One of the challenges of being on Facebook is that I’m sucked into reading a few parent-focused college admissions pages. Unfortunately, there SO MUCH WRONG INFORMATION out there. And this morning, I watched as a parent (local to our community, but unknown to me) asked a question and was given 100 different answers. (The vast majority of them incorrect.)
I don’t post in those groups, as a rule, and know several other IEC’s that are already generously there trying to calm the chaos. But to relieve the angst I’m feeling right now from all the ridiculousness, here’s the question and the answer:
Parent question:
“My high school student has an AA, but was rejected from several Florida universities. She tried to apply as a transfer, and was told she has to have 12 credit hours after high school to be admitted as a transfer. Then today, UF randomly notified her she was admitted as a transfer. Is this for real? And why didn’t she get into the other schools?”
My response:
“I’m sorry, sounds like your highly-accomplished student has been through a roller coaster. But congrats on UF - yes, it’s legit. And if she’s interested, she’ll need to reply by the date on the invitation (which is likely soon!)
Each school handles high school student/First Time in College (FTIC) transfer admissions differently for students with an AA, but no Florida university can require high school students with a completed AA to do additional coursework to be considered for transfer (that law changed in 2022).
Sounds like your student may have applied directly into the Transfer Portal, and for most Florida schools, that’s not how it works for high school students with an AA. High school students should first apply as a freshman/FTIC, then if/when rejected, will either be INVITED to accept the option to be considered as a transfer, or automatically rolled to transfer admissions. (Be aware, that some students will NOT be invited to apply as a transfer- this is because admissions has determined their profile is not competitive, and are helping the student to move on without raising hopes.) FTIC students should NOT apply into the transfer portal without explicit instruction from the university.”
There. I feel better. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
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