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Department of Registration and Records
Credit Loads
At the matriculated undergraduate level, students must carry a minimum of 12 credits to be classified as full-time. Whether a student is designated as part-time or full-time is important in the area of financial assistance involving various grants, loans, and scholarships that may depend on full-time status. Fifteen credits per semester are considered a normal course load, although students may register for up to 18 without special permission. Beyond 18, the Office of Registration and Records can manually apply the guidelines listed below to determine whether or not a student is eligible.
CREDIT LOAD TABLE
Class Status Credits |
Credits Completed |
Minimum GPA |
Maximum Credits Allowed |
Freshman |
0-14 |
N/A |
18 |
Freshman |
15-23 |
3.00 |
19 |
Sophomore |
24-53 |
2.75 |
19 |
Junior |
54-83 |
2.50 |
20 |
Senior |
84-98 |
2.00 |
20 |
Senior |
99 or more |
2.00 |
21 |
Undergraduate students still wishing to take more than the maximum allowed, according to this table, must get written approval from the Office of Academic Advisement to increase the credit load beyond the maximum allowed. In any event, no more than 21 credits are ever allowed.
At the matriculated graduate level, the definition of full-time is a bit more complicated. Twelve graduate credits per semester is the usual definition of a full-time load. However, graduate students who are registered for nine graduate credits and who have either an assistantship or are enrolled for an internship involving 15 or more contact hours per week are also considered full-time. Finally, enrolled graduate students are defined as full-time if they are engaged in full-time thesis research and if three conditions are met:
- their thesis research is part of an approved Plan of Study;
- their thesis research requires effort which is the equivalent in Carnegie units to 12 credits of work; and,
- they have in their departmental file a letter from the department chairperson or graduate program coordinator indicating that they are engaged in full-time thesis research for each semester or comparable summer period.
Graduate students should carefully note the following:
- Some types of financial aid may use more stringent definitions of a full-time load than given above in determining aid eligibility.
- Occasionally, graduate students may wish to register for more than the 12 credits that usually constitute a full-time load at the graduate level. Registration for 13-15 credits for either the fall or spring semester requires departmental approval on a “Request for Graduate Credit Overload” form available from either the Office of Registration and Records, 201 Rakov, or the Office of Graduate Studies, 2105 Morgan Hall. Registration for more than 15 credits requires both departmental approval and approval by the dean of graduate studies.
CREDIT LOADS IN SUMMER SESSIONS
At the undergraduate level, the rules governing the number of credits you can take during summer sessions apply to all students regardless of class status or cumulative GPA. Undergraduate students may register for a maximum of 16 credits during the summer.
At the graduate level, students may register for a maximum of 15 credits during the summer.
CREDIT LOADS FOR NON-MATRICULATED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Semester limits: Non-matriculated undergraduate students are limited to a maximum of nine credits during the regular fall and spring semesters. For summer sessions, registration rules are the same as for all other students.
Overall limits: The maximum number of credits that can be accumulated as a non-matriculated undergraduate student at The College at Brockport is 24. If a student wants to continue taking courses at that point, s/he must either matriculate as a degree candidate, or sign a statement assuring the College that s/he has no intention of pursuing a degree. The College doesn’t want o discourage a student from seeking self-improvement without benefit of a degree, but it does want to ensure that degree-seekers have the proper advisement and other benefits that come with formal matriculation.
CREDIT LOADS FOR NON-MATRICULATED GRADUATE STUDENTS
A student who wishes to enroll in a course as a non-matriculated student at the graduate level must apply for admission to non-degree status. Applications are available in the Office of Graduate Admissions in Morgan Hall or online at www.brockport.edu/graduate/.
Non-degree students who plan to apply later for admission to a graduate program should consult with the department before engaging in non-matriculated graduate study. A maximum of nine (9) credits taken at The College at Brockport in non-degree status may be credited toward a graduate degree program. As at the undergraduate level, this ensures that degree-seekers have the proper advisement and other benefits that come with formal matriculation.
