French 1
Self-paced online French 1 course (French 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →FloridaNursing
Florida's foreign language rule for bachelor's degrees: what RN-to-BSN students need
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Florida's foreign language requirement for RN to BSN students comes from state law: competence equal to two years of high school study in one language. If your high school transcript shows that, you may be done. If not, most universities want one year of one college language, and each one decides what counts.
Where the rule comes from
Section 1007.262 of the Florida Statutes sets the benchmark: the competence a student shows after 2 credits of sequential high school foreign language. Each Florida College System institution then decides how many college credits equal that benchmark. Section 1007.25 makes language competency part of the A.A. degree.
Universities in the State University System apply the same idea to bachelor's students. The way it reaches you is through your own university's catalog and degree audit.
The statute does not name a number of college credits. It leaves that to each college, which is why two Florida schools can describe the same requirement in different ways. One may say one year of college language; another may say 8 credit hours; a third may accept a proficiency exam. The words in your own catalog are the ones that count for you.
Check these first: you may already meet it
Before you look at any course, find out whether the rule is already met. Many nurses meet it without knowing.
- Two years of the same language in high school, shown on your high school transcript
- An A.A. from a Florida public college, which already includes language competency
- Proficiency in a native language other than English, which s. 1007.262 recognises
- A proficiency exam your university lists in its catalog
When the rule bites in an RN to BSN
Universities set their own deadline. UCF asks for the language before the third semester of its RN to BSN, together with the rest of general education. Other Florida universities put it at admission or before graduation. Read the timing in your own catalog, because finishing late can delay the semester you planned to graduate.
Plan backwards from the deadline. If your university wants the language before a set semester, count the weeks you need for two courses in sequence, add the time for the transcript to arrive and be reviewed, and add a margin for the written answer from the transfer office. Nurses working full shifts often need a whole term for this, so start the conversation early.
If you still owe it: one language, in sequence
The common route is two courses in the same language, taken in order. UCF calls this one year of one foreign language in college. Some Florida colleges count that year as about 8 credit hours. French 1 and French 2 on UPI Study are 3 credits each, 6 in total, and are NCCRS-recommended. Whether 6 credits meet your university's rule is its decision.
Your credit reaches the university via a college transcript, and the university reviews it under its own transfer rules.
If the answer is that 6 credits are not enough, ask what would close the gap: a third course, an exam, or a placement test. Get that answer in writing as well, so you study once and not twice.
What to send your university
A short email gets a clear answer. Keep the reply with your degree audit.
- Your name, student ID and programme (RN to BSN)
- The requirement, quoted exactly from your catalog
- The course outlines for French 1 and French 2, with credit hours
- The question: will these two sequential courses meet the foreign language requirement?
- A request for the answer in writing
Why the answer must be in writing
Advisors change and catalogs are updated each year. A written reply ties the decision to your file and your catalog year. If a later audit shows the language as open, the email lets the office correct it quickly. It also protects you from spending money on a course that the university would place as an elective instead of the language requirement.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited, and we cannot speak for your university. What we can do is give you the course outlines and credit details you need to ask the question clearly.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your university's transfer or nursing advising office in writing whether two sequential 3-credit French courses meet its foreign language requirement before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Is the foreign language rule the same at every Florida university?
The state benchmark is the same, but each university sets how you meet it and when. UCF wants it before the third BSN semester; others check it at admission or graduation. Read your own catalog and degree audit.
Does high school Spanish count?
Two years of the same language in high school usually meet the benchmark in s. 1007.262. Send your high school transcript to your university and ask it to update your degree audit. If you studied the language more than ten years ago, the record still counts as a record; the question is only whether it shows two years of one language.
Can I mix two languages?
No. The rule describes sequential study in one language, so one year of Spanish and one year of French do not add up. Take two courses in the same language, in order. If you already took one year of a language, the quickest fix may be to continue in that same language rather than start a new one.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
French 2
Self-paced online French 2 course (French 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
French 1, French 2 and Statistics are on PRO. Confirm with your university first.
Sources
- Florida Statutes s. 1007.262: Foreign language competence; equivalence determinations (official)The benchmark is the competence shown after 2 credits of sequential high school foreign language; each Florida College System institution sets the minimum postsecondary credits that equal it; native-language proficiency exempts the student. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Florida Statutes s. 1007.25: General education courses; common prerequisites; other degree requirements (official)Subsection (10): a baccalaureate degree includes 36 semester hours of general education within a 120-hour cap; subsection (9)(a): the A.A. must include demonstrated foreign language competency. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- University of Central Florida: Nursing (RN to BSN) degree page (official)Two years of one foreign language in high school, or one year of one foreign language in college (or an equivalent proficiency exam), before the third BSN semester; 120 total credit hours; in-state tuition $212.28 per credit hour. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.