Excessive Hours Fee

Texas Education Code §54.014 specifies a maximum number of semester credit hours an undergraduate student may attempt while paying Texas resident tuition.  Students who exceed the maximum hour limitations will be charged the non-resident tuition rate.

Maximum Hour Limitations:

• First term in Texas 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• Withdrawn courses (includes administrative/ non-academic)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 from courses taken before receiving a previously-awarded baccalaureate degree
• Credit hours earned by examination (AP, CLEP, IB, or SAT II)
• Credit from remedial and developmental courses
• Credit hours taken at a private institution or an out-of-state institution
• Credit hours taken as dual-credit prior to high school graduation

Appeals for Exemption:

• Economic Hardship – A student with an economic hardship is defined as someone who, at the time of registration, is documented with the Office of Financial Aid as being eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, regardless of whether they actually receive the funding due to enrollment status, non-satisfactory academic progress, or other reasons. A student that meets this criteria will have the course repeat fee automatically waived from their student account.
• Final semester Before Graduation -  A student shall be exempted from payment of higher tuition for any course repeated in the final semester in which the student is graduating, if the course(s) is taken for the purpose of receiving a grade that will satisfy a degree requirement. The exemption does not affect an institution’s ability to charge a higher rate for courses that cannot be reported for funding for other reasons such as the excess credit hour limit, or an institution’s ability to waive higher tuition rates for economic hardship.  Academic Advisors may verify student eligibility for this exemption via email to Student Business Services by completing the Excessive Hours/Course Repeat Override Request Form. This exemption applies for only one semester.
• Deadline to Appeal:   Student Business Services office must receive eligibility documentation no later than the official last class day of the semester in which the appeal is being requested.

For detailed information regarding excessive hours, including the economic hardship policy, please refer to Texas State UPPS 03.01.17.