Enrollment Status by Session

Eligibility for financial aid is based on the semester credit hours in which students are enrolled. The Federal Pell Grant program allows for payment of one or more hours based on eligibility. Note the enrollment status definitions for financial aid purposes differ from academic enrollment.

Financial Aid awards will be adjusted to exclude the following hours from enrollment status:

  • Hours from courses that are not part of the program of study,
  • Hours from repeated courses that have been taken twice,
  • Hours from developmental courses that exceed the 18 maximum allowable credits for developmental coursework; 27 for ESOL courses, and
  • Hours from courses for which a student registers after census day.

Recalculations are processed for schedule changes initiated by the student (in the form of adds/drops) or by the college (in the form of canceled courses and/or other administrative changes). Students who drop courses with a later start date (i.e. 8-week courses) are also subject to adjustment and may owe financial aid.

Fall/Spring 16-Week Sessions

  • Full-Time Student - 12 or more semester credit hours
  • Three-Quarter-Time Student - 9-11 semester credit hours
  • Half-Time Student - 6-8 semester credit hours
  • Less Than Half-Time Student - 1-5 semester credit hours
  • Maximum Hours Allowed - 18 semester credit hours
  • Semester credit hours will be combined for 5-week and 8-week consecutive sessions within the 16-week fall/spring session.

Summer Session

Summer Sessions I and II are combined for financial aid purposes. Summer Session III spans 10 weeks and overlaps Summer Session I and II. It is recommended that students register for a minimum of six semester credit hours prior to the start of Summer I in order to be eligible for all possible sources of aid that may be available. Students planning to attend summer sessions I and II should register for both sessions prior to the start of Summer I in order to receive funding for Summer II.

Maximum Hours for Payment: Six semester credit hours for each session with a combined 12 semester credit hours.