Academic Load

Academic Load Definitions

Academic status	Fall & Spring terms*	Summer term**
Less than Half-time	1-5 credit hours	1-2 credit hours
Half-time	6-8 credit hours	3-5 credit hours
Three-Quarter time	9-11 credit hours
Full-time	12-18 credit hours	6-8 credit hours
Overload (Permission required.)	19+ credit hours	9+ credit hours

Note: Part-time students include anyone who is enrolled in 1-11 credit hours for the Fall and Spring terms or 1-5 credit hours for the Summer term.

*Financial Aid uses the Fall/Spring definitions for Summer as well.

**Definitions are for DACC only, not for Financial Aid standards.

Maximum Credit Hour Load Procedure

Students are allowed to register for a full-time credit hour load, with advisor approval, up to the maximums stated below:

Regular Fall/Spring Semester: 18 credit hours maximum

Regular Summer Session: 9 credit hours maximum

Inter-term Summer and Winter Session: 5 credit hours maximum

Any student who wishes to exceed the maximum credit hour load must have approval from the Registrar or the Director of Advisement. The decision to approve requests to exceed the maximum load would be based upon the student’s academic strengths, class and work schedule, and reason for the request.

Student Classification

Freshman: A student who has completed 29 or fewer semester hours of college work.

Sophomore: A student who has completed 30 or more semester hours of college work.

Full-time Student: A student registered for 12 or more semester hours.

Part-time Student: A student registered for less than 12 semester hours.