Maximum Course Load At UT Austin

Colleges and Universities A-Z The University of Texas at Austin
1

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I understand the max course load per semester at UT is 17 without adviser approval and 19 with adviser approval. I'm just wondering if this is set in stone. Is there a way to take 21 or even 24 credit hours per semester, or is the administration adamant about 19 being the max?</p>

<p>Secondly, I am wondering if by any chance tuition for oos students at UT would go down. I believe the University of Minnesota will be lowering its tuition for oos students starting fall 2008 from 21k to 14k. I wonder if the other universities in the pack would follow suit? For UT ,From 2006 to 2007, there was in fact a huge jump in tuition for oos students, and this is surprising considering the fact that just 4 or 5 years back tuition was half of what it is today.</p>

<p>UT Austin used to be bargain. But now, the high tuition alone makes it less attractive as an option. Why can't UT Austin keep its tuition under 21k like other good universities like UNC, or Arizona, for example?</p>

2

<p>I highly doubt an advisor would permit you to register for more than 19 hours. They have to sign off on the course selection, and I also believe that the computer programs they use won't let you register for more than 19 hours. Plus the likelihood that you'd be able to register for all the courses you want is highly unlikely, especially your freshman year. As you increase in class standing and get better registration times, you might be able to pull it off, but I've heard it's difficult for many freshmen to even get registered for 15 hours and they have to take 12. The course load you're looking at taking is also quite riddiculous. They recommend that you spend 3 hours outside of class for every hour in class studying. So you'd be looking at 4 days a week of class time and studying, and that's before sleep, eating, and fun. Trust me, you'll want to save some time for fun or you'll want to kill yourself. I've heard that adivisors are reluctant to let freshmen take more than 17 hours because it's just so much work. I know that the Plan II Honors adivsors suggest taking 15 hours a semester, and they won't let you graduate in less than 8 semesters unless you have some extenuating circumstance.</p>

<p>Also, tuition prices have gone up because tuition was deregulated by the legislature around 2003. A Republican administration means less tax revenue, which means less of that revenue is given to the schools, so they must raise tuition to be able to remain high-caliber universities. In state prices at UT are the highest in the state (about $8k tuition and $20k total cost of attendance), but is still at or less than the in-state level of peer institutions (the "public Ivies"). Out of state tuition has jumped to a level where they can actually afford to admit out of state students ($8k tuition just wasn't cutting it, especially when the state cut funding). It's also comparable to out-of-state costs at other high-caliber public schools. It's a state-funded school, and out-of-state students don't pay taxes, so they have to fund your education somehow. On top of all this, tuition will be rising again over the next few years. However, they've decided to cap increases at the greater of 4.95% or $300 a year. This was in contrast to the proposed 15% increase.</p>

<p>The Rick Perry, Tom Craddick, and David Dewhurst era has been one of the most riddiculous for education in Texas. Scores are down, costs are up, the dropout rate has skyrocketed, and they do NOTHING! No Child Left Behind really doesn't help matters at all, but this Texas government has really lowered the quality of public education in Texas, at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. The Bush/Perry era looked like the enlightenment in comparision.</p>

3

<p>The hour limit depends soley on your adviser. My adviser told me she'd authorize me up to 30 hours/semester on the spot, but if I wanted more than that I'd have to go get permission. </p>

<p>Note: I am in an honors program and that may make a difference, but a lot of people on here are so take that for what you will....</p>

4

<p>30 hours a semester??????????</p>

<p>She would authorize that?!?!?!? That's not just difficult, it's life threatening, and could be damaging to mental health.</p>

<p>Are you sure she didn't mean 15 a semester and 30 a year?</p>

5

<p>Hi CSNerd,</p>

<p>Thanks for your thumps up on the max credit load. It's just too bad I didn't try applying for Plan II . Hopefully , and hopefully, I can get into any form of honors program.</p>

<p>HI theloneranger, </p>

<p>Thanks for your input as well. I will be a transfer student and not a freshman, so I doubt that taking 18 semester hours would be a problem for me. It's really saddening to me as you have mentioned that even many freshmen have difficulty registering for 15 semester hours. I mean for the kind of tuition that us oos are paying, its really boils down to a higher cost per credit hour the less hours we take per semester. </p>

<p>All in all, I just wondering if UT is really worth it at this price tag? In many other excellent state schools, many of my friends have told me that registering for 18 or even 21 credit hours have not been difficult at all.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
UT Austin used to be bargain. But now, the high tuition alone makes it less attractive as an option. Why can't UT Austin keep its tuition under 21k like other good universities like UNC, or Arizona, for example?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Because UT Austin is getting too big. Their student population is now up to 50,000 and they have to do something to cut it down.</p>

<p>Arizona doesn't attract nearly as many OOS students I don't think.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Is there a way to take 21 or even 24 credit hours per semester, or is the administration adamant about 19 being the max?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Why in the hell would you want to take more than 17 semester hours? I took 17 hours one semester and I wasn't getting done studying until 9PM at night 7 days a week.</p>

<p>Seriously, just take an extra semester if you have to. The job is still going to be there once you graduate.</p>

7

<p>Hi Formidable,</p>

<p>Thanks for your input. However, its rather weird that they would increase oos tuition just so as to discourage oos students from enrolling. I thought they wanted to make the 10% auto-admit more stringent so as to control the population of the University? </p>

<p>Also, I know taking 18 or even 21 semester hours will be challenging. However, this isn't about me graduating earlier or anything like that. It simply boils down to tuition dollars and cents. I'm not currently receiving any form of financial aid, hence it is imperative for me to finish up my degree as fast as possible. An additional semester would mean an additional amount of approximately $16k, and that's huge amount by any standard!</p>

8

<p>Take community college classes over the summer.</p>

<p>They are fully transferable to UT (at least at Texas community colleges), easier, and cheaper.</p>

<p>I'd check, but I'm pretty certain that they'd take credits from your home state as well. So just take 8-12 hours a couple of summers and you'll be fine.</p>

<p>Or just stay in an apartment in Austin and do a summer semester at UT or at ACC.</p>

9

<p>A freshmen friend of mine is taking 21 hours this past semester...and a whole lot more next semester.
So it's definitely doable.
=]
I'm hoping to take 19 hours next semester myself...and I don't think it's going to be that bad.</p>

10

<p>Yes you can take more, but why would you want to? That's doable, but you'd also have no social life and be up all hours of the night doing work for the 24 hours you are taking.</p>

<p>If you aren't going to get the whole UT experience (including the outside-the-classroom activities), then you shouldnt pay OOS tuition to go to UT. Just go to a community college and focus on your academics and save your money.</p>

11

<p>
[quote]

Thanks for your input. However, its rather weird that they would increase oos tuition just so as to discourage oos students from enrolling. I thought they wanted to make the 10% auto-admit more stringent so as to control the population of the University?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>They can do both to cut down the population. The 10% auto admit policy just applies to residents I believe.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Also, I know taking 18 or even 21 semester hours will be challenging.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>No, it's not challenging, it's insane and you will more than likely make Cs or Ds (if not outright fail) classes you could have made As and Bs in. There are only 168 hours in a week and the more classes you take, the less time you have to spend on each class.</p>

<p>Taking 21 hours instead of 15 hours will probably cut down the time you can spend on each class in half if not more.</p>

<p>There's no reason why you can't just spend an extra semester in school and make better grades.</p>

<p>
[quote]
t simply boils down to tuition dollars and cents. I'm not currently receiving any form of financial aid, hence it is imperative for me to finish up my degree as fast as possible.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I was in the same boat; in fact my tuition was paid with either scholarlships, Stafford loans, or grants. But I never considered making bad grades just so I could finish my degree faster.</p>

<p>In the long run, you can afford to spend an extra $16,000 or so for one more semester, but you probably can't afford to lose a killer job because your GPA wasn't high enough.</p>

<p>
[quote]
An additional semester would mean an additional amount of approximately $16k, and that's huge amount by any standard!

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Not as huge as being a smart guy with a substandard GPA because you took on too much. If you are still taking core classes, you can take them through a community college on-line.</p>

12

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>Thanks everyone for their insights.</p>

<p>So can I confirm if for the "regular" UT Student, what the maximum course load is per semester? Is it really 19 and that's it? Must I get into honors before I be allowed to try 21?</p>

13

<p>Dear AustinCE</p>

<p>I am a regular UT student and I am taking 21 hours next semester with my adviser approval. Except for the 17 hour limit without adviser approval, there is no maximum course load. You do not have to be an honors student to take more than 17 hours. I don't know where this 19 hour limit suggestion was introduced, but it is incorrect. Hope his helps :)</p>

14

<p>dont kill yourself! have fun! these are the best years of your life! afterwards everything sucks! so dont mess it up</p>