How many hours must I take to be considered a full-time student for financial aid purposes?
The enrollment requirements can vary for financial aid qualifications. Whether a college uses the quarter system or the semester system to determine units can also have an impact. Most universities require a full-time enrollment to have 100% financial aid support, which is usually 12 course units.
For partial financial aid, you generally need a minimum of at least 6 course units. Graduate students are able to take fewer units and still qualify, depending on the university.
Financial aid options for partial enrollment are available and include:
- Federal Pell Grant
- State University Grant
- EOP Grant
Enrollment hours for financial aid purposes never changes. Students must enroll each semester for 12 semester hours or more to be considered full-time. Three quarter time enrollment is 9-11 semester hours. Half-time enrollment is 6-8 semester hours and less than half-time enrollment is 1-5 semester hours.
