The designation of students as full or part time is necessary for the regulations governing tuition charges, student fees, statistical records, time limits for degrees, residence requirements, and any other issues affected by such status. For most purposes, a student who has registered for 9 or more credits has full-time status, and a student registered for 8 or fewer credits has part-time status.
In addition to regular coursework, the following also are included in the calculation of credits: research courses, regular courses taken not-for-credit, and graduate and teaching assistantships (usually 6 credits each). Graduate and teaching assistants must remain in good standing in their own programs and must maintain an average of B or better. This is also true for all graduate students in their respective programs, i.e., B or better grade average. In addition to their half-time academic appointments, assistants are required to register for a minimum of 6 credits of coursework or research, which qualifies them for full-time status.
