Educational Work Load

Educational Work Load

A student’s educational work load generally consists of fifteen (15) units of work per semester in order to make normal progress towards the Associates Degree and/or transfer requirements. For students receiving a Cal Grant award, note that a Cal Grant award is limited to four total years of payment.

Students desiring to take an overload of more than 19.5 units but less than twenty-two (22) must have a counselor’s approval. Students desiring to take twenty-two (22) units or more must have the approval of the appropriate Dean or designee in addition to the counselor’s approval.

Full-Time Student - A student is defined as full-time if carrying 12 or more units in a regular Fall or Spring semester or 4 units in a summer session.

Students, especially those who work or participate in extracurricular activities, should consider the following guidelines for planning their courses and unit load:

Units Class/Study Hrs Per Week Work/Extra-Curricular Hrs Per Week
15 or more 30-36 0-8
12-14.5 24-29 8-15
9-11.5 18-24 15-20
6-8.5 12-18 20-30
5.5 or fewer 6-12 30-40