Many college students push their course loads beyond full-time status, and some are even enrolled in 18, 20 or even 23 credit hours per semester. At Grand Valley State University, enrollment data reveals that one in nine undergraduate students are taking more classes than the full-time requirement, highlighting the changing experiences of students in higher education.
“Credit overload” is a phrase used to describe college students who have registered for more courses than what is required for full-time enrollment. At GVSU, the requirement for students to
receive full-time status is to register for at least 14 credit hours per semester. According to data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, there were nearly 2,000 students at the University enrolled in 16 or more credit hours during the Fall 2024 semester.
During the fall semester, there were two students enrolled in 23 credit hours, and 14 students enrolled in 20 credit hours. 23 hours is the highest number of credits a student has taken in the last four years. This is higher than the current cap on enrollment standard published by the GVSU Registrar’s Office, which states a student can take no more than 20 credit hours. Every scenario where a student wishes to take more than 20 credits has to be approved on a case-by-case basis by the Student Academic Success Center at the University.
This data shows that college students are managing fuller schedules, with multiple classes
demanding their attention and mental energy, on top of homework, extracurriculars and often, other jobs. Most students taking over 16 credits in one semester feel it is the most time-efficient way to graduate from GVSU within four years. However, for some students, pushing their limits to graduate on time has caused stress, sleep deprivation and little to no downtime.
GVSU charges an additional fee for any student with credit overload status upon their course registration and enrollment. Depending on the amount of credits a student has already earned, that student must pay an additional charge for every credit hour past 15 credits. This means that if a student were to take 20 credits each for eight semesters, they would be paying an additional $3,070 to $4,515, not to mention any additional tuition charges based on the courses they’re in.
Pamela Wells is the associate vice president and registrar at GVSU, as well as a professor of mathematics. Wells said it is possible to get a degree in four years without being considered credit overload, however, being able to do so may depend on several factors. Major changes, program requirements, the number of degrees a student is enrolled in and repeating or withdrawing from courses can all play a role.
“The ideal credit load varies based on multiple factors,” Wells stated. “How much is the student working? Do they have childcare responsibilities? If other factors allow, taking 15 credits per semester is the most fiscally advantageous for a student and helps complete 120 credits within four years.“
According to Wells, the number of credits per course is decided at the liberty of approval by the University’s Division of Academic Affairs and faculty governance, in accordance with the Higher Learning Commission. The Higher Learning Commission is an American organization that accredits colleges and universities so they can grant degrees.
Mike Messner is the director of the Student Success Programs and the chair of the University’s Academic Review Committee. Messner said when he receives a request for course overload from
a student, there are several factors he considers before he makes a decision to approve or deny their request.
A student’s GPA over the last several semesters and their previous course completion rate are some of the first things considered when determining their aptitude for handling extended course requirements. Courses being requested for override, other courses scheduled for that semester, letters of support from faculty or advisors and advising notes are also weighed in the decision, according to Messner.
“I am trying to take a holistic look at how the student is doing and make a decision on if I believe that the student will be successful if the overload is approved,” Messner said. “If I have strong concerns about the possibility of the student being successful, I will deny it, but I generally attempt to have a conversation with the student letting them know why I am denying the request.”
Messner said that personally connecting with students can also help reveal additional information that factors into his decision.
GVSU senior Makenna Krylowicz has taken between 18 and 20 credits every semester since her freshman year. Krylowicz is double majoring in exercise science and dance, both of which are majors that involve heavy lifting outside of scheduled class time. As a matter of fact, 27% of dance majors are double majoring in another subject at the University. The dance program contains the highest percentage of double majors for any program with less than 100 students at GVSU.
Krylowicz felt she had no choice but to take more credits than the requirement if she wanted to graduate within four years. Despite this, a typical day in her life could look like the busiest day of the semester for another student.
“I didn’t have a choice to cut my credits down, unless I wanted to be here (in college) for five to six years, due to none of my classes overlapping,” Krylowicz said. “I am someone who constantly needs to keep myself busy or else I will have no motivation.”
Krylowicz said she wasn’t shocked that so many GVSU students are taking over 16 credits each semester. Krylowicz recommends speaking with faculty advisors about “what scheduling works” because advisors best understand each course’s workload.
“I will say that if someone decides to do more than 15 credits, make sure you have a purpose,” Krylowicz said. “I stress this because being a stereotypical college student like you see in the movies is not the same when having more than 15 credits.”
GVSU senior Hannah Bernhardt also is enrolled in 20 credits this semester. Bernhardt is a dance and advertising double major, maintains a social media and outreach internship, participates in extracurricular dance performances and choreography competitions, and is in Momentum, a dance organization on campus.
“I definitely feel as though taking a large amount of credits has inhibited me,” Bernhardt said. “I have copious amounts of homework that take up a large portion of my day and stress me out.”
Bernhardt said that if she were to give advice to students considering a similar course of study, she would warn them to carefully and meticulously plan. She said that for her, it’s necessary to work ahead in every class, or else the entire semester will quickly unravel.
“I have lost sleep trying to balance school with my personal life due to the nature of all the assignments,” Bernhardt said. “Between school, work and speaking time with my friends, I do not have much time for myself or to sit still.”
Many of the largest programs at the University, including education, finance and psychology also contain the highest number of students whose enrollment status exceeds full-time. Many students in these programs are also pursuing second majors.
Enrollment data shows that the education program has the highest number of credit-overload students, as 108 of the 652 students enrolled in the education program took 16 or more credit hours last semester. During the fall semester throughout the last four years, 606 total education students have been enrolled in 16 or more credit hours.
Ashley Shannon is the interim director of the Academic Advising Center in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at GVSU. Shannon is also a professor in the University’s Department of English.
Shannon said education majors are required to double major. Education students’ second majors are specific content areas that they plan to teach.
“A significant part of the reason education students have a high rate of over 15 credits (per) semester is because of their student teaching semesters,” Shannon said. “This is especially true if that student has a teachable minor or an additional endorsement area. (It) is possible but challenging to complete (their degree) in four years without having at least some (over 15 credit semesters).
The finance program at GVSU contains the second highest number of credit-overload students, with 452 students having been registered for 16 or more credit hours in the fall over the past four years. Data collected from the Office of Institutional Analysis shows that 18% of all students majoring in finance at GVSU also have another major.
Ryan Gilmore is a double major in finance and accounting at GVSU, has taken 16 credits, completed two internships and works an off-campus job. He is also the president of Seidman IPO (Investment Portfolio Organization), a student organization at the University. In addition, Gilmore previously played hockey at the University, until a career-ending injury caused him to drop the sport.
Gilmore said he thinks the reason so many finance students surpass the full-time requirement is because there are many double major combinations within the program.
Joy Gianakura, the associate dean of the Seidman College of Business, said there is one course that often pushes finance students over the 15-credit course load. Intermediate Managerial Finance or FIN 322 is an Excel lab class with a lecture component. Gianakura said even though the class may sometimes bump students past 15 credit hours, the Excel lab is the best way for students to get comfortable with software that’s used in the field.
“Every student has a timeline they are aiming for and we do our very best to help them achieve that,” Gianakura said. “We also want to see them (students) utilize all University resources to their advantage. Our employers have shared that to properly prepare students for the work world, they should be proficient in utilizing Excel. With our finance majors, it made the best curricular sense to add content that gave students the opportunity to fully utilize Excel within their finance major.”
Class schedules are ultimately determined by the student registering for courses, as well as the requirements of the programs they are completing. Gianakura confirmed that the only semester finance students need to complete 16 credits is when they are enrolled in FIN 322. Often, those who complete the course are rewarded with their final semester requiring only 12 finance-related credits.
Gilmore said that even though the workload was heavier when taking FIN 322, his appreciation for finance outweighed the course’s extra effort.
“It’s kind of nerdy, but I love finance (and) find it really interesting, so I did enjoy (FIN 322) and I didn’t have any trouble doing the work outside of class,” Gilmore said. “Also, just by nature of the industry that I’m getting into after college, it did set me up well for knowing how to work, have a lot of homework and manage that.”
Gilmore said it’s relatively easy to manage his hectic schedule because he’s interested in each topic, even with all the extracurriculars he’s involved in.
“Obviously, there’s times (I) feel more overwhelmed, (with) exams and stuff like that,” Gilmore said. “I think it was more valuable than detrimental, learning how to organize when I was going to get stuff done, how to work when I’m tired (and) how to work when I don’t want to. Those skills are really valuable.”
The psychology program is the third leading major at GVSU for credit-overload students. Over the last four years, there have been 347 students enrolled in 16 or more credit hours during the fall semester. Enrollment data collected from the Office of Institutional Analysis also shows that one in every 14 students majoring in psychology also have another major.
Shannon said the reason why many credit-overload students are enrolled in the psychology program has been, historically, hard to pinpoint. However, she stated the psychology program has fewer credits than other majors, meaning many double majors might find psychology easier to manage.
“These students (in psychology) often have a second major or minor, and that could be playing a role (in their credit-overload status),” Shannon said. “I’d also speculate that this major sees a good number of transfer students and (that) major-changers could be playing a role, since these students might be more motivated to take higher credit loads to reduce their remaining time to graduation.”
Ana Ahmed is a double major in behavioral neuroscience and psychology with a minor in biology. Ahmed took 16 credits last semester and is also on E-Board for the Psychology Club.
Since the psychology program also requires some courses that have lab components, students are often pushed past the full-time requirement. Ahmed said she’s had at least one lab every semester. According to Ahmed, some lab classes are even prerequisites for other courses in the major, so “there isn’t much wiggle room on when you can take them.”
Ahmed wasn’t surprised by the amount of credit overload students in the psychology program. She believes the program is appealing for double majors because psychology is applicable in a variety of fields. Ahmed plans to attend grad school for occupational therapy– a move she considers uncommon for a psychology major.
“People think all psychology majors have the plan of going into traditional counseling of some sort, but a psychology major is applicable in most fields,” Ahmed said. “I have met people who are psych majors but plan on going into fields like H.R., business or marketing, as well as people who plan on furthering their education in med school, PA school or to get (a) Ph.D. in a specific field of psychology.”
Since such a large part of the student body is considered credit overload, the question arises if it is time to reconsider program requirements or reevaluate the tuition charges of students with more than 16 credits. Gianakura said each program’s major requirements are determined through consultation with an advisory board with representatives from various businesses or organizations. This is done in an effort to best adjust curricula so that they accurately reflect current job fields.
“It is unusual for us to add credits to courses, and we do not take it lightly,” Gianakura said. “The three-credit structure has been a long-time tradition in higher education. As a result, we have built our programs around that structure, (which) can be limiting at times. GVSU has always been a student-centered institution, and we do all we can to assure (that) students are well prepared for their goals upon graduation.”
The cost of attendance and the amount of time required to complete a program are pushing many students to do everything in their power to stay on course, even if it means taking 20 credit hours or more in one semester. Bernhardt said she often questions how she has even been capable of keeping up with her intense schedule.
Bernhardt and many other students stress that pacing themselves is the only way to maintain such a rigorous academics schedule, as well as multiple extracurricular activities. She warns of the impact that falling behind can have, especially when there is so little time in her schedule to compensate and catch up.
“(Work) can pile up quickly and feel overwhelming if you do not pace yourself and look at the work ahead to ensure tasks are completed on time,” Bernhardt said. “If you are someone who can handle large amounts of work at the same time, then take as many credits as you would like, but please be careful of your mental health and burnout as those can quickly deteriorate if you are not handling the situation properly.”
Determination is a common thread in every credit-overload student at the University. Every student’s path to receiving their diploma and earning their degree looks different, with unique challenges and successes. Academic, physical and mental sacrifice are not the only road to success, even while pursuing multiple degrees. Nonetheless, these trends in enrollment data and course registration have illustrated the prominence of dedication to education and perseverance that persists in GVSU’s student body.
