Students taking 12 units are considered full time. Student athletes are among the students who must be full time. Students who have financial aid or scholarships must maintain the number of units specified by the financial services they are receiving.

Students who wish to complete an Associate Degree or transfer requirements in 2 years will need to take 15 units per semester to reach 60 units within 2 years. It is also possible to take 3-6 units in the summer if a student takes 12 units each fall and spring semester. Many students take longer than 2 years to reach these goals, depending on their English and math placements and their obligations outside of college.

Plan a Realistic Academic Load

The number of units for each course is based on the number of hours per week spent in class. In addition to the time spent in class, a successful student must dedicate 2-3 hours outside of class for every hour in class. In other words, a student taking 12 units spends 12 hours in class and 24-36 hours outside of class in order to succeed. A full-time student has a full-time job just being a student.

Consider these guidelines when planning for each semester: