Texas Education Code § 54.014 establishes a maximum number of semester credit hours an undergraduate student may attempt while paying Texas resident tuition. A student who exceeds the maximum hours will be charged the non-resident tuition rate.
Hour limitations
- First term in TX public institution prior to fall 1999 – Exempt
- First term in Texas public institution from fall 1999 to summer 2006 – 45 hours over degree program
- First term in Texas public institution from fall 2006 to the present date – 30 hours over degree program
Attempted hours include
- Earned and unearned hours (including non-passing grades)
- Withdrawn courses (includes administrative/ non-academic)
- Repeated courses
Hours excluded
- Credit hours excluded from the student record due to an election of admission under Academic Fresh Start
- Credit hours earned by an undergraduate student before the award of a prior associate degree
- Credit hours earned from courses taken before receiving a previously-awarded baccalaureate degree/second baccalaureates
- Credit hours earned by examination (AP, CLEP, IB, or SAT II)
- Credit from remedial and developmental courses and/or interventions up to 9 hours
- Credit hours of English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses and/or interventions up to 9 additional hours
- Credit hours taken at a private institution or an out-of-state institution
- Credit hours taken as dual-credit prior to high school graduation where the university has a final official high school transcript
Double Major, Double Degree, Minors
- Additional major/degree/minor does not extend the maximum attempted hours limit
Appeals Process
- Email written appeal to records@utdallas.edu
- Appeal deadline: Census day of the current term
- Appeals will be reviewed by the Excessive Hours Review Committee
- If an exception is granted, students may email records@utdallas.edu once grades have posted and degree audits have been verified
- Denied, approved, and conditional exemptions will be emailed to the student’s UTD email address after the Census Day for the current term
Note: The excessive hours legislative rule is different from the financial aid rule of ‘maximum time frame for degree completion’. Please visit the Office of Financial Aid’s website for more information about their rule.
