Civic Literacy Undergraduate Degree Requirement

Beginning with catalog year 2018-2019, every student initially entering a Florida College System or State University System institution must demonstrate competency in civic literacy. According to Florida Statute Section 1007.25 and Florida’s Board of Governors Policy 8.006, undergraduate students must demonstrate:

  • An understanding of the basic principles of American democracy and how they are applied in our republican form of government;
  • An understanding of the U.S. Constitution; 
  • Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of our institutions of self-governance; and
  • An understanding of landmark Supreme Court cases and their impact on law and society. 
Student Cohorts
  • Students first entering the State University System (SUS) or Florida College System (FCS) prior to fall 2018 are exempt from this requirement.
  • Students first entering the SUS or FCS from fall 2018 to the summer A 2021 must complete either a course OR take the exam (unless otherwise satisfied as described below).
  • Students first entering the SUS or FCS in summer B 2021 and thereafter must both complete a course AND take the exam (unless otherwise satisfied as described below).

If you are not sure if you are required to fulfill the requirement, please check with your academic advisor and/or check your degree audit prior to enrolling in a course, registering for a CLEP exam, or enrolling in the zero-credit exam option.

Options for Students to Meet the Civic Literacy Requirement

1. Course Requirement:

Students must pass either POSX041 American National Government or AMHX020 United States History: 1877-Present. Each of the courses includes the following competencies: 

  • Understanding of the basic principles and practices of American democracy and how they are applied in our republican form of government,
  • An understanding of the United States Constitution and its application,
  • Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of our institutions of self-government, and
  • An understanding of landmark Supreme Court cases, landmark legislation and landmark executive actions and their impact on law and society.

 2. Exam Requirement:

There are two options for satisfying the exam requirement. Students in all cohorts may choose either of these options:

  • The Florida Civic Literacy Exam taken at the UCF Testing Center. (Passing this test in high school satisfies the exam requirement.  If a student has passed this exam in high school, but it is showing as not satisfied on their degree audit, they should send an email to transfersyllabus@ucf.edu with that information.)
  •  The Civic Literacy: U.S. History and Politics Exam taken online through Canvas.

For more detail on these options please see visit this UCF Testing Center webpage.

Please note: These exams do not fulfill a General Education Program requirement and are not equivalent to either POS2041 or AMH2020.

Alternate Means for Satisfying the Requirement

Students satisfy both the course and exam requirements if they achieve the following:

  • A score of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement Government and Politics: United States Exam; or
  • A score of 4 or higher on the Advanced Placement United States History Exam
  • A score of 50 or higher on the CLEP American Government exam

Students satisfy the course requirement (but not the exam requirement) if they achieve the following:

  • A score of A-E on the Cambridge AICE, US History, c. 1789-1917 (AS-Level) exam
  • A score of 5-7 on the IB History: History of America exam
Civic Literacy Guide

The UCF library has created a Civic Literacy guide that will help you understand the Civic Literacy requirement and prepare for the exam. It includes important information about the requirement, resources and study materials.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your Florida College System or State University System transcript will include information about the civic literacy requirement, and it will reflect on your audit. 

For students transferring from a Florida public institution, their cohort year is determined by when they first enrolled at a Florida public institution (not the date of their enrollment at UCF). However, this stipulation does not apply to high school students who took dual enrollment courses. Their cohort year begins when they enter a Florida institution after completing high school.


For students transferring from a non-SUS, non FCS Florida institution or from outside of Florida, their cohort year is the year they arrive at UCF.

You will have access to the zero-credit Civic Literacy: U.S. History and Politics exam for 12 consecutive months following your registration. You can review the study guide materials and take the exam until you have passed with a score of 60 or higher. Your fulfillment of the graduation requirement will be noted on your UCF transcript and your degree audit.

When you choose the zero-credit exam option, you will be enrolled in the Civic Literacy: US History and Politics exam course for an academic year. Once you receive a passing grade, you will be removed from the course. 

There is no cost for the zero-credit exam option. Please visit the University Testing Center website here to learn more about the cost of the approved CLEP exam.