Course Load

The average course load for a 16-week semester is 15 or 16 semester hours; 18 semester hours is the maximum load for fall and spring semesters, with a maximum of 12 semester hours for summer semester. The maximum load for a two-week Winterim or Maymester term is 3 semester hours, excluding short-term study abroad courses. During fall and spring semesters, students with cumulative MSU Denver grade point averages (GPAs) of 3.25 or higher may take 19 or 20 semester hours for the fall and spring semesters or 13 or 14 semester hours for the summer semester, and those students with GPAs of 3.50 or higher may take 21 or more semester hours for the fall and spring semesters or 15 or more semester hours for the summer semester. Students must have completed at least 15 semester hours at MSU Denver to qualify. All students should complete the Undergraduate Petition for Overload Exception form which is available from the Office of the Registrar. Note that signatures by the student’s major department chair and the appropriate dean are required for students petitioning for 21 or more credit hours, or those not meeting the minimum qualifications.