Semester Credit Hour Limit

Hour limit may increase tuition for some students

An important change in state law means that some Texas students may have to pay out-of-state tuition rates at Texas universities. The new provision affects resident students who enroll for the first time in a public college or university in Texas in fall 1999 or later.

Section 54.068 of the Texas Education Code provides that undergraduate Texas-resident students who attempt 46 or more semester credit hours beyond the hours required to complete their degree may be charged the tuition rates paid by non-Texas-resident students for those excess hours. For example, if your approved degree plan requires 130 semester credit hours, then for every credit hour beyond 175, you may be charged by the University of Houston at the higher tuition rate paid by non-Texas-resident students.

Students who have not chosen a major are considered by this law to have degree requirements of 120 hours. An important component of this policy is that it applies to semester credit hours attempted by the student rather than semester hours completed. In other words, if you enroll for a course and subsequently drop it, these hours, which you attempted but did not complete, will count toward the limit imposed by this policy.

If you must drop a course, try to do so before the official class reporting day (12th class day for fall and spring semesters, 4th class day for summer terms). These dates are listed in the calendar section of the Class Schedule. Only in this case will the hours dropped not count toward the limit imposed by this policy. If you plan your college education carefully, this policy is unlikely to affect you.