Academic Load and Classification
Full-Time— students who enroll in 12 or more credit hours during fall or spring semesters, or six or more credit hours during the summer session. The recommended maximum academic load during fall or spring semesters is 18 credit hours; the recommended maximum academic load during summer session is 9 credit hours. Students wishing to register for more than the maximum academic load must meet with an academic advisor or counselor to discuss success strategies, review previous course completion rates, earned grade point average, and work schedules prior to registration for any additional hours.
Three-Quarter-Time— students who enroll in nine to 11.9 credit hours during fall and spring semesters
Half-Time— students who enroll in six to 8.9 credit hours during fall or spring semesters, or three to 5.9 credit hours during the summer session
Less than Half-time— students who enroll in fewer than six credit hours during fall and spring, and fewer than three credit hours during the summer session
For federal financial aid purposes, 12 credit hours or more is considered full-time; 9-11 credit hours is considered three-quarter-time; 6-8 credit hours is considered half-time; and 5 or fewer credit hours is considered less than half-time.
Course Load for Working Students— Students who work while attending classes should carefully consider the number of hours they work prior to enrolling. Students should plan to set aside two hours of study for every one hour of class time. For example, if a student wishes to enroll in 12 credit hours, the student should set aside 24 hours per week for study time, plus the 12 hours per week of class time for a total of 36 hours per week to devote to their academic success. With a 36-hour-a-week academic commitment, a maximum of 15 hours per week should be considered for working.
Classification
First-Year Student— one who has earned less than 30 credit hours
Second-Year Student— one who has earned 30 or more credit hours but has not earned a degree