Uniform Certificate of General Studies

Program:  The Uniform Certificate of General Studies (UCGS)

 

The Passport and UCGS are 16 and 30-32 credit hour transfer programs in which all courses are transferable and shall satisfy lower-division general education requirements at any public institution of higher education in Virginia. The Passport shall be a component of the UCGS.  

 

Students transfer through many different pathways; the Passport and UCGS are two mechanisms in which transfer opportunities are maximized for students.  The goal with both the Passport and UCGS is to maximize credit acceptance and application toward general education requirements for students transferring prior to earning an associate degree. The Passport and UCGS offer a variety of courses to optimize the student’s educational experience and increase the opportunity for students to earn the Passport or UCGS while also preparing for their program of study.  The Passport and UCGS do not guarantee students admission into an institution.

A.        Course Completion

Students earn the Passport or UCGS by completing the required credit hours as prescribed in section B.  When a general education program exceeds 16 or 30-32 credits, completion of the Passport or UCGS does not guarantee satisfaction of all lower-division general education requirements or individual program requirements; instead, the 16 or 30-32 credit hours of institutional general education requirements are satisfied and will count toward graduation requirements and not extra elective credits.  Prior to transfer, students should be advised to take the Passport or UCGS course that best suits their intended program of study at the four-year institution.  No distinction will be made by senior institutions in Virginia regarding college courses applicable to the Passport and UCGS that are completed through dual enrollment arrangements with high schools.

• Each course must be completed with a grade of C or better.
• The courses completed through enrollment at multiple two-year public institutions in Virginia collectively apply to meeting Passport and UCGS requirements.

​B.           Required Areas

Students complete the Passport and UCGS by satisfying the credit requirements within each general education block.  Descriptions of blocks are to aid in implementation at the two-year institutions and do not designate which general education requirement is met at the senior institution.

 

General Education Area	Passport	UCGS (Includes Passport Credits)
Block I Written Communication	3 credit hours	6 credit hours
Block II Humanities, Arts, and Literature	3 credit hours (complete Block II or VI)	6 credit hours from 2 different categories (Humanities, Arts, Literature)
Block III Social/Behavioral Sciences	3 credit hours	3 credit hours
Block IV Natural Sciences	4 credit hours	4 credit hours
Block V Mathematics	3 credit hours	3 credit hours
Block VI History	3 credit hours  (complete Block II or VI)	3 credit hours
Block VII Specialized General Education Requirements	Not applicable	5-7 credit hours
Total	16 credit hours	30-32 credit hours