When I was an orientation leader for the University of Iowa, I worked with our campus academic advisors to help new students build their class schedules. This is one of the questions I was asked the most by students. Many new students come in with an outline of a schedule that they (or their parents) put together.
At a typical college or university in America, it takes 120 credits to receive a bachelor’s degree. Obviously, depending on the institution, the major, and the type of degree you will be receiving can change the exact amount. However, 120 credits are the average. Depending on each individual student, the number of credit hours taken can vary from semester to semester. There’s no perfect answer to this question, but we do have some good insight for you to consider.
Your Graduation Plan
How long do you want to be in college? Depending on your circ*mstances, your odds of graduating may be in about four years. If you are taking 15 credits each semester, you can get to 120 credits in 8 semesters and likely 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. If for some reason you need to drop a class, 15 credits are sort of a safe zone for this so your tuition does not change.
Tuition Consideration
Consider tuition! Take a look at your school’s tuition information, the scholarships vs. grants you plan to apply for, and think about whether or not you plan on working while in school. Depending on the number of credits you are taking, your tuition amount can change.
Balance Your Schedule and Credit Hours
Besides taking a certain amount of credits, you will want to be careful and try to build a balanced schedule. Many colleges and universities require students to complete general education requirements. It helps them become well-rounded individuals with knowledge in multiple areas. These are great classes to help balance your college schedule. A math major may want to use a general education course that is focused on reading. It balances the load of a specific semester if they know a certain math class will require a lot of problem-solving.
If for some reason you are unable to be a full-time student one semester or can’t take any classes at all, most schools and community colleges offer summer classes to students. These can be as short as four weeks long and likely up to twelve weeks long at most. Summer classes are a great option to get caught up in your schoolwork to graduate in the time frame that works best for you. Often, there are also internships offered through schools that give students college credit. With some of these internships, requirements may include general check-ins with a course instructor or supervisor about how the experience is going and potentially include reflective essays about the position.
When it comes down to it, try to build a balanced schedule. Pick a variety of classes that you are excited about. Don’t hesitate to ask your academic advisor for help. Use our college match tool to see what schools around the country are a good fit for you!
FAQs
In most 4-year programs, bachelor's degrees will require at least 120 credit hours. This can vary from school to school and program to program and will require a mix of different types of classes (from gen ed to major specific courses). Let's explore the credit and course types more closely.
How many credit hours should I take in college? ›
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.
Is 12 credit hours a lot? ›
A student is considered to be full-time for financial aid, scholarships, and for administrative housekeeping if they complete 12 hours per semester. However, in order to graduate in four years a student needs to take more hours than that, typically 15 or more, to be full-time.
Is taking 20 credits too much? ›
Taking 20 credits can be a lot, and it can be especially overwhelming if you also have a work study job on top of it. Though, with some organizational skills and setting limits for yourself, having a work study while taking 20 credits can be surprisingly manageable.
Is 15 credit hours too much? ›
Depending on your circ*mstances, your odds of graduating may be in about four years. If you are taking 15 credits each semester, you can get to 120 credits in 8 semesters and likely graduate. While it might seem strange, for many students it's better to take about 15 credits in their first semester.
Is 18 credit hours a lot? ›
If you're thinking of taking an 18-credit semester — don't. A course load this heavy isn't bold, brave or logical in any circ*mstances. In fact, it's highly irrational and rarely worth it because it overbooks your schedule and workload.
Is 17 credits a lot in college? ›
Agree with what others have said but effectively yes, expectation is that you're averaging 15-16 credit hours/semester. If you trend below that you're going to need to take summer classes or be on a 4+ year program. If you can do more than that you can lighten your load some senior year.
Is 9 credits in a semester good? ›
Full-time undergraduates usually must take at least 12 credits a semester. A graduate student typically requires a minimum of nine credits to enroll full time. Enrolling as a part-time or full-time student carries both benefits and challenges.
Is 12 credits full-time for FAFSA? ›
Credit hour requirements for federal financial aid
Half-time students receive anywhere from half to three quarters of the Pell Grant funds that a full-time student would receive. Students enrolled in 12 credit hours are considered full-time, while students enrolled in 6 credit hours or above are considered half-time.
How much is too many credit hours? ›
Whether doing it to graduate early or to fulfill the requirements of a double major, selecting several credits more than the semesterly 18 credit maximum can easily lead to burnout. "Although many students can and do successfully handle the heavy workload, others struggle with academic burnout from over-scheduling..."
A typical bachelor's degree takes 120 credits, which is about 40 courses. However, there is a maximum on credit hours, meaning that if you go over that amount, you will no longer have access to financial aid.
Is 130 credits a lot? ›
For an Associate's degree, students need to complete 60 to 65 credit hours or 20 classes. For a Bachelor's degree, students need to complete 120 to 130 credit hours or 40 classes. For a Master's degree, the requirements can range from 30 to 60 credit hours, depending on the program and the college or university.
How many credits a semester is too much? ›
That's above the usual minimum, which is 12 hours, and below the maximum, which is normally 18. If you are wondering “how long are college classes?”, the answer is that each course varies, but typically one credit equals one hour per week. If you want to take more than the maximum, that's called an overload.
How many credit hours is normal? ›
So, how many credit hours per semester are there? Normal full-time degrees require 15 credit hours per semester, so 30 credit hours per year.
Is 128 credit hours a lot? ›
A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution requires at least 120 credits. Some colleges require more. For example, a national survey of credit requirements found that 10% of programs require 124 credits, while 15% require 128 credits.
Is 30 credit hours a lot? ›
For each semester, it is typical for a full time student to be enrolled in around 12 to 15 credit hours (which is equivalent to about five classes). By the end of the academic year, a student would have earned around 30 total credit hours.
Is taking 5 classes a semester too much? ›
For full-time enrollment, you will typically need to earn 12-15 credit hours, which translates into taking four to five classes per semester. On the other hand, for part-time enrollment, you will need to earn fewer than 12 credit hours per semester, which means taking three or less classes per semester.
How many hours is 3 credits in college? ›
What is a Credit Hour?
| Credits to be earned | Hours per week, 7-week course | Hours per week, 14-week course |
|---|
| 1 credit | 6 hours | 3 hours |
| 3 credits | 18 hours | 9 hours |
| 6 credits | 36 hours | 18 hours |
| 12 credits | 72 hours | 36 hours |
It typically takes about two years to earn sixty credit hours of courses if you have not completed any prior college courses. It takes about four years to earn 120 credit hours.
