This option is available for students who wish to experience graduate-level classes while deciding whether to pursue an online graduate certificate or an online master’s degree, or who want to broaden their knowledge of forensic science to enhance their professional development.
Overview
If a student registers for 3 credits during a particular term as a non-degree seeking student and wishes to attend another term for 3 credits, a new non-degree application is required each term. The non-degree application only pertains to the term in which it is submitted.
For the non-degree seeking student, grades will be given and held on a transcript, but will not be counted toward a degree, including the graduate certificate, at the University of Florida until full admission is granted. At that time, up to 6 credits accumulated in this status—where the student earned a “B” grade or better and the course(s) taken count toward the program in which they were accepted—will be petitioned to count toward the graduate certificate or M.S. program the student was accepted into.
Enrollment in a course as a non-degree seeking student does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Students need to meet the entrance requirements for the program they wish to enter.
All courses taken as a non-degree seeking student are credit-bearing. Your official transcript will list coursework, course number, course title and grade received. The earned hours, hours carried and GPA will read as zero on your official transcript as those fields are only completed for UF degree seeking students.
If you are planning on transferring UF non-degree coursework to another institution for credit, it’s advised that you first verify with the other institution that the credit will be accepted.
For All (Domestic and International) Applicants
- A baccalaureate degree in a natural science subject from one of the institutional accreditors (or international equivalent) found in the “Accreditation” section on the Admissions website. If your bachelor’s degree is not in a natural science subject, please email Professor Nancy Toffolo.
- An upper-division GPA of 2.0 (C grade) or better. To calculate what your upper-division GPA is, please use the Upper Division GPA Worksheet.
International Students Only
The English language skill requirements for admission:
- If your reported nation of citizenship’s language is not English, or if you graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a non-English speaking country, you will need to take and submit your TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or other Graduate Council-approved English language skills test scores.
- Non-English speaking countries are those that are not included in the Admissions Office list of English-speaking countries.
- ETS offers a 15% discount on TOEFL test registration with promo code UFTOEFL15.
- To be admitted as a non-degree seeking student, the applicant must score the following on the TOEFL:
TOEFL Scores
| TOEFL Exam Type | Required Score |
|---|---|
| Paper-based | 550 |
| Computer-based | 213 |
| Internet | 80 |
Restrictions:
- A maximum of 6 credits can be taken as a non-degree seeking student. However, you may not complete more than half of a graduate certificate while enrolled as a non-degree student. Most graduate certificates require 15 credits, but some require only 10 credits; in those cases, you may take no more than 5 credits as a non-degree student.
- A student who is already admitted to the University of Florida must contact us before submitting an application.