Taking a Course at Another Institution

Taking courses at another institution while still an active student at FSU is referred to as transient coursework.

  • A transient student is an active FSU student who enrolls in coursework at a different college or university for one term. In this case:
    • FSU is your parent institution/school.
    • The other college or university is your temporary host institution/school.
  • To initiate the transient process, you should start by meeting with your academic advisor to determine if you are eligible to do so and to determine which courses you should take.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements for Transient Work Approval:

  • Must be an active degree seeking student at FSU.
  • Must be in good academic standing and have completed one semester at FSU.
  • Must have a completed Financial Aid profile to access financial aid, including Bright Futures for the coursework.
    • Financial aid disbursement will be based on the student’s cumulative enrollment status for the term.

If you are approved to take transient coursework, keep the following in mind:

  • Transient approval does not guarantee that the course you have requested will be offered by the host institution, or that you will be guaranteed a seat in the approved course(s).
  • Only take the courses for which you received transient approval.
    • Identify multiple courses which can meet the designated graduation requirements and include the desired course and its alternatives on your transient form. Include a note to clarify your intention in the Student Comment box.
      • E.g., “I need a 3-hour 3000/4000 level biology course to complete my biological science major. My form includes 12 hours (alternatives), but I only intend to enroll in one 3-hour course. "
      • E.g., “I need FRE2220 to satisfy the Arts & Sciences Foreign Language requirement. I am submitting transient forms requesting to take FRE2220 for five different institutions to ensure that I can enroll in the course. I will only enroll at one institution.”
    • If you enroll in different or extra courses without transient approval, those courses will still appear on your official transcript from the host institution and will be posted by the FSU Registrar's Office to your academic record.
    • Enrolling in different or extra courses may not meet the intended graduation requirement(s) and can negatively impact your graduation timeline and result in being required to take additional coursework through FSU to satisfy the university's residency requirements for graduation.
  • Request official transcripts to be sent to the FSU Office of Admissions and Records once your final grades are available.
    • Transcripts are not automatically sent; you must initiate the request with the host institution.
  • All attempted coursework at the host institution will appear on the official transcript, regardless of transient approval.

Before Submitting a Transient Request:

Verify Course Details with the Host Institution

  • Identify and list courses to take be taken at temporary host institution as they appear in the host institution’s catalog/bulletin. This information will be used to determine how the courses will transfer back to FSU (equivalency).
  • Determine if the host institution will be offering the courses in your preferred format (in-person or online) during the semester you wish to take them.
  • Check to see if the course you wish to take transiently has a prerequisite or corequisite requirement (e.g., CHM 2210 and CHM 2210L).
    • Be prepared to provide the institution/department offering the course with your unofficial transcript to document that you have successfully completed the prerequisite requirement(s) for the course.
  • Determine what is required by the host institution to take classes as a transient or temporary student by communicating with the Admissions Office for that institution.
    • What is the deadline to submit an approved transient request form?
    • Is a separate admission application required? If so, what is the deadline?
    • What documentation (e.g., official or unofficial transcripts) is required?

Discuss your plans with your academic advisor

  • Verify the FSU course equivalency and degree-applicability of the requested course to ensure that it will meet the specific university, college, or major graduation requirement you are addressing.
    • Review any potential impact on discipline-specific accreditation (i.e., Computer Science – B.S.).
    • Confirm how the course will transfer back to FSU (equivalency) with your advisor. If the course equivalency is not on file with the university, your advisor will guide you through the course evaluation request process with the appropriate office(s) and communicate the results of a course evaluation to you.  
  • Discuss your motivation for taking the course (e.g., requirement for major, minor, COAS foreign language, Core FSU, prerequisite for future degree program, etc.).  
  • Discuss excess credit implications.
  • Discuss potential impact on graduation residency requirements.
    • How many hours will you take through FSU after the conclusion of your last transient course?
    • Graduation Residency Requirements
      • The final 30 hours towards a bachelor’s degree must be completed in residence through FSU (online or face-to-face classes).
      • A minimum of 30 of the 45 required earned hours at the 3000/4000 level must be completed through FSU.
      • At least half the major, as defined by the department offering the degree program, must be completed through FSU.
    • Graduation Residency Exceptions
      • 1-6 hours: In cases of emergency, the College of Arts and Sciences can approve a maximum of six hours of the final 30 credit hours to be completed out of residency at another institution, away from FSU.
        • Include a request to waive up to six hours of the 30-hour residency requirement in the Student Comments Section of the transient form.
      • More than 6 hours: Upper division COAS undergraduate students requesting to take more than six hours away from FSU in the last 30 hours must document exceptional circumstances by downloading and completing the COAS Out of Residency form.
        • Students petitioning for an exception to this requirement should email the completed form to the COAS Student Affairs Office at as-advising@fsu.edu prior to enrolling in any courses at another institution.
  • Discuss the proper submission method.
Enrollment
Transient Student Process
Forms (Undergraduate)