Purpose
This policy outlines the definitions for full time and part time enrollment status, and a description of what constitutes an academic overload and an honors overload.
Scope
This policy applies to all credit-bearing academic programming at Lindenwood.
Policy
All academic credit is stated in semester credit hours. Full- and part-time student status is determined by the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled during any given term. In credit hours, the academic load for undergraduate semester students is as follows:
Full-time
- Twelve or more credit hours
Part-time
- Nine to eleven credit hours: three quarter-time
- Six to eight credit hours: half-time
- One to five credit hours: less than half-time
Notes: (1) International students must maintain full-time student status to remain in compliance with U.S. visa regulations.
(2) Course extensions (including culminating project extensions, capstone extensions, and thesis extensions) are not counted among a student’s “hours enrolled.” For this reason, students who are enrolled only in the completion of a thesis, capstone experience, or culminating project are considered less than half-time students.
(3) Missouri students expecting to qualify for Missouri State Grant funds are required by the state to be enrolled in a minimum of 12 hours per semester or nine hours per quarter both at the time the funds are requested and at the time the funds are received.
Academic Overload
Full-time traditional students may enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours and a maximum of 18 hours per term at no additional cost (other than any costs for lab fees or other fees associated with particular courses). Students enrolled in more than 18 credit hours in a semester are subject to an overload fee and must receive approval for the overload from the registrar.
Honors Overload
With administrative authorization, full-time traditional students who started prior to Fall 21 with cumulative grade point averages above 3.5 may take courses up to 24 credit hours of undergraduate coursework at no extra charge. In addition, the honors benefit shall apply to early access graduate courses. Students who do not meet the required minimum GPA must complete the Petition for Academic Course Overload.
