Enrollment Status
Individual students receiving financial aid may be required to complete credits in addition to those listed below. The exact requirements for financial aid will be listed in the student’s financial aid award letter.
Undergraduates and Non-degree Undergraduate students:
- Full-time
- 12 or more credit hours
- Half-time
- 6 to 11.5 credit hours
Graduate and Non-degree Graduate students:
- Full-time
- 5 or more credit hours
- 0 credit hours as a candidate for degree
- 1 or more credit hours of thesis or dissertation (not master’s reports or thesis preparation)
- Half-time
- 3 to 4.5 credit hours
Notes:
Enrollment verification of full-time/part-time attendance can be certified beginning the first day of class.
Credits used for calculating full-time/part-time enrollment status do not include inter-institutional credits, nor do they include credits from another CU campus, unless the student is enrolled through the Intercampus Enrollment Program.
Students receiving veteran benefits should contact the Veteran Student Services manager for the definition of full-time status for summer sessions. Contact information: 303-315-7300 or VMSS@ucdenver.edu.
Individual exceptions to the minimum graduate course-load levels are considered for financial aid purposes by the financial aid committee. Students must file a written appeal with the Office of Financial Aid.
Course Load/Restrictions
In most cases, students wishing to take more than 18 semester hours (12 in the summer session) must have the overload approved by the Academic Advising Office of their college or school. Students should consult with their Academic Advisor for specific guidelines as to course-load restrictions.
Student Classification
Students are classified according to the number of semester hours completed:
| Classification | Hours |
|---|---|
| Freshman | 0-29 hours |
| Sophomore | 30-59 hours |
| Junior | 60-89 hours |
| Senior | 90+ hours |
All transfer students will be classified on the same basis according to their hours of credit accepted by the University of Colorado.