Course Substitutions

Course Substitution Petition Overview

Students with disabilities who are unable to complete either the General Education Math or Foreign Language requirement due to the direct impact of their diagnoses, may petition for a course substitution. College degree requirements determine which courses may qualify for a substitution. Students should be mindful that course substitution requests may not be reasonable for courses outside of General Education Math or Foreign Language requirements. To complete a course substitution, please follow the process outlined below.

1. Students must first be registered with the Disability Resource Center. If you are not a student already registered with the DRC, please fill out the pre-registration form with our office as requesting a course substitution is considered an accommodation.

Pre-Registration Form

2. Once the pre-registration form is completed, please visit the DRC Appointments page to schedule a Course Substitution Consultation with the DRC liaison for course substitutions.

3. After attending this meeting, students are eligible to complete the course substitution petition(s).

Course Substitution Petition Form

4. The Course Substitution Committee meets the first Thursday of every month. To be eligible for review, all other steps must be completed, and the petition with materials received the Tuesday prior.

Course Substitution Information by Subject

Foreign Language

As a condition of admission to the university, students must complete two sequential courses of a foreign language in secondary school, 8-10 semester credits at the postsecondary level or document an equivalent level of proficiency.” More information can be found at the link below:

https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/degree-graduation-policies/

The Colleges of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Fine Arts, and Journalism & Communications require the completion of foreign language courses as part of their degree requirements. Students with a documented disability may petition to substitute these courses. If the petition is granted, the student must successfully complete pre-approved cultural options courses to fulfill their college’s foreign language requirement. Substitution courses must be taken for a grade; taking them pass/fail is not acceptable.

Typically, the student will be required to take 12 credits of pre-approved cultural option courses which include a 3-credit language development course and 9 credits of courses from a pre-approved cultural diversity package if the petition is approved. Students will be directed to a liaison for each college who can guide them in selecting the right classes. Please note it is extremely important to meet with your liaison. Taking a course not accepted may result in no credits being applied toward the fulfilling the substitution requirements.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | AA – Olivia Groves
College of Communication and Journalism | AA – Meisha Wade
College of Fine Arts | AA – Dana Myers

Foreign Language for Admissions

Math

The State of Florida and University of Florida have a math graduation requirement. A student with a documented disability may petition to complete the requirement through math substitution courses. If the petition is granted, the student must successfully complete pre-approved lower-level math substitution courses to fulfill the “Gordon Rule” requirement. Substitution courses must be taken for a grade; taking them pass/fail is not acceptable.

The substitution courses are offered at most Florida Community Colleges. A Student Transient Form (available at the Registrar’s Office or Academic Advising) must be completed to enroll in community college math courses. At least three of the required six credits must be in a pure math (MAT prefix) course.

It is the student’s responsibility to obtain written verification from their college that these courses will be accepted for their degree. Florida Math Requirement (Gordon Rule) must be met by the student regardless of disability. Students can review this information in the link below:

https://archive.catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/1213/advising/info/writing-and-math-requirement.html

Petitions for Courses Required by Major

Petitions for other substitutions relating to a disability are reviewed by the DRC Course Substitution Petitions Committee but follows a different process. Students should still meet with the DRC Liaison to discuss the specific process for these courses.

Course Substitution Appeal Process

Students who have not been approved for a course substitution request may submit an appeal. When a course substitution is denied, the Course Substitution Review committee will provide a rationale for denial. Students may choose to submit an appeal petition addressing the reasons outlined in the denial. Appeals are submitted through the course substitution link on our website. Appeals are reviewed on a rolling basis.