Academic Load
The normal load for an undergraduate student is 14-18 academic hours per trimester.
Before a student can petition for excess credit, he or she must have completed one trimester of full-time academic work at Northwest. Petition forms are available in the Office of the Registrar.
A student who has a Northwest and overall GPA of 3.00 or above may take no more than 21 academic hours during any trimester. A student who has a Northwest and overall GPA of 2.00–2.99 may take no more than 18 academic hours in any trimester. A student who has a Northwest and/or overall GPA below 2.00 may take no more than 16 academic hours in any trimester. Petitions forms are available in the Office of the Registrar.
Courses taken for audit are included in the academic load.
There is a limit of 6 activity hours per trimester. Combined academic and activity hours cannot exceed 24 hours in a trimester.
For honors and certificates of attendance, an undergraduate student is considered to be full-time with 12 academic hours in any trimester.
Students must petition for exceptions to the above policies. Petition forms are available in the Office of the Registrar.