more about the two approved GL waivers, click here.

Where Can I Check if I Satisfied the UCC, FLENT/FLEX, Summer Enrollment, Civic Literacy, and Global Learning Requirements?

In your Panther Degree Audit (PDA). The UCC appears in the first section of the PDA, while the FLENT/FLEX, Summer Enrollment, Civic Literacy, and Global Learning requirements appear in the Undergraduate Requirements section. Sections will be listed as “Satisfied,” “Not Satisfied,” or “In Progress.” Remember that Global Learning is completed at FIU, so you can return to your PDA to check that requirement at a later time. If you believe that your PDA is not reflecting these requirements accurately, meet with your academic advisor or Transfer & Transition Services staff member.