2022-2023 Undergraduate Catalog

Academic Load

The normal load for an undergraduate student is 14-18 academic hours per semester.

  • Courses taken for audit are included in the academic load.
  • There is a limit of 6 activity hours per semester.
  • Combined academic and activity hours cannot exceed 24 hours in a semester.
  • For honors and certificates of attendance, an undergraduate student is considered to be full-time with 12 academic hours in any semester.

Before a student can petition for excess credit, he or she must have completed one semester of full-time academic work at Northwest.

  • A student who has a Northwest and overall GPA of 3.00 or above may take no more than 21 academic hours during any semester.
  • A student who has a Northwest and overall GPA of 2.00–2.99 may take no more than 18 academic hours in any semester.
  • A student who has a Northwest and/or overall GPA below 2.00 may take no more than 16 academic hours in any semester. Petitions forms are available in the Office of the Registrar, and online at www.nwmissouri.edu/registrar.

Students must petition for exceptions to the above policies. Petition forms are available in the Office of the Registrar and online at www.nwmissouri.edu/registrar.