Issuing Office

Registrar's Office

Affected Parties

Students

Policy Language

To ensure students are successful in their academic endeavors, the University has placed a limit on the maximum number of semester hours students are able to take.  Undergraduate students are considered to be full-time with a semester load of 12 or more semester hours.

Undergraduate students have a maximum semester limit of 18 hours. Students must seek permission to take more than the maximum hours in a semester and will be required to pay additional tuition for each credit hour they take over the maximum semester limit. Students may review potential overload charges by contacting Student Financial Services to confirm the exact charges.

Undergraduate students must have a Liberty University cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above to be eligible for overload up to 21 credit hours, and a GPA or 3.5 or above to be eligible for overload up to 24 credit hours. Certain degree programs may require a higher Liberty University cumulative GPA for approval.

Due to financial aid regulations, if undergraduate students use their semester overload to take course outside their degree completion plan requirements, they should be advised that this could cause issues with their financial aid.  Students can check to see whether the course is required for their degree by reviewing the Degree Completion Plan Audit or by contacting their Undergraduate Academic Evaluator to confirm. Undergraduate students who want to request overload must secure permission from the Registrar’s Office and may seek this approval by submitting a request at www.liberty.edu/overload.

Policy Rationale

To ensure that students understand the policies set forth by the University regarding the approved semester load and the process to obtain approval to take courses in overload.

Definition of Glossary Terms

None specified

Procedures

None specified

Sanctions

None specified

Exceptions

None