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Most colleges and universities with a semester system recommend 15 credits per semester, which amounts to 30 credits per year. Full-time students are enrolled in at least 12 credits and a maximum of 18 credits per semester.
Generally, the typical full-time semester load is around 12-15 credits (or about 4-5 classes). Most universities set a limit anywhere from 18-20 credits per semester. However, these limits are not set in stone and can often be increased with approval from an academic advisor.
Many colleges recommend taking around 15 credits per semester, which totals 120 credits after four years (colleges that run on a will work slightly differently, but the total number of credits is approximately the same). Most bachelor’s degree programs require 120 credits to graduate.
While it might seem strange, for many students it’s better to take about 15 credits in their first semester. This is recommended because 12 credits are usually the minimum to be considered a full-time student at the college. It can even affect tuition in some cases.
You usually need to take at least 12 credit hours per semester to qualify as a full-time college student. Twelve credit hours usually translates to four courses worth three credits a piece. Some students take more than 12 credit hours a semester.
Typically, a full-time course load in college is around 12 to 15 credit hours per semester, which usually translates to about 4 to 5 courses. The specific numbers can differ slightly depending on the institution.
1 credit hour = 1 contact hour + 2 preparation hours (per week for a 14-week course). Credit hours are calculated for each semester, usually 14 – 16 weeks. In the general sense (for a 14-week course), 1 class/subject = approximately 3 credit hours.
Many colleges and universities do put a cap on the number of credit hours that can be taken per semester. In many cases, the maximum amount allowed is 18 to 21. Some schools only allow certain groups, such as honors students, to exceed these limitations.
Typically, you will need to take at least 12 credit hours to qualify as a full-time student. It’s important to note that taking the minimum of 12 credit hours per semester will not be enough to earn a bachelor degree in four years, so most students take more than 12 credit hours per semester.
How Many Undergraduate Credits Should You Take Per Semester? To graduate within 4 years, full time undergraduate students should aim to take 15 credit hours on average per semester. This chart explains where you should be at every year: