The Graduate College Handbook for Students, Faculty and Staff
Chapter III: Academic Record
C. Credit Loads
1. Full-time: There is not one standard definition of a full-time course of study. Graduate students may be required to maintain “full-time enrollment” for several reasons including departmental requirements, certification related to student loans or other financial aid, fellowship and traineeship appointments (see chapter VIII.B), certain types of non-University insurance policies, or tax requirements. International students on an F-1 or J-1 visa are required to maintain full-time status for purposes of Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) reporting. For purposes of load, each required or recommended ESL course taken as a result of the English as a Second Language Placement Test (EPT) will count as the equivalent of 4 graduate hours, even if the course credit is recorded as zero hours.
Students with questions about registration load and loan deferment should consult their lenders (school, bank, or loan agency). Students may also contact the Office of Student Financial Aid, or finaid@uiuc.edu, for advice or referral to the appropriate office or agency. Verification of full-time status can be ordered online or from the Registrar’s Office, Transcript Section, at the Office of Admissions and Records. International students with questions about full-time status should contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.
2. Off-campus and Online Courses: For degree-seeking candidates, credit earned in off-campus/online courses is counted toward an advanced degree and counted as credit earned in residence in the same way as credit earned in on-campus courses.
3. Maximum and Minimum Enrollment: The maximum amount of credit in which a graduate student may enroll without special overload approval from the Graduate College is 20 hours in fall and spring terms and twelve hours in the summer term. To request approval to register above the established maximum, a student must submit a Graduate Student Petition.
The Graduate College places no restriction on the minimum amount of credit for which a student may register. However, some departments have established a minimum amount of credit. Students should keep in mind that enrollment below a full-time course of study may jeopardize progress toward a degree, financial aid, fellowship, loan deferment, or the visa status of an international student (see this chapter section C.1). International students on an F-1 or J-1 visa are required to maintain full-time status for purposes of Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) reporting. See both the ISSS Web site and the Graduate College Full-time Course of Study policy for more details.
Students with questions about registration load and loan deferment should consult their lenders (school, bank, or loan agency). Students may also contact the Office of Student Financial Aid, or finaid@uiuc.edu, for advice or referral to the appropriate office or agency.
