Starting this fall, undergraduate students can now enroll in up to 18 credit hours before they are subject to the full-time overload tuition rate. This is an increase from the previous maximum amount of 17 credits.
The decision to include this additional credit within regular full-time range could help students trying to fit in all of their classes without paying additional fees. In a news release, university spokesman Brandon Lausch wrote: “Temple has simplified its tuition structure to incentivize students to take additional credits so they can graduate on time and limit debt.”
The full-time overload rate at Temple ranges from $427 per credit to $601 per credit for Pennsylvania residents and $733 per credit to $951 per credit for out-of-state students—depending on which school the student is enrolled in.
The main goal in allowing this credit to be included was to allow students to graduate within four years or even sooner by being able to take a sixth class each semester at no additional cost.
In addition to this change, Temple’s Board of Trustees approved a 2.8 percent increase in tuition for in-state and out-of-state students. Tuition will now be $15,384 for Pennsylvania residents and $26,376 for non-Pennsylvania residents.
The mandatory yearly fees have also increased by $100 to $890.
The university also eliminated the $1,000 differential in tuition for upperclassmen, which has been in place since 2009. In-state upperclassmen will see a slight decrease in tuition, while out-of-state upperclassmen will see a slight increase in tuition.
Sophomore media studies and production major Nina Sicurello said her former school, Northampton Community College, had an 18-credit maximum and it helped many students at her school.
“I think the 18-credit limit is a good idea,” Sicurello said. “Eighteen credits is a very ambitious number. That’s a lot of hard work, but it’s 100 percent possible for those who are committed to their education.”
“I actually support the new limit, especially for students such as myself that slacked in the beginning of college and just want to get done a bit quicker,” said Mark Jackson, a transfer freshman studying strategic communication. “With this limit I’ll get done with my college career in significantly less time than I would’ve with the previous limit.”
“It’s such a great thing they’ve implemented,” he added.
Bri Cicero can be reached at bcicero@temple.edu.
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