What do hours mean in college

Your credit hours are calculated over the full semester, which is generally 16 weeks. Most lecture and seminar courses are worth 3 credit hours. A credit hour is a way of measuring how much credit a student receives for attending a course which corresponds to the hours per week spent in that course. Unlike many traditional high school courses that require students to attend class every day, college courses may only meet two or three times per week.

What are credit hours and semester hours? Go ahead and sign up and complete your courses. Because one of the best ways to save money on college is by transferring credit. Trust me, if you want to save money on college, the best thing you can do is understand what exactly you need to graduate and find a way to earn that credit somewhere else.

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The number of credit hours you'll need to complete per semester varies by institution, degree level and your personal goals.

First, you'll want to consider how much time you can designate to your education and how soon you want to complete your degree. The more time you have and the quicker you want to finish, the more credits you should take per semester or term. Some institutions that offer courses by semester require you to take 12 or more credits per semester to be considered a full-time student, or, if you're going to school part-time.

Other intuitions operate on shorter schedules. For example, online universities may offer six terms per year. In this case, completing six credits or more credits per term indicates that you're a full-time student, and any less is part-time.

Financial aid is another variable. If you're receiving financial aid to help you cover the cost of tuition, it may be under the expectation that you complete a certain number of credit hours per semester. Be sure to check your award package or ask an advisor to help you understand your situation. Deidre Ashe '18G is a copywriter in higher education.

Connect with her on LinkedIn. In today's competitive workforce, it can pay - literally - to advance from an associate to bachelor's degree. Learn more about the career and salary growth you could experience with a bachelor's degree. There are many factors to consider when choosing which path is for you, including time commitment and cost.