Your financial aid, the amount of time it takes you to finish your degree, whether or not you’re eligible for certain services—all these and more depend on your student status. Make sure you maintain full-time enrollment.
Mind your status
Enrollment requirements
Check the enrollment requirements table for information about the fall, spring, and summer terms. Note that correspondence courses don’t count toward your credit hour totals. Some programs, such as Kelley Direct, have different requirements.
| Career | Half time | Full time |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 6 hours | 12 hours |
| Graduate | 4 hours | 8 hours |
Enrollment requirements for international students
Summer enrollment requirements apply to international students who have not been enrolled at IU the previous five months. If you’re beginning your IU education during the summer term, you won’t be able to start until the second eight weeks.
| Career | Fall and spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| International undergraduate | 12 hours | 6 hours |
| International graduate student | 8 hours | 4 hours |
| International graduate student with a student academic appointment | 6 hours | 3 hours |
Keep your financial aid
Much financial aid, especially federal loans, requires you to be enrolled in a minimum number of credit hours. Check the requirements for the type of aid you’re applying for to make sure you’re taking enough credit hours to get and keep it.
Finish your degree on time
If your degree requires 120 to 128 credit hours, you should expect to take no fewer than 15 or 16 hours per semester to complete your degree requirements in 8 semesters. Talk to your advisor for more specific credit hour recommendations for your program.
Stay eligible for services
Some university services have additional enrollment requirements.
If you’re a graduate student, you’ll need to be enrolled in at least six hours to be eligible for a fellowship (unless you’re enrolled in thesis or dissertation hours). Some fellowships require enrollment in more than six hours or have different requirements in the summer, so talk with the office providing the fellowship for more information.
For an assistantship of 37.5 percent FTE or greater, you’ll need to be enrolled in at least six hours to be eligible.
To live in the residence halls, you must be one of the following:
- A registered, full-time IU student
- A student who is enrolled in Hoosier Link and who has been approved by Residential Programs and Services (RPS) for residency
- Deemed eligible by RPS assignments department
If you lose your eligibility, you’ll need to move out within one of the following time frames, depending on the situation:
- Immediately, if you’re directed to do so
- Within three calendar days
- Within 24 hours after finishing your last final exam each semester or by 10 a.m. the Saturday after the last day of final exams, whichever is earlier
- At the end of your contract term
For Veterans Affairs (VA) purposes, full-time enrollment for fall and spring semesters is:
- Undergraduate: 12 hours
- Graduate: 8 hours
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs considers nonstandard duration courses differently than the university.
Learn more from the Center for Veteran and Military Students