Length of Time to Graduation
REG 02.05.2
Authority: Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor
History: First Issued: 1993.
Additional References: Registration and Records website
Contact Info: Dean, Undergraduate Academic Programs (919-515-3037)
1. The normal and expected length of time to graduation is four years (eight
semesters) which requires a student to average of 16 credit hours per semester
(for most curricula), or to attend one or more summer sessions.
2. By action of the N.C. General Assembly, effective with the 1994 fall
semester, new students entering any of the sixteen campuses of The University
of North Carolina system (including NCSU), will be assessed a 25% tuition
surcharge once they have attempted more than 140 degree credit hours. (Degree
programs at NCSU typically require 128 hours or less for graduation.) Courses
taken in summer school at any UNC-System campus do not count toward the
140 hour limitation. Questions about this new policy should be directed
to the Department of Registration and Records, 515-2572.
3. In order to make continuous progress toward graduation, students should
be encouraged to take full advantage of the University's advising and support
services. Effective career decision-making and early, deliberate,
long-range semester-by-semester planning of courses and careful selection
of extra-curricular commitments can provide direction and motivation necessary
for effective use of time to graduation. Additional factors that may assure
a student's continuous progress toward graduation include (1) good academic
performance in freshman and basic prerequisite courses, (2) advanced placement
credit for introductory courses, and (3) enrollment in summer sessions.
4. Students should be discouraged from taking unrealistically large loads
which may result in poor academic performance.
5. Students may take more than eight semesters to complete an undergraduate
program at NCSU. In some cases this is the result of effective decision-making
on the part of the student for such things as:
5.1. participation in cooperative education or study abroad programs,
5.2. a decision to be a part-time student with a reduced course load for reasons
of health, necessary outside employment, or parental responsibilities,
or
5.3. attempting dual degrees, double majors, or minors.
6. In other cases the length of time to graduation may be prolonged beyond
the eighth semester as a result of:
6.1. incomplete or inadequate secondary school background requiring some additional
compensatory, developmental, or prerequisite courses,
6.2. poor academic performance in the freshman year or early semesters, or
6.3. late changes of curriculum
