Course Load

We want to see our students succeed, and to that end, we’ve set limitations on the number of credit hours you can take. While overloads may be permitted in some cases, we encourage you to stay within the normal course load for the best experience as a student – both academically and personally.

Normal Course Load

For undergraduates

The normal undergraduate course load is 15 credit hours for fall and spring semesters. 

For financial aid and enrollment verification purposes, full time for undergraduate students  is 12 or more credit hours; half time is 6-11 credit hours and less-than half time is 5 credit hours or less.

Overload Limits

Overload limitations apply to work completed in both on-campus and off-campus programs.  Taking additional credit hours or courses will add to your tuition costs.

• Fall and spring: 18+ credit hours
• Summer: 15+ credit hours
• Interim term: 4 credit hour max. No overload will be permitted.

If you have a UNC GPA of 3.0 or higher, you may overload up to 21 credit hours without needing the approval of your advisor. Sign and submit theUndergraduate Overload Request to the Registrar. Once approved and processed you can go ahead and add the course to your schedule.

If you…

• have a UNC GPA lower than 3.0
• are a new student to UNC and do not yet have a UNC GPA established
• are requesting more than 21 credits for the fall or spring semester or 18 credits for summer

… you may overload only with the signature of your academic advisor and the school director or department chair.

Business students and students enrolled in student teaching require approval of both your academic advisor and your school director or department chair for ANY overload, regardless of your GPA.

For graduate students

For information regarding Full and Part Time status for graduate students, please refer to the Graduate Catalog. 

Overloads Limits

Graduate students have a lot on their plates, and are often working while completing their education. To help ensure you get the most out of your educational experience, we’ve put the following overload limitations in place.

• Fall and spring: 17+ credit hours
• Summer: 12+ credit hours
• Interim term: 4 credit hour max. No overload will be permitted.

If your GPA is lower than 3.0, you may not petition for an overload. Otherwise, you may petition via a signed Graduate Overload Request, which you can submit to the Registrar. Once approved and processed you may go ahead and add the course to your schedule.