Course Load

The normal course load for an undergraduate student is 15-17 semester credits during a fall or spring semester. Any student, however, may register for an overload (more than 17 semester credits) if he/she falls into one of the following categories:

  1. An entering freshman student graduating from an accredited high school who has an ACT composite score of 27 or above or who has a total SAT score of at least 1790 or RSAT 1280 may enroll for a maximum of 18 semester credits.
  2.  A student who has completed at least 15 semester credits with a GPA of 3.00 or higher may enroll for a maximum of 18 semester credits.
  3. A student who has completed at least 15 semester credits with a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher may enroll for a maximum of 20 semester credits.

    All of the above provisions for permitting overload enrollment are contingent upon the approval of the student’s advisor.

    In order to be considered full-time, an undergraduate student must enroll in a minimum of 12 semester credits during a long semester and four semester credits during any summer term.
    The maximum course load for a student enrolled in May Term is four credits.

    A normal course load for a student enrolled in a five-week summer session is six semester credits. The maximum amount of credit a student may earn in a summer is 14 semester credits, not including credit earned during the May term. These 14 semester credits may be distributed over the two summer terms as deemed advisable by the student and approved by his/her advisor as long as the load for a single five-week summer term does not exceed a maximum of eight semester credits. This policy applies to both day and evening students and includes all course work, whether distance, or residence. It is strongly recommended that students who are working either full-time or part-time register only for the number of credits they can reasonably expect to complete successfully.

    Exceptions to this policy on maximum student course load must have prior written approval of the dean of the appropriate school or the University Provost.