Undergraduate Students
The normal undergraduate class semester load is 15 credit hours. Twelve credit hours is the minimum class load for classification as a full-time student during the fall or spring semester. Undergraduate students enrolled in fewer than 12 hours are considered part-time students.
Eighteen (18) hours is the maximum class load for which a student may register during the fall or spring semester without special permission. Students with a grade point average of 3.0 or better for the previous semester and with an acceptable cumulative grade point average may register for 19 or more hours with the written permission of the dean of the student's school. Permission must be secured in advance of and presented during registration.
The load for students who enroll in 7-week classes or a combination of 7-week classes and regular length semester classes will be assessed in the aggregate for the regular semester. Students enrolled in the 7-week terms must meet the same load expectations as students enrolled in regular-length semesters. Enrollment in a minimum of 12 credit hours in the aggregate is the class load for classification as a full-time student during the fall or spring semester. Students who wish to enroll in more than 18 hours must meet the same requirements as outlined above and seek permission. Enrollment in 6 hours per 7-week term is the maximum class load for which an undergraduate student may register. However, enrollment in 9 hours may be allowed with permission of the advisor and dean. Students admitted to an online only program may enroll in 7 hours without special permission when one of their courses is ASE 1121 or ASE 1113.
In a summer session, 7 hours per term is the maximum class load for which an undergraduate student may register. The student may not register for more than 14 hours total during the summer sessions without the written permission of the dean of the student’s school.
The number of hours in which a student enrolls should be carefully considered in consultation with her/his advisor. As a general rule, a full-time class load, for undergraduates, of 15 hours is a commitment to a 40-hour week of attendance and out-of-class preparation/assignments.
Class Overload
Any undergraduate student wishing to enroll in 19 credit hours or more during spring or fall semester or 8 hours or more in a summer term must obtain a recommendation of her/his advisor and approval of the dean. Students with a grade point average of 3.0 or better for the previous semester, and with an acceptable cumulative grade point average may request permission to register for an overload using the “Request for Overload” form, available in the Office of Student Records and from deans’ offices. Approval must be secured in advance of and presented during registration.
Undergraduate students may not enroll in more than 6 hours in any one 7-week term during a regular semester. However, enrollment in 9 hours may be allowed with permission of the advisor and dean.
Graduate Students
Class Load
The normal graduate class load is 9 hours and is the minimum class load for classification as a full-time student during the fall, spring, or extended summer semesters. Compressed sessions of 7 or 6-weeks may be offered and, in this instance 6 hours per session is the maximum class load for which a student may register. During the fall, spring or extended summer terms, 12 hours is the maximum for which a student may register. Any exception to this must be made with the written permission of the dean of the student's school.
For the graduate student, as a general rule, a full-time class load of 9 hours is a commitment to a 40-hour week of attendance and out-of-class preparation/assignments.
Graduate students enrolled in nine or more credit hours per semester are considered full time. However, the following exceptions apply:
- Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice program students are considered full-time during any semester they are enrolled in clinical practicums (ANE 8326, ANE 8222, ANE 8360, ANE 8370, ANE 8380).
- Doctor of Nursing Practice program student enrollment in DNP project courses (FNP 8360 or NUR 8360) constitutes half-time enrollment during the semester of enrollment; additional course enrollment constitutes the additional credit hours as reflected on each of the additional courses.
- Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage and Family Therapy program students, after entering candidacy status, are considered half-time while enrolled in a 3-credit hour dissertation course (MFT 8328, MFT 8329, MFT 8330).
- Doctor of Education program students, after entering candidacy status, are considered half-time while enrolled in a 3-credit hour dissertation course (EDU 8331). Doctoral candidates maintain half-time status in this way until completion of the number of dissertation credit hours specified by their programs in the University Catalog and designated on the plan of study.
Any extensions to course enrollments will be handled according to program policies as outlined in the University Catalog.
Students should consult with the Office of Financial Aid regarding required class loads for financial aid purposes.
Graduate students may enroll in up to 12 credit hours during the fall, spring or extended summer terms. A graduate student wanting to enroll in more than 12 credit hours must have written approval of her/his dean.
For programs that enroll in compressed sessions, students who wish to enroll in more than 6 hours in any one session must obtain written permission from the Dean of the School of Business and have a 3.0 GPA.