UF Quest
The UF Quest program is part of the General Education curriculum. Quest courses ask students to consider why the world is the way it is and what they can do about the problems confronting us. Eschewing rote learning and standardized tests in favor of close reading, critical thinking, and effective communication of ideas, UF Quest promotes a high level of faculty engagement in undergraduate education. UF Quest nurtures the intellectual curiosity of UF students and invites them to grapple with the difficult questions and challenges that they will face as thoughtful adults.
In UF Quest 1, students examine essential questions about the human condition that are not easy to answer and hard to ignore in a world that is increasingly complex. What makes life worth living? What makes a society a fair one? How do we manage conflicts? Who are we in relation to other people or to the natural world?
In UF Quest 2, students draw upon the biological, physical, or social and behavioral sciences to explore pressing questions about human societies and/or the planet (e.g., structural racism, the global health crisis, economic disparities, and the unintended consequences of digital progress).
Students who enter in or after Summer B 2021 are required to complete the UF Quest 1 and UF Quest 2 requirement except if they have earned an A.A. from a Florida public college/state university or are in the Innovation Academy program.
Some Quest courses also fulfill the International (N) requirement and/or count toward the Writing requirement.
By May 4, most new students* who have confirmed their intent to enroll at UF will receive an email with a link to the Quest 1 Survey that they will need to complete so that they can choose their Quest 1 course. Transfer students and students with an A.A. degree will also receive an email with a link to the Quest 1 Survey. The first set of questions will determine whether you are exempt from the UF Quest 1 requirement. If exempt, the survey will end, and you will not be asked to indicate your Quest 1 course preferences.
*If you are a new PaCE student, honors student, or student athlete, you will not receive an email with a link to the survey. Instead, you will learn about your options during Preview (see the New Student FAQ page).
Before taking the Quest 1 Survey, Summer B admits should review the course descriptions of Summer B Quest 1 courses and Fall admits should review the course descriptions of Fall 2021 Quest 1 courses.
After you have reviewed the course descriptions, you may take the Quest 1 Survey. To access the survey, you will need to login with your Gatorlink username and password.
In the survey, you will be asked to identify several Quest 1 courses that interest you. Based on your unranked preferences, we will then attempt to match you to one Quest 1 course. Although students are only required to take one Quest 1 course, the survey will ask you to select multiple (unranked) preferences in order to increase the odds that you are matched to a Quest 1 course.
You cannot update or change your preferences once you submit the survey. However, if you do not want to take the Quest course that you are matched to, you can make adjustments either during Preview or Schedule Adjustment (see Step 3). If you confirmed after May 3, you will not be able to take the survey. Spring 2022 will be your designated semester to complete the UF Quest 1 requirement (see Step 3).
*If you are a new PaCE student, honors student, or student athlete, you will not be able to access the survey. Instead, you will choose your Quest 1 course during Preview. All other new students who confirmed their enrollment by May 3 will be to access the survey. If you confirmed your enrollment after May 4, you will not be able to take the survey. Spring 2022 will be your designated semester to complete the UF Quest 1 requirement (see Step 3).
If you are matched to a Summer B or Fall 2021 course, the matched course will appear on your course schedule in One.UF by May 17. If you do not want to take the matched Quest 1 course or it conflicts with another course that you need to take, you may drop the matched course from your schedule during Preview and can look for another Quest 1 course during schedule adjustment or postpone taking a Quest 1 course until Spring 2022.
If we are unable to match you to a Quest 1 course, you will see a note in One.UF that Spring 2022 is your designated semester to complete the UF Quest 1 requirement (see instructions). You will have the opportunity to choose a Quest 1 course for Spring 2022 when advance registration begins for the spring semester. You also have the option of checking for openings in Summer B or Fall 2021 Quest 1 courses during schedule adjustment for those semesters.
If you did not receive the survey or did not complete it by the deadline, Spring 2022 will be your designated semester to complete the UF Quest 1 requirement. You also have the option of checking for openings in Summer B or Fall 2021 Quest 1 courses during schedule adjustment.
Because students must satisfy the UF Quest 1 requirement before taking a Quest 2 course, only Summer B admits who complete the UF Quest 1 requirement in Summer B may register for a Quest 2 course for Fall 2021. During Preview, those students can check with their advisor about the Quest 2 options for Fall 2021. However, most students will wait to complete the UF Quest 2 requirement until their second year.
Still have a QUESTION about Quest? Check out the New Student FAQs.
UF Quest invites you to begin a journey of self-discovery in courses that spark your curiosity and expand your horizons. Quest courses introduce you to new ideas and new experiences, connect to and go beyond your major, and propel you to search for solutions to move the world forward.
Undergraduates are required to take one UF Quest 1 course, typically in their first year, to satisfy 3 credits of the general education requirement in the Humanities and then one UF Quest 2 course, typically, in their second year, to satisfy 3 credits of the general education requirement in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Biological Sciences, or the Physical Sciences except if they have earned an A.A. from a Florida public college/state university or are in the Innovation Academy program. Some Quest courses also fulfill the International (N) requirement and/or count toward the Writing requirement (learn more).
After confirming their intent to enroll at UF, new students (including transfer students and students with an A.A.) need to answer a Short Questionnaire to learn whether they need to do the New Student Quest 1 Survey by May 3 (see Steps 1-3).
Answer a Short Questionnaire to find out whether you are required to take a UF Quest 1 course and need to do the New Student Quest 1 Survey. If required to take the New Student Quest 1 Survey, review the Quest 1 course descriptions before doing the survey (see Step 2).
Read the descriptions of the Quest courses and then take the survey (see Step 3).*
*Only courses that have IDS 2935 as their course prefix and number are part of the survey.
Complete the New Student Quest 1 Survey by May 3.*
*If you are unable to complete the survey by May 3, no need to worry. When you attend Preview or during Schedule Adjustment, you can look for Quest courses or wait to take a Quest course until the spring semester.
If you are a new PaCE student or student athlete, you do not take the New Student Quest 1 Survey. Instead, you will choose a Quest 1 course during Preview.
After May 15, you can find out whether you are matched to a Quest 1 course.
If you could not take the survey or did not complete it by the deadline, don't worry. We got you covered!! You can either check for openings in Summer B or Fall Quest 1 courses during schedule adjustment or wait to take a Quest 1 course until the spring semester.
Still have a QUESTION about Quest? Check out the New Student FAQs.
