Preparing for Transfer
Florida’s Statewide Articulation Agreement, general education requirements, common prerequisites, Statewide Course Numbering System and FloridaShines assist students in transitioning smoothly from two-year to four-year college or university programs. Students are provided certain guarantees and protections to ensure the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree program is comparable to the first two years of a four-year program.
FloridaShines
Florida's Student Hub of Innovative Educational Services - is a service of the Florida Virtual Campus.
FloridaShines is a free online advising website to help students plan and track their education progress from middle school through college. FloridaShines is a service of the State University System of Florida and the Florida College System.
FloridaShines establishes a secure connection to public colleges and universities in Florida to provide the most current information regarding your student records. Go to FloridaShines and select the area that you want to access. If the information you request is secure, you will be asked to login using your Eastern Florida student ID and password.
On FloridaShines you can:
- Access college transcripts and grades
- Track your progress towards college graduation
- Have your A.A. transcript evaluated for transfer
- Evaluate high school progress
- See high school course summary and grades
- Complete interest inventories and other career assessments
- Research careers, including the education level required
- Search for colleges and programs
- Apply online for admission to Florida institutions
- Find and apply for financial aid
- Use the Transient Form to make it easier take courses at other institutions and
- Access advising manuals including the Common Prerequisite Manual, Statewide Articulation Manual, and the ICUF Articulation Manual.
Florida Virtual Campus
The Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC) is a statewide provider of innovative educational services for Florida's K-20 community. Working collaboratively with the state's 12 public universities, 28 public colleges, K-12 school districts, and other partners, FLVC provides services that help students succeed in school and life after graduation. Those services include:
- An array of academic advising, career readiness, and distance learning resources for students and parents, available through the FloridaShines website
- Support for the academic libraries at the state's public colleges and universities, including a discovery tool used by students and faculty to access library resources and an integrated library management system used by library staff
- Tools and training materials used by academic advisors, distance learning staff, librarians, and other staff at Florida's public colleges and universities to provide services to their students and faculties The Florida Virtual Campus is funded by the Florida Legislature, and administered by the University of West Florida.
Statewide Articulation Agreement
(2+2 Program Admission)
Students who earn an Associate of Arts from a state college fulfill the general education requirements for a baccalaureate degree and are guaranteed admission to one of the 12 state universities, although not necessarily the university of their choice. Additionally, state colleges and universities must accept credit for courses with a statewide course number.
Admission to certain limited access programs and high-demand universities is very competitive. Admission can be based on GPA, completion of common prerequisites and completion of foreign language requirements, among other requirements. The articulation agreement guarantees transfer students will have an equal opportunity to compete against native students to enter limited-access programs. It is the student’s responsibility to know the transfer admission requirements and be as prepared as possible to compete for a place in the four-year program. Students can find these requirements and track progress at FloridaShines.
Transfer Checklist
- Identify a baccalaureate program of interest early in the degree path (by 30 hours).
- Meet with your academic advisor to discuss degree requirements and transfer options.
- Use the advising audits on FloridaShines to find requirements and track progress toward A.A. graduation and transfer.
- Check with the transfer service office at the institution to which you are transferring to obtain information on transfer policies, financial aid opportunities and other assistance.
Tips for transfer students
When applying for admission to a state university, transfer students who have not yet completed the A.A. degree will be evaluated on their high school transcripts as well as college coursework. Transfer students without an A.A. degree and less than 60-credit hours must compete with all entering freshman applicants to the college or university.
Each undergraduate transfer student admitted to the State University System (SUS) is expected to demonstrate competency of foreign language or American Sign Language equivalent to the second high school level or higher (Spanish 2, Haitian Creole 2, etc.) Students transferring to a state university without meeting the foreign language admissions requirement in high school may meet the requirement by successfully completing a postsecondary foreign language or American Sign Language Elementary 2 course; demonstrating equivalent foreign language competency on the basis of scores determined by the Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) Credit-By-Exam Equivalencies, as adopted by the Board of Governors and/or demonstrating equivalent foreign language or American Sign Language competency through other means approved by the university. It is strongly recommended that a student complete the A.A. degree prior to transferring. If this is not possible, students are encouraged to at least complete the 36-hour general education block at their initial institution.
Students wishing to receive accommodations for a disability have a responsibility to inform the disability services center at the four-year institution. A student with a disability may be eligible for a special admission review under Florida law.
A special admission review may apply if documentation can be provided that failure to meet an admission requirement is related to the disability and failure does not constitute a fundamental alteration in the nature of the program. Contact the admissions director for more information.
Articulation Agreements
Articulation Agreements are formal agreements, or partnerships, between two or more Colleges and Universities documenting the transfer policies for a specific academic program or degree in general.
Eastern Florida students have options as to where they can continue their academic career. The State of Florida already has an articulation agreement between community colleges and the State universities (6A-10.024). This agreement states that any student who graduates with an A.A. Degree will be accepted to one of the twelve state universities. However, the articulation agreement does not guarantee that a student will be immediately accepted into the major of his/her choice within that university. In addition, the agreement guarantees acceptance into one of the state universities, but not necessarily the student's first choice.
The State of Florida also has articulation agreements with several private institutions.
In addition to the agreement within the State University System, Eastern Florida is partnering with many other institutions to expand student options for seamless transition. Some of the agreements are created for students with an EFSC A.S. degree to transfer into a bachelor’s degree in a specific major at a specific public or private university.
View the State agreements and Eastern Florida's articulation agreements with other institutions on the EFSC website.
EFSC Bachelor’s Degrees
Students who earn an A.A. or A.S. degree can continue their education at EFSC in one of the many Bachelors of Applied Science specializations or the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing for students who meet the admissions requirements. Request information or apply online by visiting the website.
DirectConnect to UCF
DirectConnect to UCF
This program helps students prepare for a bachelor's degree program while attending Eastern Florida State College and ensures a smooth and worry-free transition to UCF.
Benefits
- Simplified admissions process: Enjoy a faster and easier application process.
- Smaller class sizes and personalized advising: Benefit from a more supportive learning environment.
- Start early, finish faster: Begin coursework applicable to your bachelor's degree while completing your associate's degree.
Learn More
For more information about the DirectConnect to UCF program, visit the program's website or call 321.433.7821.
Stay Close to Home: Transfer Options
Both the University of Central Florida and Florida Institute of Technology offer programs designed to ease the transition to these nearby universities. Additionally, EFSC has entered into articulation agreements in different transfer programs with multiple universities.
The program helps students prepare for a bachelor’s degree program while attending Eastern Florida State College - and makes the transition to UCF smooth and worry-free.
Plus, the admissions process will be easier and faster, and students will enjoy small class sizes and personalized advising. Students can start preparing to finish your bachelor’s degree while working on your associate’s degree. For more information on the DirectConnect to UCF program visit the program’s website or call 321.433.7821.
EFSC-Florida Tech Track (A.A. to bachelor’s degree)
Florida Institute of Technology has partnered with EFSC to create the EFSC-Florida Tech Track. This is a dual-admissions program designed to help Florida high school graduates pursue an Associate of Arts degree from EFSC followed by a bachelor’s degree at Florida Tech’s Melbourne campus.
Who is eligible to participate?
- Any Florida high school student who has completed the full-time undergraduate application process for Florida Tech
- Any currently enrolled Eastern Florida State College Student who applies to Florida Tech before earning 30 credits at EFSC
For more information contact: EFSC–Florida Tech Track Coordinator, Florida Institute of Technology at (321) 674-8030 or visit this link.
EFSC-Florida Tech SmartTrack (Organizational Management BAS to Master of Business Administration Program)
The SmartTrack MBA program gives highly motivated EFSC students in organizational management the chance to take graduate-level course work while still an undergraduate in a bachelor’s degree program, allowing participants the opportunity to finish a Florida Tech MBA in less time than a traditional program.
For more information visit the Florida Tech’s SmartTrack page or contact the EFSC SmartTrack coordinator at 321-433-7241.
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity: Postsecondary Education Employment & Earning Outcomes Report
Reports provide information about employment and earning outcomes, pursuant to s.445.07.F.S. It focuses on the median first-year earnings of recent graduates and completers from Florida’s public postsecondary educational institutions – State University System of Florida, FCS, and District Technical Centers.
Transfer Student Bill of Rights
Students who earn an Associate in Arts degree (A.A.) from a Florida public university, state college, or community college are guaranteed certain rights under the Statewide Articulation Agreement. A list of rights is provided below:
- Admission to one of the state universities, except to limited access programs which have additional admission requirements;
- Acceptance of at least 60 semester hours by the state universities toward the baccalaureate degree;
- Adherence to university requirements and policies based on the catalog in effect at the time the student first entered a Florida public college, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment;
- Transfer of equivalent courses under the Statewide Course Numbering System;
- Acceptance by the state universities of credit earned in accelerated programs (i.e., CLEP, AP, Excelsior College Examinations, Dual Enrollment, Early Admission, International Baccalaureate, and University of Cambridge International Examinations);
- No additional General Education Core requirements;
- Advance knowledge of selection criteria for limited access programs; and
- Equal opportunity with native university students to enter limited access programs.
Should any guarantee be denied, students have the right to appeal at the college level. If the denial is upheld at the college level and there is still a question of potential violation of the Statewide Articulation Agreement, the student may contact the Office of Articulation for assistance. The Office of Articulation, in consultation with the Articulation Coordinating Committee, will review and attempt to resolve all student transfer difficulties.
Contact Information:
Florida Department of Education, Office of Articulation
325 W. Gaines St., Room 1244
Tallahassee, FL 32399-0400
Phone: (850) 245-0427
Fax: 850-245-9525
Email: Office of Articulation
myGPS: Graduation Plan for Success
Login to the myEFSC portal and click on the myGPS icon myGPS is a comprehensive, easy-to-use, web-based academic advising and degree audit tool that helps currently active students and their advisors successfully navigate curriculum requirements. myGPS provides the basic information you need so that you and your advisor can focus on your goals and plan how to achieve them.
myGPS provides an electronic audit of student’s progress toward a specific degree. The audit will report and track:
- Courses and credit hours earned and how they are applied toward your degree program
- Catalog requirements in effect when you declare a major
- All requirements necessary to earn a specific degree
- Transfer credits used to satisfy degree requirements
- Courses for which you are currently registered (listed as inprogress or 'REG')
- Courses that do not apply to specific degree requirements, but do apply toward overall earned hours and cumulative GPA