Full-Time and Part-Time Students
Students must carry a minimum of 12
semester hours at UT Austin during long
semesters to be a full-time student.
There is no minimum course load in the
summer session.
The average course load in a long semester is 12 to 15 hours (four to five courses). It is recommended that new freshmen or transfer students take no more than 14 hours their first semester at UT. First semester students are not allowed to take more than 16 hours.
Undergraduate students in the McCombs
School of Business are expected to
graduate within four years of their
enrollment as freshmen. Transfer
students are also expected to graduate
in a timely manner. To achieve this
goal, it may be necessary for a student
to complete 15 hours per long semester,
particularly if he or she has not earned
college credit through credit by exam,
transfer coursework, or dual credit
earned in high school and applied to the
undergraduate degree.
With the current tuition structure,
students pay the same rate for 12 or
more semester hours. Therefore, a
student who completes more hours per
semester has a lower cost per credit
hour and greater efficiency in
completing the degree.
Students who register for fewer than 12 hours in a long semester will receive notification from the Undergraduate Programs Office, requesting they confirm their part-time status online, or register for more hours.
NOTE: Students on scholastic probation must see their Academic Advisor for part-time status approval.
Other offices or services, both on- and off-campus, may require students to be full-time. These include the Office of Student Financial Services, On-Campus Housing, health insurance (especially if you are listed under your parents' insurance), and the International Office. Check on the possible consequences of part-time status with these offices before you register or drop below 12 hours.
An undergraduate student may not register for more than 17 semester hours in any long-session semester (or 14 hours in summer session) without approval. To gain approval, students must fill out a request to enroll in excess hours in the Undergraduate Programs Office, CBA 2.400. These requests are reviewed by the student's Academic Advisor.
For students adding an internship class, approval is automatic. In other situations, the advisor will base the decision on the student's academic history and necessity.
NOTE: First semester students are not allowed to take more than 16 hours.
