How Many Credit Hours Is Full Time For Students?

Navigating the college experience can be challenging on many levels. Deciding on the right college, picking the perfect major, and navigating which classes to choose are all important parts of making it to your college graduation.

Deciding how much of a course load you want to take depends on a number of factors, including your major, what classes are available and how you are adjusting to college life. 

It's important to understand how many credit hours are required to be a full-time student, since being a full-time vs. a part-time student can have a major impact on your college life. This includes graduation, financial aid, scholarships, and eligibility for on-campus housing.

Who Is Considered a Full-Time Student?

The Department of Education and most colleges and universities consider someone taking 12 or more credit hours a full-time student. If you're taking fewer than 12 credit hours in a semester, you are considered a part-time student. 

Because many universities charge the same amount of tuition for full-time students, it can be cost-effective to take more than 12 credit hours in a semester.

How Long Does It Take To Graduate If You're A Full-Time Student?

You might think that if 12 credit hours per semester is considered full-time that you can graduate on time with such a workload. 

However, the reality is that at most colleges and universities, you'll need to take a minimum of 120 credit hours to earn a bachelor's degree. That means that if you only take 12 credit hours each semester, it will take you 10 semesters (5 years) to complete a bachelor's degree.

An extra year of college means an extra year of tuition, an extra year of room and board and an extra year that you don't have a full-time job where you can start earning money and paying back any student loans that you have. 

This is why many states and universities have started a "Fifteen to Finish" campaign. The campaign encourages undergraduates to take a minimum of 15 credit hours each semester. 

That would allow you to complete 120 hours in only 8 semesters (4 years). Since many colleges charge the same full-time tuition amount whether you take 12 credits, 15 or even more, this can be a way to save on college expenses.

What Happens If You're Not A Full-Time Student?

Being a full-time student is a requirement for a variety of different college-related items. 

If you have scholarships, you may be required to be enrolled at least full-time to keep your scholarship. Any financial aid packages you have may also be affected—some financial aid may require you to be a full-time student while others may only require you to be attending part-time. 

If you're living in on-campus housing provided by your university, they may also require you to be a full-time student or take a minimum amount of credit hours each semester. 

This can also be a factor if you start out taking a full-time load and later drop a class. If you start out taking 13 credit hours, that would be considered full time. But if you later drop one of your classes that is three credit hours, you would drop down to 10 credit hours and will likely no longer be considered to be attending full-time. 

This may have ramifications to your financial aid package, scholarships, or on-campus housing arrangements. If you're not sure how that might impact you, consult with your school's academic advising or financial aid offices.

Full-Time Student vs. Part-Time Student: What's The Difference?

Being a full-time student or a part-time student at a particular institution of higher learning is usually determined by how many credit hours you're taking in a semester. 

If you're taking 12 or more credit hours, you are usually considered full-time, and if you're taking less than that, you are considered part-time. 

Whether you are a full-time student or a part-time student can have an impact on your financial aid or ability to live in on-campus housing.

The Bottom Line

Your status as a full-time or part-time student can potentially have an impact on your financial aid, scholarships, ability to live on campus, and other aspects of your college life. 

This is true even if you start the semester with enough credits to be a full-time student and drop a class during the semester. 

If you're not sure whether or not you are considered a full-time student or what the impact would be if you started taking classes part-time, talk with your school's admissions or financial department.