Term Structure

To remain eligible for Federal Student Aid, you must enroll in consecutive terms for at least half-time status. A term is 16 weeks; an academic year is 32 weeks or two terms.

Half-time status for an undergraduate student is six credit hours per term, or 12 credit hours per academic year. Full-time status for an undergraduate student is 12 credit hours per term, or 24 credit hours per academic year. Graduate students are subject to slightly different standards. Half-time status for a graduate student is three credit hours per term, or six credit hours per academic year. Full-time status for a graduate student is six credit hours per term, or 12 credit hours per academic year.

The following table illustrates the credit hours required per term for each classification.

 Per TermPer Academic Year
Enrollment StatusUndergraduateGraduateDoctoralUndergraduateGraduateDoctoral
Full-Time

12

6

8

24

12

16

3/4 Time

9

 

 

18

-

12

1/2 Time

6

3

4

12

6

6

Less than 1/2 Time

3

 

1

6

-

2

Course Load Limits

The table above identifies the normal course load for most students. Students wishing to accelerate their studies may do so within the following limits:

  • Undergraduates may not take more than 18 credits in a term. 
  • Masters students may not take more than 12 credits in a term.
  • Due to the cohort model, doctoral students are limited to the Full-Time definition.
  • Students on SAP1, SAP2 or SAP3 may not exceed the Full-Time definition for their program.

Students wishing to exceed the Full-Time amount for their program must receive prior approval from the Academic Chair of their program.  Students should work with their SSC who will request the policy exception from the Academic Chair. 

Once you have been enrolled into a JIU degree program, the start and end dates of your academic year are determined by when you begin taking courses and begin receiving FSA. For more information about term structure, please consult JIU's Student Handbook.