Academics
What Does it Mean to be an Exchange Student at UF?
As an exchange student, you are considered a Non-Degree Seeking student. This means that you are taking courses at UF not for a UF degree, but rather towards the requirements of your home institution. Non-degree-seeking students are not permitted to register for courses until immunization and insurance holds are cleared.
Course Selection top>>
NOTE: The word course has the same meaning as class and does not indicate an entire program of study, but rather each individual class you are taking.
As part of your exchange application packet, you must submit a list of the courses you would like to take. All business students should refer to the business student section of this handbook for more details about business course registration procedures.
Once you submit a list of courses, it will be sent to the appropriate academic department before you arrive. Submitting the list does NOT guarantee your placement or register you in those courses. Final registration will take place after your arrival and only after your insurance and immunization holds are cleared. UF degree-seeking students have already registered and many popular courses may be full by your registration time. Choose alternate courses carefully.
How to Select Courses top>>
Available courses are listed online at the website www.reg.ufl.edu/soc. Select the Schedule of Courses for the term you will be attending UF.
The courses are listed alphabetically by department. Scroll down the left side and select the department whose courses you would like to take. Each course has a prefix (for example, ENG for English courses) and a 4-digit number that indicates the level of the course: 1000s for 1st year, 2000s for 2nd, 3000 for 3rd, and 4000 for 4th. Numbers 5000 and above indicate Graduate level course work. Generally speaking, undergraduates are not permitted to register for courses above 4000 level.
Each course is offered is also assigned a registration code called a section number. The section number is essential for registration since it is the code for the date and time of the particular course. The most popular courses have several sections offered during various class periods. A different professor may teach each section.
Any course with DEP-X listed as the section number means the academic department controls the registration for that class. You will need to contact the department directly to be registered for that course once you arrive. The Exchange Program Advisor can assist you with contacting the department.
Links to course descriptions and department websites are available for many of the course listings online. Click on the course number to link to the descriptions or the department name at the top to link to the department website. To look at a complete listing of undergraduate course descriptions, go to www.reg.ufl.edu/catalog.html and select the catalog for the current year. For a graduate catalog, go to gradschool.rgp.ufl.edu and select "Fields of Instruction" to get to the course descriptions. Please note that the listing of course descriptions DOES NOT indicate that the class is being offered during a particular semester. Only the Schedule of Courses (www.reg.ufl.edu/soc) is the list of the classes currently offered.
Please be aware that you may not be able to register for some courses if you do not have the prerequisites. A prerequisite is a course that you must have taken before in order to take another, higher-level course. If a course has a prerequisite, you will have to demonstrate that you have taken an equivalent course. Please bring a recent transcript listing the classes you have taken at your home university. This may help you to be able to register for courses with prerequisites.
Number of Credit Hours top>>
The quantity of academic work a student does at the university is measured in credit hours. The number of credits a course is worth usually depends on the number of hours per week that it meets. A three-credit course, for example, will meet three hours weekly for one semester. Undergraduate classes usually meet for three fifty-minute sessions a week. Graduate classes usually meet during one 3-hour a week class.
Registration Requirements top>>
Undergraduate students must take a full-time course load of 12 credits per semester. Graduate and Professional students must take 9 credits. The number of credits for each course is listed in column number 7 of the online schedule of courses.
Time Table for Class Periods top>>
Class meeting times are identified as class periods. You will see these class period numbers on the online schedule of courses. It is important to consider any time conflicts when selecting your classes. The chart below indicates the times for each class period.
| PERIOD | Class Begins | Class Ends |
| 1 | 7:25 a.m. | 8:15 a.m. |
| 2 | 8:30 a.m. | 9:20 a.m. |
| 3 | 9:35 a.m. | 10:25 a.m. |
| 4 | 10:40 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. |
| 5 | 11:45 a.m. | 12:35 p.m. |
| 6 | 12:50 p.m. | 1:40 p.m. |
| 7 | 1:55 p.m. | 2:45 p.m. |
| 8 | 3:00 p.m. | 3:50 p.m. |
| 9 | 4:05 p.m. | 4:55 p.m. |
| 10 | 5:10 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| 11 | 6:15 p.m. | 7:05 p.m. |
| E1 | 7:20 p.m. | 8:10 p.m. |
| E2 | 8:20 p.m. | 9:10 p.m. |
| E3 | 9:20 p.m. | 10:10 p.m. |
Registration top>>
After you arrive, you will meet with an academic advisor in the departments in which you would like to take courses. Warrington College of Business Administration advisors, for example, will register all business students. If you would like to take a general course that does not require advisement or academic approval, you are allowed to register yourself by using the online registration system, ISIS (Integrated Student Information System), at www.isis.ufl.edu.
The ISIS system is the primary way students register for courses. You can also use ISIS to change your address, check your grades and make changes to your course schedule. To access ISIS, you will need your Gatorlink account name and password. For instructions about Gatorlink click here.
Changing Your Schedule top>>
During the first four days of classes, students are allowed to make changes to their schedules. This period is called "Drop/Add". You can "drop" (withdraw from) or "add" (register for) courses using ISIS. After the Drop/Add period your schedule is FINAL.
Tuition top>>
You do not pay for the cost of your courses ("tuition") since this is waived under the exchange agreement between UF and your home university. This agreement covers ONLY tuition and DOES NOT cover fees for library fines, labs, computer services, parking tickets, sports courses, leisure courses, etc. You are responsible for paying non-tuition fees in a timely manner. Failure to do so will result in your home university being notified, jeopardizing your exchange student status.
In order to waive your tuition at UF, the International Center must process the appropriate paperwork once your course registration is complete. Changes can result in an alteration of fees. Failure to notify the International Center immediately of changes to your schedule may result in your having to pay any tuition costs involved.
You must notify the Exchange Program Advisor of your final course schedule as well as any changes by the end of the drop/add period.
Books top>>
On the first day of classes, you will receive instructions from your professors regarding the books you need for each class. The price for books varies widely with each class. The average cost for books is between $300-500 each semester. Used books are often 30% cheaper than new ones. At the end of the semester, bookstores have "book Buyback" week. The price you get in return for your book varies also. You will generally receive less than 50% of your original cost.
Registration for Exercise and Sport Sciences Classes top>>
Some exchange students in the past have expressed interest in taking sports classes for credit. These courses are offered through the College of Exercise and Sport Sciences. The courses offered vary from semester to semester. These courses are very popular with UF students. Therefore, most sports classes are full by the end of advance registration for UF students.
Please be aware that the most popular of these courses include scuba diving, golf, weightlifting, and basketball. Many of these courses have additional fees that will not be covered by your tuition waiver. In addition, most sports courses have very strict attendance policies and meet early in the morning.
Free English Classes top>>
Free English classes with an emphasis on listening, speaking, and survival in the U.S. are offered for speakers of other languages: daytime and evening classes are offered. UFIC has a schedule of these classes each semester.