Academics
Transfer Students
Welcome to the University of South Florida! We understand that transferring can be an exciting and stressful time. A way to make your transition as smooth as possible you should plan to complete the following ASAP:
- Review the general information for all College of Arts and Sciences students on the College's New Transfer Student Page.
- Register for a mandatory Orientation session. Information can be found the following links: Orientation Registration and International Orientation Info
- Schedule a Pre-Orientation Advising Appointment! A Pre-Orientation Advising session
will provide you with all of the necessary information to transition successfully
into the University of South Florida and give you the opportunity to register for
courses prior to your orientation date. If you elect not to schedule a Pre-Orientation advising
appointment, you will need to wait until your scheduled orientation session in order
to register for courses. We encourage all of our students to schedule one of these
appointments, as early as possible, as science courses tend to fill up quickly.
- If you know what you want to major in: this appointment must be scheduled with your Academic Advisor (i.e. the advisor for your degree program). You will ALSO want to attend a group advising session with our office, but if you know what you want to major in, only the Academic Advisor can unlock your registration. Remember, pre-health students will need to meet with BOTH a Health Professions Advisor and an Academic Advisor every semester.
- If you do not know what you want to major in: we recommend that you explore all of your major options (remember that pre-health students can be ANY major- see our majors tab for more information). After exploring your major options, we would strongly recommend meeting with the advisors of the majors that you are interested in.
Preparing for Registration
After your Advising Appointment you will want to be sure to review the information below to ensure the registration process goes smoothly. You will want to do all of the following:
- Check your OASIS account for holds and work to remove them as you will be unable to register with holds
- Review the D/F Policy
- Talk with a health professions advisor as well as an academic advisor to ensure that both your major and career goals are being met. Please review the Health Professions website for all of the information that you need to know about pre-requisites, co-curricular activities, etc.
- Get to know the USF schedule search to learn more about how to register for courses.
Course Evaluations
If you attended an out-of-state (public or private) college or a private college (in-state or out-of-state), you will need to have your coursework evaluated. The Admissions Office will evaluate your courses for general education credit, however, if you attended an out-of-state or private college you will ALSO need to have your courses evaluated by the respective academic departments if you wish to take higher level course work in math or the sciences. If you attended a Florida public university or community college, you should not need to submit course evaluations. You can submit your courses for evaluation using the links below:
Permits
There are a few different reasons students would need to request a permit:
- If they recently had an evaluation approved.
- If you are receiving an error for a course for which you believe you should be able to register.
- If you took a prerequisite from another institution that has not yet been processed by admission (note: it generally takes 6-8 weeks for the USF Office of Admissions to process transcripts). For example, if you plan to begin in Fall, your Spring and Summer coursework will most likely not be processed by the time you are able to register. The permit process allows students to attach an unofficial transcript showing proof of prerequisite completion and be granted a temporary permit. Student will still need to have their official transcripts processed by USF Admissions, but the permit system allows them to register in the interim.
Each department issues permits for their own courses, and you can find the permit request page on each department's advising page (and below). Be sure to attach a screenshot or unofficial transcript showing completion of the prerequisite coursework, your full name, the institution name and the course name. Permits do not roll over from semester to semester so you may need to request a permit each semester.
Important Transfer Student Handouts
Declare your major here.
Do jump right into student organizations, volunteer work, shadowing, and research opportunities. Please see any advisor every semester, as they can assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. Be sure to check our website often for information on application workshops, open houses at various schools, and other information of special interest to juniors and seniors.