Transient Students & Financial Aid

What is "Transient"?

Transient status allows students enrolled in a degree-seeking program at the home institution Florida State University to take courses not offered at the home institution at a host institution. Students can mix and match courses from across the state as long as they fulfill state, institution, and program requirements.

If you are enrolled in a state college or university, you can request approval to take a course at another state college or university by completing and submitting an online Transient Student Admission Application. A separate application must be completed and submitted for each institution, but you can request approval for up to four courses on one application. Students must be in good academic standing at Florida State in order to take courses at another college or university. Students whose home institution is a Florida state college or university should apply through the FloridaShines website.

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

Before taking a course at another institution, you must get permission from both institutions. Your home institution will also make the final decision on residency that will determine whether you are eligible for in-state tuition. It is a good idea to check the deadline for admission for the institution where you wish to take the course to ensure your application is submitted on time.

Before beginning the application process, be sure to have this information available:

  • Student identification number and PIN/password
  • Social Security Number (If you don't have a Social Security Number, please enter nine zeros)
  • Term and year when you want to take the course
  • Course information, including prefix, number, title and credit hours (If you used the online course catalog to find and apply for a course, this information will be pre-populated in the application)

The application will be sent electronically to youur home institution. After your home institution approves the application, it will be sent electronically to the institution where you want to take the course. During this process, you will receive updates on the status via email from the institutions. While Florida Virtual Campus doesn't control the application process, you can check the status of your application at any time by logging into the Transient Student Admission Application. It can take up to 10 days, on average, for the institutions to process an application.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an email notification from the transient institution that may include special information about next steps, including information about an admissions application fee, if any. Your home institution and the institution where you will take the approved course will work together to confirm enrollment, release financial aid, and obtain your grades at the end of the course. If your application is denied, please contact the person who denied the application for more information. Contact information is included in the email you receive.

TRANSIENT STUDENTS AND FINANCIAL AID

Understand your financial liability!

It is important to note that students who are planning on taking courses at a host institution will NOT receive financial aid until their tuition and fees have been paid at the host institution (meaning you must pay out of pocket BEFORE receiving financial aid from Florida State University). Financial aid is generally processed AFTER the host schools drop/add date and once enrollment is confirmed. This could take anywhere from 14 to 21 business days from the time you begin your courses.

Summer Financial Aid & the Transient Process

Students applying for SUMMER transient status should also note that Federal loans are considered financial aid and is mainly what a SUMMER financial aid award consists of.