Course Load
University Policies: Course Load
All baccalaureate degree programs require at least 120 credit hours, but more may be required in some programs. A typical schedule in the fall and spring semesters is 15 semester hours, but may vary by semester and program from 12 to 18 hours. Some programs also have planned summer loads.
Students may need to prove full-time/half-time status in order to be eligible for dependent insurance and to defer repayment of some loans, among other reasons. Definitions of full-time/half-time are defined according to federal government regulations for financial aid recipients. Students will be certified as full-time if registered for 12 or more hours in any semester, including summer. Cooperative internships also qualify for full-time status in some units. For half-time status, students must be registered for a minimum of 6 hours during any semester, including summer.
Students in good standing typically may take no more than 18 hours in the fall and spring semesters. Under special circumstances, students who have completed a minimum of 30 hours at UofL and who have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 may request permission through their advising center to take an overload. For the summer semester students are limited to 4 hours in the three-week summer session and 7 hours during each of the five-week summer sessions. For the winter session, students are limited to 4 hours. Typically, there are no overloads for summer and winter, though overload approvals may vary by unit. Permissions are handled by procedures determined by the Dean’s office in each unit, and some units may accept petitions for course overloads above those listed above.
Students on academic warning or probation and students admitted in conditional status are limited to 14 hours during the fall and spring semesters and to a total of 10 semester hours during the summer sessions.
Unit-Specific Policies
In addition to the university-wide policies regarding Course Load, students may be subject to the unit-specific requirements listed below. If there are no unit-specific policies below, students from those units will be governed by the university-wide policies.
College of Arts and Sciences
Students with less than 30 hours at UofL and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 may petition to take more than 18 hours. Students with a 3.0 grade point average at the University of Louisville may petition to take up to nine hours in a five-week session, but are still limited to a maximum of 18 hours in the summer semester.
College of Business
Full-time status in the COB can also be met by being registered for 3 credit hours of approved COB Co-op in a given semester. Co-op credit hours count toward the total hours taken. All COB students considering COB Co-op should evaluate course loads in terms of individual needs and plan accordingly with the assistance of an academic advisor. Other academic course load during a Co-op semester should be severely limited. Students should check with their financial aid lending institution when considering the impact of COB Co-op on financial planning for semesters involving co-op work.
Students on academic warning and probation are also restricted to no more than one course per summer or winter term.
Note: The College of Business reserves the right to administratively withdraw students from courses based on academic policies.
College of Education & Human Development
The maximum load for the summer semester is 15 semester hours.
Kent School of Social Work and Family Science
Students are limited to 3 semester hours in the three-week summer session, 6 semester hours during each of the five-week summer sessions, and 12 semester hours during the Kent School summer session. The total number of semester hours during the summer session is limited to 12. Similarly, students are limited to 3 semester hours in winter term.
Students on academic warning and probation and students admitted on limited load are limited to 14 hours during the fall and spring semesters, a total of 10 semester hours during the summer session and 3 semester hours in winter term.
School of Music
Overload students in the School of Music may not exceed 20 credit hours per fall or spring semester. A petition will be required for each semester of overload request.
School of Music students on probation are limited to a maximum of 14 credit hours per semester and students admitted in conditional status to a maximum of 14 credit hours. No overloads will be approved while a student remains in such status.
School of Public Health and Information Sciences
Students with a UofL and a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 may petition to take more than 18 hours during a given semester.
Speed School of Engineering
Students may take a maximum of 18 credit hours each fall and spring semester and 13 credit hours in the summer term. In special circumstances during fall and spring semesters, students may register for 19 credit hours with permission from the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.
Students on either academic warning or academic probation status are limited to no more than 13 credit hours during fall and spring semesters and 7 credit hours during the summer term.
