Class Standing and Student Status

Class Standing
Class standing is dissociated from graduation requirements. For purposes related to academic study, a student with 0-29 credits is considered a freshman; 30-59 credits is a sophomore; 60-89 credits is a junior; and 90 or more credits is a senior.

Full-Time Student Status
Mercyhurst University considers a full-time student to be one who carries at least 24 credit hours per academic year and who carries a minimum of twelve credit hours in any regular semester. Students who receive financial aid or government-sponsored loans should consult with the Office of Student Financial Services before registering for fewer than 12 credits in any semester.

Part-Time Student Status
A part-time student is one who is officially registered at the University but carries fewer than 24 hours during the normal academic year or who carries fewer than 12 credit hours in any regular semester. A part-time matriculated student is charged at a per-credit rate, plus additional fees as determined by the Vice President of Finance.

Special Students
Non-matriculated students are permitted to attend classes if they have been approved by the Office of Academic Affairs. The usual policy is to permit a maximum of 12 credits to be taken before a student must make application for admission. The credits are then transferred to the matriculated status. High school students who wish to attend classes under the dual enrollment program must be approved by the Office of Academic Affairs. Students may take no more than two classes per semester without written approval from their high school guidance counselor, and may take no more than 9 credits in any single semester. No high school student may take more than 30 credits before matriculating at the University.