Half-time status for enrollment is defined by academic load:
Course Loads and Full, Three-Quarter, and Half-Time. Note that full time is still defined as 9 hours, even if registration for more than 9 hour is required, or less than 9 hours is allowed. Students who can devote full attention to their studies usually enroll for 12 to 16 credit hours each term.
Given the time commitment required for graduate study, six (6) credit hours per term is the maximum load allowed for graduate students. Courses in these programs are built on competencies developed in each previous course and in a defined sequence. Graduate students cannot take course overloads; no exceptions are granted to this policy.
Approval by dean of major is required to register for more than 18 semester hours. Only 3 semester hours may be taken during winter semester. Except in special circumstances, the maximum course load for combined summer sessions is 15 semester hours. Only 3 semester hours may be taken during summer intersession.
Students are advised to limit their course loads to conform with the demands of their employment and the time they have to prepare for courses. Academic Operations provides the official certification of a student's enrollment status. Statements of enrollment issued by any other office are unofficial.
For financial aid purposes, enrollment status for all terms is as follows: full-time is 12 or more credit hours, three-quarter time is 9-11 credit hours, half-time is 6-8 credit hours and less than half-time is 1-5 credit hours.
Typically, undergraduate students considered full-time are taking 12 or more credits or around four classes per semester. Students classified as half-time enrollment must be registered for at least six credits per semester (generally two to three classes).
So, how many classes is full-time? Since a class typically requires at least three credits, for most students four classes per semester is what is considered a full-time student. Enrollment requirements to be considered a half-time student are typically at least six credits a semester.
Half-time student means an enrolled student who is carrying a half-time academic workload as determined by the school, and that amounts to at least one-half the workload of a full-time student. A student enrolled solely in an eligible program of study by correspondence is considered a half-time student.
six creditsYou need to take six credits in order to be considered at half-time enrollment. However, grad students and online students might have different criteria for part-time status. Check with your school to see what qualifies. In order to qualify for federal student loans, you need to be enrolled at least half-time.
9-11 undergraduate credit3/4 time: 9-11 undergraduate credit hours. 1/2 time: 6-8 undergraduate credit hours. Full-time: 9 or more graduate credit hours.
Taking on a full course load In University Programs, a full course load is normally 5 courses per semester, or 15 semester credits. No students may register in more than 18 credits per semester.
Generally, students need to be enrolled in a minimum of 6-credit hours to be eligible for financial aid. But, to be eligible for the full financial aid amount, students usually need to be enrolled in 12-credit hours, or be considered full-time students.
Full-Time Study: Full-time courses can be finished within a shorter time frame. Part Time Study: Students who study part time will take longer to finish their course than the time taken for full-time, students.
Weekly commitment: Part time vs full time university hours On average, a full-time university course requires around 21 hours of study per week, whereas a part-time course requires fewer hours of study per week. The key benefit to part-time study is that there is often no time limit for completing the course.
Typically, undergraduates are considered full-time college students if they take at least 12 credits — about four classes — each semester. According to NCES, a majority of these students do not work. In 2018, about 43% of full-time undergraduates were employed.
Part-time students are eligible for federal student loans and grants, as long as they fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA requires that you submit financial information like your income, savings and checking account balances and non-retirement investments.
The Graduate Division considers students in all of the following cases to be full-time:
Students may exceed maximum course limits only with approval from the Graduate Division. Graduate assistants who wish to enroll in more than nine credits in any semester must file a Graduate Assistant Petition to Enroll in More than Nine Credits with the Office of Graduate Student Services.
Undergraduate. A normal course load for a student wishing to be full-time is 12 to 17 credit hours. A normal course load for a student wishing to be full-time in summer is 12 credit hours. To be considered full-time, a student must enroll for at least 12 credit hours.
Students enrolling for more than 9 credit hours must have the approval of the Dean for Graduate Studies. In some programs special permission may be granted to take more than 9 credit hours as a regular load. Students should consult with the department/school for provisions.
In order to enroll for 18 or more credit hours, a student must have maintained an average of “B” (3.0) in a 15-hour course load during the preceding semester. Permission to enroll for 18 or more credit hours should be obtained from the student’s academic advisor.
Course load refers to the number of registered course credits for a session.
It is important to enter your correct course load on your OSAP application as your tuition, compulsory and book costs in the OSAP assessment are calculated based on the course load. Incorrect course load information will delay your funds.
Registered credits for full-year (Y term) courses are split evenly in the fall and winter terms. For example, if you are registered in one Y term course worth six credits, then assign three credits to your fall term course load and three credits to your winter term course load. Your tuition, compulsory fees, and book costs in ...
The averaged course load across the two terms is not what matters: you must meet the relevant course load requirement separately for each term to be eligible for that term. For example, for an undergraduate student without a disability:
Minimum course load for full-time undergraduate status during the fall and spring semester is 12 semester hours; the minimum course load for full-time graduate status during the fall or spring semester is 6 semester hours.
It is expected that students will spend 5-6 hours per week in course-related work outside of class time in a 3-semester hour course. This means students carrying 15 semester hours may need to spend a minimum of 40-45 hours per week of study outside of class per week.
Only 3 semester hours may be taken during summer intersession.