Academic Policies and Procedures/Academic Services
Academic Policies
Academic Load and Enrollment Designations
All academic credit is given in semester credit hours. Full- and half-time student status is determined by the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled during a given pay period (e.g., Fall, Winter, Spring). The recommended load for students enrolled in 8-week courses is nine credit hours or less. Permission of the dean of LUGC is required to enroll in more than nine credit hours per each 8-week course offering. In credit hours, the academic load designations for graduate students are as follows:
Full-time Enrollment
- Graduate students - six or more credit hours per pay period (e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring)
- Certificate seeking students - six or more credit hours per pay period (e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring)
Half-time Enrollment
- Specialist students - three to five credit hours per pay period (e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring)
- Graduate students - three to five credit hours per pay period ((e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring)
- Certificate seeking students - three to five credit hours per pay period (e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring)
Less than Half-time Enrollment
- Specialist students - two or fewer credit hours per pay period (e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring)
- Graduate students - two or fewer credit hours per pay period (e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring)
- Certificate seeking students - two or fewer credit hours per pay period (e.g. Fall, Winter, Spring)
Notes: (1) In order to remain in compliance with U.S. visa regulations, students on an F1 visa must maintain full-time enrollment status by enrolling in a minimum of six credit hours per pay period. (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 only enrolled in the completion of a thesis or capstone experience are considered less than half-time students.
Change in Degree Program
Students wishing to pursue a degree or program other than the one they originally sought should consult with a student success coach in the new program to determine whether additional application materials must be submitted for admission to the new program.