Excess Hours
The Excess Hours Surcharge passed by the Florida Legislature aims to encourage timely and efficient degree completion.
Excess Hours Surcharge
In 2009, the Florida Legislature implemented the Excess Hours Surcharge (Section 1009.286, Florida Statutes) to encourage students to complete their baccalaureate degree as timely and efficiently as possible. The bill requires universities to add a surcharge to each credit hour attempted in excess of the total 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 and is referred to by the University of West Florida as the Excess Hours Threshold. The amount charged per credit hour is a calculated amount referred to as the surcharge.
The Excess Hours Guide provides additional information related to the Excess Hours Statute.
Excess Hours Surcharge: General Information
*All students who enrolled in a degree-seeking program at any institution of higher education prior to Fall 2009 are exempt from Excess Hours Surcharge. Dual enrollment does not constitute FTIC enrollment.
The surcharge is assessed only on the tuition portion of the semester hour cost, not on mandatory fees or the out-of-state fee charged to nonresident students.
Students who are eligible for the Excess Hours Surcharge and break continuous enrollment after fall 2012 by not enrolling for two consecutive semesters and not registering for the third consecutive semester before the first day of that term will, upon their return to the University, be subject to the excess hours threshold and surcharge amounts at the time of readmission.
Per additional language added by the Board of Governors in 2018, starting in Summer 2018 a state university shall refund the excess hour surcharge assessed for up to 12 credit hours to any first-time-in-college student who completes a baccalaureate degree program within 4 years after his or her initial enrollment in a state university.
Students entering as FTIC SUS* or FTIC FCS* | Fee to be charged |
---|---|
Prior to Fall 2009 | None |
Fall 2009 - Summer 2011 | 50% for credit hours above 120% of program |
Fall 2011 - Summer 2012 | 100% for credit hours above 115% of program |
Fall 2012 - Spring 2019 | 100% for credit hours above 110% of program |
Summer 2019 forward | 100% for credit hours above 120% of program |
*FTIC = First Time in College
*SUS = State University System of Florida
*FCS = Florida College System
*No institution may waive the excess hours surcharge as the language of the statute is mandatory.
Under Florida law, the following credit hours COUNT towards Excess Credit Hours:
- Failed Courses
- 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
- All courses completed as a transient student
*Changing Majors/Programs does alter the Base Degree Hours total.
Under Florida law, the following credit hours DO NOT count towards Excess Credit Hours:
- College credit earned through articulated accelerated credit such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), CLEP, Dual Enrollment or AICE **
- Courses dropped during the University's drop/add week
- Credit hours earned through internship including Cooperative educational experiences (NOTE: Directed individual studies, and other one-on-one instructional course are not considered internship under this law.)
- Credit hours required for certification, recertification, or certificate programs*
- Courses from which the student withdraws for reasons of medical or personal hardship ***
- Credit hours taken by active-duty military personnel
- Credit hours taken to achieve a dual major while pursuing a baccalaureate degree (NOTE: the law only exempts those hours "required" to obtain a dual major, rather than every credit hour in which a dual major student chooses to enroll.)
- Remedial and English as a Second Language (ESOL) credit hours
- Credit hours earned in military science courses that are part of the ROTC program.
* Some certificate programs may not qualify.
**Refer to Awarded Credit by Exam for additional information.
***Approved Medical Withdrawals and approved Appeal for Late Withdrawals; refer to Withdrawals. Qualifying withdrawals may be approved via the Excess Credit Hour Adjustment form through the Excess Hours Appeals Committee on a case by case basis.
Any student who entered a state university or college prior to fall 2009 will not be charged. A transfer student who began an undergraduate program at another institution of higher education prior to fall 2009 should not be charged. A returning student seeking a second baccalaureate degree should be treated as a transfer student but would be exempt from the Excess Hours Surcharge if the student began the first baccalaureate program prior to fall 2009.
The number of total program hours required for the baccalaureate degree will be identified by the student's initial declared major. This is typically 120 semester hours, although, some programs have been approved to require more than 120 semester hours. Students may refer to the University Catalog for degree requirements.
Student thresholds are determined based on their first term of attendance at a postsecondary institution and the number of credit hours required for their degree. Each cohort is defined as the first term of attendance at a postsecondary institution as follows:
- Cohort 1: Fall 2009 through Summer 2011
- Cohort 2: Fall 2011 through Summer 2012
- Cohort 3: Fall 2012 through Spring 2019
- Cohort 4: Summer 2019 and later
Cohort based on the first term at a postsecondary institution: | Required Degree Credit Hours | Excess Hours Percent | Excess Hours Threshold | Excess Hours Charge Percent | Excess Hours Charge Per Credit1 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cohort 1 | 120 | 120% | >144 | 50% | $52.53 |
Cohort 2 | 120 | 115% | >138 | 100% | $105.07 |
Cohort 3 | 120 | 110% | >132 | 100% | $105.07 |
Cohort 4 | 120 | 120% | >144 | 100% | $105.07 |
1 = based on 2018-2019 estimated tuition and fees; Undergraduate Basic Tuition Fee: $105.07
The following programs have historically required more than 120 degree credit hours: Music Education, Exceptional Student Education, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering, Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Elementary Teacher Education, Nursing BSN, and Nursing RN-BSN.
To calculate a threshold for a program over 120 credit hours, multiply the required credits by the percentage that applies to the student's cohort. Current students should refer to their degree audit to determine the required credit hours for their degree. Incoming students should refer to the University Catalog for current degree requirements.
For example, if a degree program requires 126 credit hours and the student is in Cohort 3, their threshold is calculated as 126 (required degree credit hours) x 110% (excess hours percent) = 139 (threshold).
Please contact your Academic Advisor or the Office of the Registrar with any questions about calculating thresholds.
*Adjustments may only be considered for allowable exemptions.
To request an adjustment of additional credit hours for exemption, students may submit an Excess Credit Hour Adjustment form noting the courses or credits in question and including all needed/necessary documentation to support their claim. The appeal will be reviewed within the Office of the Registrar.
University Deadline to request an adjustment to your initial Excess Credit Hour Baseline:
Adjustment requests of the initial Excess Credit Hour Baseline total must be received during the first 12 months at UWF; no exceptions. Per University procedure, appeals to the initial calculation total that are received after the first 12 months of enrollment cannot be considered.
University Deadline to request an adjustment of credit hours earned while in attendance at UWF:
Adjustment requests of credit hours added to your counter after initial enrollment must be submitted within one year of the course being attempted, or the credit being posted to your UWF transcript will remain in your Excess Credit Hour Calculator.
Baseline - All applicable transfer credits that are used towards your initial major at UWF (Degree Program).
Excess Hours Credit Counter - An ongoing credit hour counter that includes baseline credit hours and attempted credit hours that you have attempted while attending UWF.
Excess Hours Percent - The percentage of degree program credit hours that you are allowed to attempt before you will be charged the excess hour surcharge.
Excess Hours Threshold - The maximum number of attempted credit hours before entering Excess Hours.
Excess Hours - The number of credit hours attempted after surpassing your Excess Hours Threshold.
Excess Hours Charge Percent - The total percent of tuition that you will be charged for exceeding the Excess Hour Threshold.
Excess Hours Surcharge - The surcharge amount that you are being assessed for excess hours.
FAQ
No, an institution cannot waive the fee. The language of the statute is mandatory.
Log in to my.uwf.edu and type "excess hours" in the search engine. Click on the Excess Hours app to view your personalized excess hour values. For further instruction about this process, access the public Confluence page on Viewing excess hours values in MyUWF.
Florida residents and non-Florida residents pay the same Excess Hours fee, which is based on the "Undergraduate Basic Tuition Fee". Please review Estimated Tuition and Fees for the Undergraduate Basic Tuition Fee.
Yes, graduate courses are included in your Excess Credit Hour total if they are being used towards your baccalaureate degree. Credit that is only used for the graduate degree will be excluded.
No. The FTIC term is the first degree-seeking term in college after high school graduation. Dual enrollment credits are exempt from Excess Hour Credit Counter. If you transferred dual enrollment to UWF and do not see these credits listed as an exemption, please submit a copy of your high school diploma, or high school transcripts, and an Excess Credit Hour Adjustment to the Office of the Registrar.
Any transfer credit that does not apply to your first declared major at UWF would be exempt from your attempted hours total. Any transfer credit that applies to your first declared major at UWF will be included in your attempted hours total. If you are also transferring dual enrollment credit to UWF and did not submit a high school diploma or transcript to Undergraduate Admissions, you will need to prove your high school graduation date by providing the Office of the Registrar with a copy of your high school diploma or transcript. Along with high school documents, an Excess Credit Hour Adjustment form should be submitted.
AA Forgiveness DOES NOT exclude attempted credit hours from excess hour surcharge. All courses attempted at UWF before transferring to another Florida Public Institution for AA completion, and all credit hours transferred back to UWF included in the AA degree, will count as attempted hours.
Your Excess Credit Hour counter is determined after admission and transfer credit hour articulation, which determines the degree applicability of your credits. Since you do not have a declared major, degree applicability will be determined by what courses are degree applicable to most majors, and your threshold will be based on the minimum number of credit hours required to earn a baccalaureate degree, which is 120 credits. See the section titled Surcharge Amounts above.
Note, once you have declared a major all attempted credit hours will be added to your Excess Credit Counter and your threshold will be adjusted based on the number of credits required for the program you have declared.
When you elect to change your major, it is possible that your new major selection will change which courses are degree applicable. Changing majors will also change your excess hour threshold in one of the following ways:
- A student can change from a standard 120 hour program to a longer program. For example, if a student changes from a 120 hour program to a 130 hour program, then the excess hour threshold for that student changes from 132 to 142. This means the student would not begin to pay the excess hour surcharge until the student attempts their 144th credit hour.
- There is no change to the excess hour threshold for a student who changes programs if both programs require 120 credit hours.
Before changing your major, speak with your Academic Advisor about how a major change may impact your excess hour counter.
See the Excess Hours Guidance Memo 2018. A previous change to lower thresholds when changing majors was removed in updates made in 2019, see CS/SB 190.
Note: Once the initial Excess Hours review has been completed, the courses that are determined to be degree applicable will always be included in the Excess Hour total even if you change to a major in which they are no longer degree applicable. In most cases like this, everything that was used in the initial review will remain in your counter. Those new courses that are now degree applicable will be added to your total.
The law only exempts those hours “required” to obtain a dual major, rather than every credit hour in which a dual major student chooses to enroll. If you have added a double major/dual degree and think that Excess Hours Surcharge might apply, you are encouraged to talk with your academic advisor about your Excess Hours Surcharge. After graduating with a double major/dual degree, the Office of the Registrar will review your record regarding your Excess Hour Surcharge calculation.
Courses that only apply to the secondary program that are able to be exempted may generate a refund of some or all the excess hours surcharge.
Second bachelor's degrees are not excluded from the Excess Credit Hour law. However, since most second bachelor's degrees only require that you complete an extra 30-40 hours, you most likely will not end up in an excess credit hour situation.
Minors are not excluded from the Excess Credit Hour law, however, credit hours earned for a minor(s) may be completed before surpassing your Excess Hour Threshold as elective credit hours, or if a minor is required as a part of the major program (currently, only the Communication Arts major). Consult your Academic Advisor about pursuing a minor without exceeding your Excess Hour Threshold.
Your advisor should send an email to registrar@uwf.edu indicating the minimum number of hours needed to complete the degree program.
The University will exclude internship hours automatically from your excess credit total whenever possible. However, it is not always possible to identify an internship on the academic record of a student, especially when taken at another institution. If you feel that your excess credit hour total includes internship hours, you should submit an appeal for an adjustment to your Excess Credit Hour total. Directed individual studies and other one-on-one instructional course are not considered internship 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 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.
Yes. Transient students are degree-seeking students who have permission to enroll in courses at another public Florida university or college. All transient credit hours earned at another institution and transferred back to UWF will be included in the attempted hours, and count for excess hours surcharge.
All credit earned while on active duty is exempt from the Excess Credit Hour law. Documenting active duty military service is something that we do not currently track, so it is critical that you let us know of any credit that you have earned while on active duty. You will need to submit a written request and you should include a copy of your DD214 as part of the appeal.
Students will receive a notification once they have reached 90% of their excess hours threshold. If you receive this message, you are not currently being charged for excess hours but will be charged if you exceed their threshold prior to graduation. Please review your Excess Hours Calculator and talk to your Academic Advisor if you have questions.
The Excess Hours Surcharge relates to Section 1009.286, Florida Statutes that 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 Repeat Course Surcharge relates to Section 1009.285, Florida Statutes that require a student enrolled in the same undergraduate college-credit course more than twice (third time of enrollment in same course) shall pay tuition at 100% of the full cost of instruction. Repeated courses for which the student has paid the repeat course surcharge will not count towards Excess Hours Surcharge.
It is in your best interest to only take courses applicable towards your degree. Changing your major one or more times will often result in excess hours surcharge. We highly recommend that you review your Graduation Dashboard, monitor your Excess Hours Calculator, talk to your Academic Advisor, and monitor your degree audit to ensure you are on track.
Excess hours surcharges are manually adjusted to correctly reflect the hours a student is in excess by each semester. The excess hours surcharges on your account may not be adjusted at this time. Please allow up to one week before classes start for the surcharges to be adjusted. If after that time you believe your charges are incorrect please contact the Registrar’s office.