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FSCJ makes it easy to finish a degree that was started at another institution. Follow the steps below to continue your journey at FSCJ.
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Click here to apply!
Don’t forget to submit your residency declaration! This must be done before you can get registered for classes.
Submit your official high school and college transcripts.
Submit your Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) and FSCJ Scholarship Application.
Get set-up for the right classes! Learn more about placement options.
Set-up an appointment with academic advising today to get registered for classes.
Important Excess Hours Advisory
In 2009, the Florida Legislature implemented Section 1009.286, Florida Statutes to encourage students to complete their baccalaureate degree as quickly and efficiently as possible. It established what is commonly referred to as an "Excess Credit Hour Surcharge." The bill requires universities to add a surcharge to each credit hour taken in excess of the total number of credit hours required to complete the degree being pursued. The amount in excess of the total hours is calculated based on a percentage defined in law.
For the 2019 summer term and thereafter, "excess hours" are defined as hours that go beyond the 120 percent of the hours required for a baccalaureate degree program. For example, if the length of a program is 120 credit hours, the student may be subject to an excess hour surcharge for any credits attempted beyond 144 credit hours (120 percent x 120).
Under Florida law, the following credit hours count toward Excess Credit Hours:
- Failed courses
- Hours dropped after the university's drop/add period
- Courses from which a student withdraws
- Repeated courses. Exception: repeated courses for which the student has paid the repeat course surcharge as provided in Section 1009.285, Florida Statutes
- All credit earned at another institution and accepted for transfer and applied toward the baccalaureate degree program
Under Florida law, the following credit hours do not count toward Excess Credit Hours:
- College credit earned through articulated accelerated mechanisms such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) or dual enrollment classes.
- Credit hours earned through internship
- Credit hours required for certification, recertification or certificate programs
- Courses from which the student withdraws for reasons of medical or personal hardship
- Credit taken by active-duty military personnel
- Credit hours taken to achieve a dual major while pursuing a baccalaureate degree
- Remedial and English as a Second Language (ESOL) credit hours
- Credit hours earned while participating in a Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC) program
Excess Hours FAQs
For the purpose of calculating your “excess hours," the credits earned toward either a dual degree or a dual major are all included in the total. It might be possible to separate your credit, but only in cases where documentation exists that the credit in question counts only to the second major or dual degree and cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements for the primary program. If you anticipate pursuing a dual major or degree and think you may encounter this situation, you are encouraged to talk with your academic advisor about your Excess Credit Hour situation.t
Second bachelor's degrees are not excluded from the Excess Credit Hour law.
A university will exclude college internship hours automatically from your excess credit total whenever possible. However, it is not always possible to identify college internships on the academic record of a student, especially when taken at another institution. Cooperative educational experiences, directed individual studies and other one-on-one instructional courses are not considered a college internship program under this law.
Courses that are part of the class instruction preparation for a professional certification exam, may be excluded from your excess credit total. Examples of these might be a computer science class that prepares you for Microsoft certifications exam, or a foundational education class that prepares you for a teacher certification exam. In these cases, the one specific course that prepares you for the exam may be excluded from your total, but not all courses in the degree program.
All active duty military credits are exempt from the Excess Credit Hour law.
At the first term advising session, an advisor will review your placement scores and recommend appropriate courses for you to take in your first and second terms. You will learn about the academic degree planning process that helps you plan out additional semesters of coursework.
Graduate classes are included in your Excess Credit Hour count if they are being used toward your bachelor’s degree. Credit that is only used for the graduate degree will be excluded.
No, an institution cannot waive the fee. The language of the statute is mandatory.