Who has full-time status?
Undergraduate students at the University of Texas at Austin must enroll in at least 12 hours to be considered a full-time student. See a list of exceptions below.
- If you begin a semester as a full-time student but during the semester you drop a course and you go below the full-time threshold, that change will impact your full-time status.
- While full-time enrollment is not a college or University requirement, less-than-full-time enrollment may you.
Full-time status impacts the following:
If you are receiving financial aid and do not enroll full-time, be sure to consult the Financial Aid Office to discuss the impact to your aid package . If you are receiving a scholarship from UT Austin, or from an outside organization, check the terms of your scholarship to see if full-time status is required. All Moody College scholarship recipients must maintain full-time enrollment, unless prior approval has been granted.
If you are on scholastic probation, you MUST maintain at least 12 semester hours in a fall or spring semester unless prior written approval of the dean has been obtained.
Registration time slots are assigned based on your completed coursework. Enrolling in less-than-full-time hours may impact both your progress toward a four-year graduation and your registration time.
If you receive veteran's benefits, less-than-full-time status may impact the benefits you receive. Check with UT Austin's Veterans Affairs Office for details.
Only full-time students are eligible to live in on-campus housing.
If you are covered by your parents’ health or car insurance, the insurance company may require you to be a full-time student. See your individual policy plan for specific information.
NCAA rules require that student-athletes maintain full-time enrollment.
Contact International Student & Scholarship Services for details.
Allowable Exceptions
If you have a disability and are registered with the Disability and Access (D&A) office, you may discuss the Course Load Reduction Accommodation process with that office. Students who successfully complete this process will not be penalized by part-time status in policy and program areas under University control; however, auxiliary services (such as federal financial aid, personal insurance, non-University sponsored scholarships, etc.) may be affected. D&A will provide a verification letter that you may need to provide to University and non-University offices.
If you are in your final semester and only need to take between 6 and 11 hours to graduate that semester but need to be considered full-time (usually for financial aid purposes), you should contact your advisor once you have completed registration for your final semester. In most instances, a letter from an advisor confirming your graduation requirements will be sufficient to allow you to be enrolled less than full-time and still receive aid.
In the instance that a non-UT, outside party needs verification of your full-time status, you may visit with an advisor after the 12th class day to seek a full-time status reclassification letter. Once this request is fully processed, the Registrar's Office records will show that you are considered a full-time student for University purposes. It is possible that non-UT entities will not honor this exception.
We always recommend that you check with Texas One Stop about allowances and rules around enrolling less than full-time during your final semester.