Excess Hours

The State of Florida legislature designed the Excess Hours policy “to encourage each undergraduate student who enrolls in a state university to complete the student’s respective baccalaureate degree program in the most efficient way possible”.

According to this policy, students are allowed to attempt a certain percentage of credit hours over the minimum required hours for their degree program before the surcharge could potentially be assessed; the total number of hours a student may attempt before a surcharge may be assessed is referred to as the threshold.

Threshold
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To calculate the threshold:
1. Determine the term in which the student began postsecondary studies after graduating high school.
2. Determine the number of credits required to complete the student’s degree program.
3. Use the chart below to calculate the percentage of credits allowed over what the student’s degree program requires. This will be 10%, 15%, or 20%- determined by student’s entry term.
  
  Example: A student began postsecondary studies in Fall 2011, and has a degree program that requires 120 credit hours.
  
  Biology - 120 Required Hours +
  
  18 Additional Credits (15%) =
  
  Threshold = 138 credit hours may be attempted before surcharge could be assessed.
4. Changes in degree program may impact a student’s excess hours threshold and status. For example:
  - If a student changes to a degree program that requires more credits than their current degree program requires, their excess hours threshold may be increased.
5. Please contact the Enrollment Services Center (esc@fgcu.edu) if:
  - Your postsecondary (after high school) studies began prior to Fall 2009,
  - Your postsecondary studies (after high school) began between Fall 2009 and Summer 2012, and/or
  - You are a dual major/dual degree student

Surcharge

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Please note, if a surcharge is assessed, the amount will be equal to 50% or 100% of the base tuition rate, not the full tuition rate.

To determine the current base tuition rate, please visit the Office of the Bursar’s Tuition and Fee Details page.
For general information on tuition and fee payments, please visit the Office of the Bursar page.

IF YOU BEGAN POSTSECONDARY STUDIES:	PERCENTAGE OF CREDITS ALLOWED BEFORE AN EXCESS HOURS FEE COULD BE CHARGED:	THRESHOLD CREDITS (BASED ON A 120 CREDIT HOUR DEGREE PROGRAM REQUIREMENT):	EXCESS HOUR FEE TO BE CHARGED IF THRESHOLD IS EXCEEDED:
Fall 2009 - Summer 2011	120% of credits required for your degree program	144 credits	50% of the base tuition rate
Fall 2011 - Summer 2012	115% of credits required for your degree program	138 credits	100% of the base tuition rate
Fall 2012 – Spring 2019	110% of credits required for your degree program	132 credits	100% of the base tuition rate
Summer 2019 and thereafter	120% of credits required for your degree program	144 credits	100% of the base tuition rate

Exemptions
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All credit hours earned under the following circumstances shall not be calculated as hours required to earn a baccalaureate degree:
1. College credits earned through an articulated accelerated mechanism.
2. Credit hours earned through internship programs.
3. Credit hours required for certification, recertification, or certificate programs.
4. Credit hours in courses from which a student must withdraw due to reasons of medical or personal hardship.
5. Credit hours taken by active-duty military personnel.
6. Credit hours required to achieve a dual major taken while pursuing a baccalaureate degree.
7. Remedial and English as a Second Language credit hours.
8. Credit hours earned in military science courses that are part of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.
9. Credit hours earned or taken for the civics literacy competency requirement.
Supporting documentation is needed to waive credits in exempted categories. Students who believe that they meet one or more of the following exemptions should contact the Enrollment Services Center (esc@fgcu.edu) for a credit hour review.

Transfer Credits

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If you transferred credits that you took in high school (AP, AICE, ACE, IB, Dual Enrollment), or CLEP credits

If you transferred credits that you took after graduating from high school (does not include CLEP credits)

If you transferred credits that you took during and after high school

Email Enrollment Services Center (esc@fgcu.edu)

Complete the Excess Credit Hours Adjustment Form

Contact your advisor for an excess hours transfer credit review

Email Enrollment Services Center at esc@fgcu.edu, (or) Complete the Adjustment Form

and

Contact your advisor for an excess hours transfer credit review

Please note: There is a deadline of 1 year from your enrollment/re-enrollment (as applicable) at FGCU to request an adjustment of exempt credits. Failure to request adjustment of exempt/excludable credits within 1 year of enrollment/re-enrollment (as applicable) will result in credits remaining in your excess hours attempted credit count.

Excess Credit Hour Adjustment Form AVOID EXCESS HOURS

Notes

All credit hours for courses taken at the university from which the student is seeking a baccalaureate degree shall be included when calculating the number of hours taken by a student, including:

Failed courses.
Courses dropped or withdrawn from after the university’s advertised last day of the drop and add period.
Repeated courses, except repeated course for which the student has paid the full cost of instruction as provided in Board of Governors Regulation 7.001(10).
All credit hours earned at another institution and accepted for transfer by the university and applied toward the student’s baccalaureate degree program.

- Students will be notified via Eagle Mail of their status with regard to excess hours.

- Students who will be assessed an excess hours surcharge will be notified via Eagle Mail prior to being charged.

- For questions concerning Excess Hours, please contact Enrollment Services Center at esc@fgcu.edu.

State institutions may not waive the excess hours surcharge.

The language of the statute is mandatory.