Full-Time Course Load Policy

The academic calendar follows a fall, spring, and summer model.

  • Degree programs: Fall and Spring semesters are each 15 weeks in length, and the two terms comprising the Summer semester are each 8 weeks in length. Fall and Spring semesters are considered “required” terms for attendance purposes and must maintain continuous attendance to remain enrolled. The Summer semester is considered optional for most students.
  • Intensive English as a Second Language Program (IEP): Courses are offered in 7-week sessions, comprising Fall I, Fall II, Spring I, Spring II, Summer I and Summer II. All terms for the IEP program are considered “required” terms for attendance purposes and must maintain continuous attendance to remain enrolled.

Students who may need to take an extended period of time off during “required” semesters/terms should consider taking a Leave of Absence.

Full-time Enrollment

Certification by the Registrar’s Office of any student as full-time requires that the student be engaged in full-time academic study. Certification will not be warranted merely by payment of full-time tuition. Students not attending classes full-time will not be certified as such.

Fall and Spring Semesters

  • DEGREE PROGRAMS: For fall and spring semesters, a full-time course load is nine (9) semester credit hours for graduate-level programs and between twelve (12) and twenty-one (21) (i.e., between 12 to 21) semester credit hours for undergraduate level program.
  • INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM: Students must study for 20 hours per week to be considered a full-time student, which applies for all terms.

Summer Semesters

  • DEGREE PROGRAMS: For the combined summer terms, a full-time course load is six (6) semester credits for graduate-level programs across all summer terms, and between twelve (12) twenty-one (21) (i.e., between 12 to 21) semester credits for undergraduate-level programs across all summer terms. For the summer session, eligible students can choose to take a combination of credits in Summer I and Summer II to equal the total full-time load, or can take all required credits in the same term to meet the credit requirement to be considered enrolled as full-time. If a student fails to take enough credits over the combined summer terms, they will be considered part-time.
  • INTENSIVE ENGLISH PROGRAM: Students must study for 20 hours per week to be considered a full-time student, which applies for all terms.