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 and established 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 statute and is referred to by UCF as baseline hours limit. The amount charged per credit hour is a calculated amount referred to as the excess hours surcharge.
The surcharge percentage is determined by your start date. If you entered a state university for the first time as an undergraduate student between and including Fall 2009 and Summer 2011, the surcharge is 50% of the normal tuition rate. If you started in Fall 2012 or later, the surcharge is 100% of the normal tuition rate.
How Excess Hours Affect You
| Entered a State University in Florida | Baseline Hours Limit | Surcharge |
|---|---|---|
| Before Fall 2009 | None | None |
| Fall 2009 – Summer 2011 | 120% | 50% |
| Fall 2011 – Summer 2012 | 115% | 100% |
| Fall 2012 – Spring 2019 | 110% | 100% |
| Summer 2019 and After | 120% | 100% |
Under Florida law, the following credit hours count towards Excess Credit Hours:
- Failed courses
- Hours dropped after the 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 towards your major at the time you were admitted to UCF
The law stipulates that the following credits do not count towards Excess Hours:
- Credits earned through an articulated accelerated mechanism such as AP, IB, AICE, or dual enrollment;
- Medical withdrawals and late drops;
- Credit hours required for certification, recertification, or professional certificate programs (Example: EMT license for vocational purpose or a class for a Microsoft or Teacher Certification Exam. The license or class should not be degree applicable. Accounting courses that prepare students for the CPA exam do not qualify for an excess hours waiver);
- Credit hours taken by active-duty military personnel;
- Credit hours required to achieve a dual major taken while pursuing a baccalaureate degree when both majors are completed.
- Remedial credits;
- Credit hours earned in military science courses that are part of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program (Courses with the prefix MSL);
- Credit hours earned through internship programs. (Cooperative educational experiences, field research, and practicums do not qualify for an excess hours waiver).
Effective July 1, 2018, UCF will refund the assessed excess hour surcharge, for up to 12 credit hours, to any student who enrolls at UCF as a first-time-in-college student and completes a baccalaureate degree program at UCF within 4 years after his or her initial enrollment. This refund only applies to students admitted to UCF as first-time-in-college students, not to students admitted to UCF as transfer students.
Excess Credit Hour Counter
At UCF, we developed an excess credit hour counter available to affected students. To view this counter, go to:
myUCF > Student Self Service > Student Center > “Other Academic” (via select menu) > Excess Hours
It will track the number of credits that you have earned that apply towards the baseline hours limit and will follow you throughout your academic career at UCF. It will be updated automatically each time you enroll in or earn credit that counts towards the excess hours baseline hours limit.
You are encouraged to review the credits counted to see if all your credits have been received and counted appropriately. If you review that number and decide some credits may be exempt under law, or if something is incorrect, you may contact us.
Requests for Review, Appeals and Deadlines
You may have questions about how your hours towards excess hours were calculated or believe that there is an error in processing. If so, you may contact us with the following information:
- Your full name and ID#
- The course(s) in question
- The exemption from the list of circumstances or any other question you have.
Florida law is very specific about what courses are included in your Excess Credit Counter. The law is also very specific about what can be excluded. However, if you think that you have courses that should be waived from your Excess Credit Counter, you must complete and submit a written request with any supporting documentation. Your question may be a simple calculation issue that we can resolve.
If you have already requested a review of your Excess Hours counter and you feel there are extenuating circumstances, please submit an appeal form by email to excesshours@ucf.edu.
Deadline: Appeals of the initial counter determination must be received by the end of your first term at UCF, no exceptions. Appeals of credit hours added to your counter after enrollment must be submitted within six months of the course being taken.
Excess Credit Hour Surcharge
Do graduate courses count?
Yes, graduate courses are included in your Excess Credit Hour counter if they are being used towards your baccalaureate degree. Credit that is only used for the graduate degree will be excluded.
How does this work with an undecided/undeclared major?
Your Excess Credit Hour counter is determined after completion of a review of your incoming transfer credit and a determination of what is applicable to your declared major or degree program. Since you do not have a declared major, almost everything or everything will count. Once you declare a major, any additional credits that can apply towards the major will be determined and added to your Excess Credit Counter.
What happens to my counter when I change majors?
When you elect to change your major, the baseline will not be increased unless the new program requires more credits to complete than the previous program. Courses attempted at UCF for the previous major will not be excluded.
If you have transfer credit, it is possible that your new major selection will change which courses are degree applicable. Transfer course that are now degree applicable will be added to your counter, and all transfer credit previously determined to be degree applicable will remain.
What if I am pursuing a double major or double degree?
The baseline will not be increased for a double major or double degree. It is possible that the student will exceed the baseline and be required to pay the excess hours surcharge prior to graduation. If both majors/degrees are awarded in the same term, the credit hours required for the 2nd major/degree only will be waived.
What if I am pursuing a minor in addition to my major?
The baseline will not be increased for a minor. It is possible that a student will exceed the baseline when pursuing a minor in addition to the coursework for their major and will be required to pay the excess hours surcharge
Which UCF courses count towards Excess Hours?
All UCF courses count towards Excess Hours.
I qualify for a double major or dual degree excess hours fee refund. When will I receive my refund?
If you graduated with a double major/degree and exceeded the excess hours baseline, the credit hours required for the 2nd major/degree only will be waived. Student Account Services will issue any refund due, generally by the end of the following term.
I qualify for an FTIC excess hours fee refund. When will I receive my refund?
If you enrolled at UCF as a First Time In College (FTIC) student, incurred excess hours fees, and graduated within 4 years of initial enrollment, up to 12 credit hours will be waived. Student Account Services will issue any refund due, generally by the end of the following term.
Do I need to apply for the double major or dual degree excess hours fee refund?
No, there is no application needed. After all degrees for the term are awarded, the Registrar’s Office will review any double major/degree graduates who incurred excess hours.
Do I need to apply for the FTIC excess hours fee refund?
No, there is no application needed. After all degrees for the term are awarded, the Registrar’s Office will review graduates who are eligible for this refund.
I do not see my future term enrollment in my excess hours counter. When will my future term enrollment be added to my excess hours counter?
Data in your excess hours counter does not include future term enrollment. Your excess hours counter is updated at the end of each term’s drop/add deadline to reflect new term enrollment.
Can the Registrar’s Office predict how classes will display on my excess hours counter based on future term enrollment?
No, the Registrar’s Office cannot tell you since we have to wait for the excess hours counter updates at the end of each term’s drop/add deadline.
How often will I receive a notification about my excess hours counter updates?
After the excess hours counter has been updated after the drop/add deadline each term, you will receive an email from the Registrar’s Office informing you to check your excess hours counter.
I graduated with my first bachelor’s degree and am currently pursuing a second bachelor’s degree at UCF. Am I exempt from excess hours fees?
Second bachelor’s degrees are not excluded from the Excess Credit Hour law. However, since most second bachelor’s degrees only require the completion program prerequisites and degree requirements, you most likely will not incur excess hours fees.
I am pursuing an Undergraduate Certificate in addition to my degree seeking program. Do Undergraduate Certificates at UCF count towards excess hours?
Yes, if you are also pursuing a bachelor’s degree, an Undergraduate Certificate is considered a complementary program to your bachelor’s degree. The classes for a certificate do count towards excess hours.
Will the classes I take in a concurrent enrollment program or as a transient student be included in my Excess Hours Counter?
Yes, any credits attempted at another institution after you have started at UCF are included in your excess hours credit counter. This includes courses taken in a concurrent enrollment program or as a transient student while still enrolled at UCF.
Will the classes I take as a study abroad student be included in my Excess Hours Counter?
Yes, any credits taken at another institution after you have started at UCF are included in your excess hours credit counter. This includes courses taken as a study abroad student while still enrolled at UCF.