DMACC Student Handbook:Registration & Payment Tips

Course Load

When planning class schedules and deciding on the number of classes to take, it is important to consider individual abilities, work obligations, family obligations and commitments to other outside activities. During a fall or spring term, a course load of 12 credits or more is considered full-time; during the summer term, 8 credits is considered full-time. Suggestions for determining a course load are outlined below. These suggestions refer to the fall or spring terms only and are not appropriate for determining summer term course load.

High School Record	Suggested Course Load If Not Working
Mostly A’s and B’s	15–16 credit hours
Mostly B’s and C’s	14–15 credit hours
Mostly C’s	12–13 credit hours
Employment Obligations	Suggested Course Load
40+ hours/week	3–4 credit hours (1 course)
30–40 hours/week	3–6 credit hours (1–2 courses)
20–30 hours/week	6–9 credit hours (2–3 courses)
Less than 20 hours/week	12–16 credit hours (4–5 courses)