Generally, the University considers 12 hours a full–time load for both undergraduate and graduate students. A student with a documented disability can be considered for a reduced course load in order to take 9 hours and still be considered a full time undergraduate student, or 6 hours and still be considered a full time graduate student. The student must make a formal request through the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) and provide comprehensive and supportive documentation. The documentation must contain a full explanation for the need to take a reduced course load, as well as containing a specific diagnosis of the condition.
A reduced course will allow an undergraduate student to take a minimum of 9 hours and a graduate student to take a minimum of 6 hours during a regular semester and still be considered a full time student. However, it is important to remember that taking less than a full course load may affect the student’s financial assistance (federal financial aid, scholarship, grants, etc.) REGARDLESS of the disability status. Also, the reduced course load will not allow the student to be exempt from a program or honor that requires a minimum number of hours of enrollment to be eligible. This would include, but not be limited to, scholarship requirements, Dean’s List requirements, specialize departmental program requirements, as well as graduate and teaching assistantships.
