The normal course load each semester for full-time students is five courses of three credits or more (excluding labs and other 1-credit courses). The credit limit set by the Registrar during the pre-registration period is 17-credit hours for Arts students and 19-credit hours for Science students. In order to be granted permission for an overload, a student must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (2.75 for the summer), or have achieved senior status and need a sixth course to fulfill graduation requirements.
After all students have had the opportunity to register for five courses, credit limits will be raised by the Registrar for students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and for seniors in order to allow them to register for a sixth course through MyNOVA using their semester PIN. In no case will permission be granted for a student to take 7 courses or more than 21 credits.
Students with a GPA lower than 3.0 that need to enroll in more than 17 credits a semester to achieve the normal course load for full time students of five courses will need to have their credit limit raised prior to the registration period. Students with this circumstance should complete a "Request for Credit Increase" form available on MyNova.