Policies & Procedures >> Courses >> Courseload

Courseload

College students are limited to 5.5 credit units per semester. First semester freshmen are limited to 4.5. (Outstanding science students may request permission to register for two laboratory sciences in their first semester.) Students can raise these limits with permission from their pre-major advisor or the College Office. This generally requires a g.p.a. of 3.3 or better and no outstanding Incompletes.

Students should always speak with an academic advisor before any action is taken that would cause the student to earn less than 4 c.u. in a given term.

Special Circumstances

Probation

Students placed on probation are required to limit their rosters to 4 or 4.5 c.u. per term.

Full-time with 3 c.u.

In extenuating circumstances, students may elect to take only 3 c.u. Special permission is not needed. Full tuition is charged. However, students considering 3 c.u. should consider carefully the risks of being enrolled in fewer than four courses.

Part-time status with 2.5 c.u. or fewer

College students are expected to be enrolled on a full-time basis. Bills are not normally adjusted when a student takes less than a full load of courses.

Part-time status for seniors

Seniors who are planning to be part-time students (i.e., carrying less than 3 c.u.) in their final semester must meet with an advisor in the College Office as well as their major advisor before the beginning of that semester (ideally during the Advance Registration period for the term in question). The advisors can help a student verify that he or she needs only one or two credits to graduate. Part-time status must be declared before the beginning of the term in question.

Note: Part-time billing status is NOT automatically implemented when a student enrolls in only one or two courses. The College must be notified of the student's decision to be part-time. No request for part-time billing may be made after the first day of spring semester classes.