Enrollment Requirements

Full-Time Student Status for Official Enrollment Certification Purposes

Listed below are the requirements that constitute full-time student status for official enrollment certification purposes by the Office of the Registrar and for financial assistance.

The Office of the Registrar is responsible for determining standards for full-time and half-time enrollment and if an exception to those standards can be made. Questions regarding exceptions should be directed to the Office of the Registrar.

A student who is working on an undergraduate degree that requires 120 to 128 credit hours for completion of requirements should expect to complete 15 or 16 credit hours during regular semesters in order to complete degree requirements in eight semesters. See your advisor for more specific information regarding academic full-time credit hour recommendations for your program.

Note that correspondence courses will not be counted toward credit hour totals.

To get the most benefits from each academic year, students will be able to take advantage of 40 credit hours across fall, spring, and our August and winter intersessions—for the same cost. The cap related to the number of credit hours a student can take will vary depending on the program they are enrolled in. To take more than their maximum allowed credit hours for the semester, students will need to contact the recorder of their school. Recorder contact information should be listed on each school’s website.

Fall/Spring/Summer:
Undergraduate - 12 hrs.
Graduate - 8 hrs.

Full-time enrollment for Kelley Direct online MBA students is 6 credits per term.

Fellowships1,2Grad. - 6 hrs.3
Assistantships4Grad. - 6 hrs.

1 Except for those enrolled in thesis or dissertation hours
2 Some fellowships require enrollment in more than 6 credit hours. Consult the IU office that is providing the fellowship for more information.
3 For summer fellowships, consult the IU office providing the fellowship for enrollment.
4 Graduate students on an assistantship (student academic appointment) at 37.5% FTE or greater must enroll in a minimum of 6 credit hours.

Housing: Eligibility

IU Housing may cancel this contract prior to the end of the Contract Term if you do not meet the following eligibility requirements.

To be eligible to be a resident in any residence hall unit, you must be:

  • At least sixteen (16) years of age on the Start Date, and
  • A registered, full-time IUB student enrolled in at least 12 credit hours as an undergraduate student or enrolled in the number of credit hours defined as full time by your academic program as a graduate student, or
  • A student who is enrolled in the Hoosier Link program, or
  • Deemed eligible by IU Housing.

To be eligible to be a Resident in a furnished or unfurnished apartment unit, you must also be:

  • At least nineteen (19) years of age on the Start Date, and
  • Cannot be a first-year, first-time IUB student, and
  • Have either lived in IUB student housing for two semesters or completed two semesters at another college or university, or
  • Deemed eligible by IU Housing.

Convicted sex offenders are not eligible to reside in IU Housing. If IU Housing learns that a current or pending resident is a convicted sex offender, this contract will be cancelled with immediate effect.

Convicted sex offenders are not eligible to reside in IU Housing.

  • Convicted sex offenders are not eligible to reside in IUB university housing. If IU Housing learns that a current or pending Resident is a convicted sex offender, this contract will be cancelled with immediate effect.
  • At the time the Resident seeks approval from IU Housing for any Occupant in their unfurnished apartment unit, the office may ask the Resident for additional information about the requested Occupant, including age, gender and any affiliation with IUB. IU Housing will also inquire whether the Occupant is a convicted sex offender. Any previously provided approval can be rescinded if IU Housing discovers that the Occupant is a convicted sex offender and/or that the Resident provided false information.
  • As a condition of residency in IUB university housing, requested Occupants may be required to undergo a criminal background check.
    • The Resident agrees that any requested Occupant will submit to a criminal background check conducted through a screening service approved by the IU Housing prior to occupancy.
    • The Resident and each requested Occupant will authorize the university to obtain, review, and evaluate the results of the background check for the purpose of determining eligibility for residence.
    • Any costs associated with completing the background check are the responsibility of the Resident or the requested Occupant, unless otherwise specified by IU.
    • IU Housing reserves the right to deny or revoke occupancy privileges based on the results of the background check, consistent with applicable university policy, state, and federal law.
    • Residents are required to notify IU Housing within ten (10) days of any change in the status of the Occupants residing in the unit. Any new Occupant must complete the IU Housing approval and background check process before taking residence.
  • The Resident may be suspended or expelled from IUB university housing if the Resident provides false information and/or attempts to conceal the fact that they, as a Resident, an Occupant, or a proposed Occupant is a convicted sex offender.

Academic LevelFall/SpringSummer*
Undergraduate12 hrs.6 hrs.
Graduate8 hrs.4 hrs.
Graduate SAA6 hrs.3 hrs.
* Applies to students who have NOT been enrolled at IU in the previous 5 months. Summer term starts are restricted to 2nd 8 weeks

Full-Time status is based upon the VA interpretation of the student rate of pursuit. This rate of pursuit varies depending on two things:

  • Whether you are an undergraduate or a graduate student, and
  • the number of credit hours that are being pursued as 16-week courses

The chart below shows full time status for coursework that spans the full term.


LevelFall/Spring
16-week Coursework
Undergraduate12 hrs.
Graduate8 hrs.

Students who pursue coursework that includes non-standard terms (twelve-, eight-, six-, and four-week classes) should contact the Center for Veterans and Military Students to learn how this impacts their VA Education benefits. Online Kelley Direct graduate students full time rate of pursuit for coursework that spans their 13-week term is six credit hours.

For further information about other VA education benefit requirements, please contact the Center for Veteran and Military Students.