FSU undergraduate students must complete the State of Florida’s Civic Literacy requirement in order to earn their bachelor’s degree. Depending on when a student first enters a Florida public college or university, the following requirements must be met.
Note to Students: Please contact your advisor with any questions. You can find your advisor using the Advisor Search tool.
Note for students who took the Civic Literacy Exam at another institution: Students who took their Civic Literacy exam at another institution may submit their score report using the guide available here. MyFSU sign-in is required for this process.
Students who entered any Florida public college or university as an undergraduate degree-seeking student for the FIRST time beginning Fall 2024 or later must fulfill a course competency AND an assessment competency. See the table below for which mechanisms fulfill the course competency, assessment competency, or both.
Who Must Meet the Requirement?
- All first-time in college (FTIC) students who entered FSU starting in Fall 2024 or later.
- Transfer students who entered FSU (or another Florida public college or university) as undergraduate degree-seeking students in Fall 2024 or later, including:
- Students with an AA degree
- Students pursuing an additional bachelor’s degree
- Students who transferred from out-of-state
- Students who transferred from a private college or university in Florida.
Ways to Meet the Requirement
Both course and assessment requirements must be met.
| Mechanism | Minimum Required Score/Grade | Meets Course Competency | Meets Assessment Competency* |
|---|---|---|---|
| POS1041 American National Government | C- | ✓ | |
| AMH2010 The History of the United States to 1877 [taken Fall 2024 or later] | C- | ✓ | |
| AMH2020 A History of the United States since 1877 | C- | ✓ | |
| Florida Civic Literacy Examination (FCLE) [taken in high school US Government Course OR at a state college or university in Florida] * | 60% | ✓ | |
| Advanced Placement Government and Politics: United States | 3 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Placement United States History | 3 | ✓ | |
| Advanced Placement United States History | 4 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cambridge AICE History, US History, c. 1840-1990 (A-Level) | A-E | ✓ | |
| CLEP American Government | 50 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dual Enrollment Versions of POSX041 or AMHX020 | C- | ✓ | |
| IB History: History of America | 5-7 | ✓ |
*Students who take the United States Government course in high school and earn a passing score on the Florida Civic Literacy Examination in Fall 2021 and afterwards are considered to have fulfilled the assessment requirement.
Students who entered any Florida public college or university as an undergraduate degree-seeking student for the FIRST time beginning Summer C/Fall 2021 to Spring 2024 must fulfill a course competency AND an assessment competency. See the table below for which mechanisms fulfill the course competency, assessment competency, or both.
Who Must Meet the Requirement?
- All first-time in college (FTIC) students who entered FSU starting in Summer C/Fall 2021 to Spring 2024.
- Transfer students who entered FSU (or another Florida public college or university) as undergraduate degree-seeking students in Summer C/Fall 2021 to Spring 2024 including:
- Students with an AA degree
- Students pursuing an additional bachelor’s degree
- Students who transferred from out-of-state
- Students who transferred from a private college or university in Florida.
Ways to Meet the Requirement
Both course and assessment requirements must be met.
| Mechanism | Minimum Required Score/Grade | Meets Course Competency | Meets Assessment Competency* |
|---|---|---|---|
| POS1041 American National Government | C- | ✓ | |
| AMH2020 A History of the United States since 1877 | C- | ✓ | |
| U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Test – Civics (U.S. history and government) with supplemental questions [taken at a state college or university in Florida prior to Summer B 2024] | 60% | ✓ | |
| Florida Civic Literacy Examination (FCLE) [taken in high school US Government Course OR at a state college or university in Florida] * | 60% | ✓ | |
| Advanced Placement Government and Politics: United States | 3 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Advanced Placement United States History | 4 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cambridge AICE History, US History, c. 1840-1990 (A-Level) | A-E | ✓ | |
| CLEP American Government | 50 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dual Enrollment Versions of POSX041 or AMHX020 | C- | ✓ | |
| IB History: History of America | 5-7 | ✓ |
*Students who take the United States Government course in high school and earn a passing score on the Florida Civic Literacy Examination in Fall 2021 and afterwards are considered to have fulfilled the assessment requirement.
Students who entered any Florida public college or university as an undergraduate degree-seeking student for the FIRST time beginning Fall 2018 through Spring 2021, must earn credit in an approved Civic Literacy course OR achieve a passing score on a designated Civic Literacy assessment (not both).
Who Must Meet the Requirement?
- All first-time in college (FTIC) students who entered FSU starting in Fall 2018 or later.
- Transfer students who entered FSU (or another Florida public college or university) as undergraduate degree-seeking students in Fall 2018 or later, including:
- Students with an AA degree
- Students pursuing an additional bachelor’s degree
- Students who transferred from out-of-state
- Students who transferred from a private college or university in Florida.
Ways to Meet the Requirement
| Mechanism | Minimum Required Score/Grade |
|---|---|
| POS1041 American National Government* | C- |
| AMH2020 A History of the United States since 1877* | C- |
| Civic Literacy Examination | 60/100 or 60% |
| Advanced Placement Government and Politics: United States | 3 |
| Advanced Placement United States History | 4 |
| CLEP American Government | 50 |
| Dual Enrollment Versions of POSX041 or AMHX020 (taken after Fall 2018*) | C- |
*IMPORTANT NOTE
The State of Florida Board of Governors has ruled that successful completion of POS1041, American National Government or AMH2020, A History of the United States Since 1877 does not meet the State requirement if the course was taken as a dual enrollment course prior to Fall 2018. The courses offered prior to this time are not seen as meeting the competencies mandated for the Civic Literacy requirement.
Students who entered a Florida public college or university as an undergraduate degree-seeking student for the FIRST time prior to Fall 2018 are NOT REQUIRED to meet any Civic Literacy requirement.
(Note: These requirements are subject to change based upon rules and regulations issued by the Florida Board of Governors.)
The Civic Literacy Exam is available online at no charge! Students can take the exam online at any time by following the instructions below.
To register for the Florida Civic Literacy Exam, you will need to follow this self-enroll link to be added to the Florida Civic Literacy Canvas Course: Florida Civic Literacy Exam.
- Click “Enroll in Course” and then “Go to the Course”.
- Once there, click the link to the “Florida Civic Literacy Exam” and follow the on-screen instructions to begin.
Note: After passing the exam, it may take a month or two for your score to be processed. If it has been more than two months and your score has not yet been posted, please contact the Registrar's Office at registrar@fsu.edu.
Students who took their Civic Literacy exam at another institution may submit their score report using the guide available here. MyFSU sign-in is required for this process.
- Do AP, AICE, and IB credits fulfill the Civic Literacy requirement?
- There are multiple ways to fulfill the Civic Literacy requirement. Students and advisors should refer to the tables above.
- For example, for the Fall 2018 through Spring 2021 cohorts, AICE does not fulfill the Civic Literacy requirement. However, beginning in Summer C/Fall 2021, a score of A-E does fulfill the course competency requirement, but not the assessment competency requirement.
- There are multiple ways to fulfill the Civic Literacy requirement. Students and advisors should refer to the tables above.
- Sally Seminole first entered FSU in Fall 2021. She received a 5 on IB History and a C on the AICE US History exam. Has she fulfilled the Civic Literacy requirement?
- While Sally has fulfilled the course competency requirement, Sally still needs to fulfill the assessment competency requirement.
- If a student is pursuing their second bachelor's degree, do they need to fulfill the Civic Literacy requirement?
- The answer depends on when the student first entered any Florida public college or university as an undergraduate degree-seeking student.
- If a student earned their first degree from an institution not in Florida, then they must complete the Civic Literacy requirement in place at the time that they started their second degree.
- For example, if a student earned their degree from an institution in Florida, then they must complete the Civic Literacy requirement in place at the time that they started their first degree.
- For example, Johnny Jones graduated from UCF in Spring 2017. He entered FSU in Fall 2021 for a second bachelor’s degree. He is not required to fulfill the Civic Literacy requirement.
- The answer depends on when the student first entered any Florida public college or university as an undergraduate degree-seeking student.