Tuition Charged for Excess Credit Hours

The State of Texas will not provide funds to state institutions of higher education for excess semester credit hours earned by a resident student. Since funding will not be provided by the State, and as permitted by State law, TAMU will charge tuition at the non-resident rate to all students who exceed their program's semester credit hour limit.

Effective with students initially enrolling in the fall 1999 semester and subsequent terms, excess credit hours are those hours attempted by a resident undergraduate student that exceeds by more than 45 hours the number of hours required for completion of the degree plan in which the student is enrolled. Effective with students initially enrolling in the fall 2006 semester and subsequent terms, excess credit hours are those hours attempted by a resident undergraduate student that exceeds by more than 30 hours the number of hours required for completion of the degree program in which the student is enrolled.

The limitation on excess credit hours applies only to those undergraduate students who first enter higher education in the fall of 1999 and thereafter. For purposes of excess hours, the resident undergraduate student includes a nonresident student who is permitted to pay resident tuition.

Excess credit hours may also affect eligibility for some waivers and exemptions.

(This information is formerly known as the "170-Hour Rule".)

Census Date Deadline

Degree program changes made after the census date of a given semester will not affect a student's tuition rates for that semester or previous semesters, even if the program changes allow students to no longer exceed their credit hour limit.