Equivalencies

The University defines "full time" as taking 12 or more credits in one semester, and "half time" as taking 6 or more credits in one semester. A student's time status has implications for financial aid, particularly as it pertains to Federal student loans; students who are not at least half-time are ineligible for Stafford Loans.

Under certain circumstances, students who are taking fewer than the required number of credits may be granted an equivalency, which is recognized for student loan and student employment purposes. To qualify for half-time equivalency you must be taking 2-4 credits and meet one of the following criteria:

  • You are unable to reach 6 credits without exceeding the number of credits required to graduate*
  • You are auditing a class to clear an incomplete in addition to taking a class for credit (as long as the audited class + the credit class add up to 6 or more total credits)
  • You are performing a school-related internship which takes an amount of time equivalent to being enrolled in a full class

 

During the Summer Term, the University considers 8 credits to be full time, so we can grant half-time equivalency to anyone taking 4 credits.

*This generally applies to the final semester in a student's career, but in some cases may apply to an earlier semester. For example, if you are taking 4 credits in Spring because you only have Capstone to take in the following Fall and Spring terms, half-time equivalency might be granted for all three semesters.

 

Requesting Equivalencies

If you would like to request half-time or full-time equivalency, please send an email explaining your circumstances to wagner.academicservices@nyu.edu.  Please include your University ID# (N#) and the semester.

Students should request equivalency only after their schedule has been finalized for the semester.

 

Doctoral students

Doctoral Students who are maintaining matriculation or are registered in Research in Progress are eligible to receive full-time equivalency.