Minimum Credits

All financial aid awards require students to take a minimum number of units each semester. The required units vary by aid program. Some aid programs require full-time enrollment, others allow part-time enrollment, and others pro-rate award amounts based on part-time enrollment levels.

We base all initial aid offers on the assumption that you will enroll full-time. If you will enroll part-time, you must notify us by visiting Forms and Online Services and submitting our Course Load Change Form.

For summer and winter minimester enrollment requirements, see summer/winter aid.

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Attempted Term Units

Most aid enrollment requirements except federal student loan requirements are based on your total Attempted Units for each term. Attempted Units exclude courses that you drop before the end of the Schedule Adjustment period and usually include courses that you withdraw from after the Scheduled Adjustment period ends. Also see, Beginning Attendance below.

Your total Attempted Term Units will affect your aid in three ways:

  1. If you attend less than full-time, your Cost of Attendance Budget and your financial need will decrease. This can cause Award Changes and Reductions.
  2. Aid programs also require a minimum number of enrolled units per term to receive those funds for that term, and those unit requirements are different for each aid program.
  3. If this is not your first year in college and you receive MHEC's Guaranteed Access, Educational Assistance, or Campus-Based Educational Assistance​ grants, to receive renewal GA or EA Grants next academic year you must successfully complete at least 30 units this academic year (Fall-Spring-Summer). Review MHEC's GA and EA grant completion requirements.

Minimum Enrollment Requirements by Aid Program

Aid Programs Minimum Enrollment
TU Admission Scholarships Full-time (at least 12 units for each fall and spring semester) 

MHEC Guaranteed Access and Educational Assistance Grants

 To receive MHEC GA or EA Grants you must enroll for at least 12 fall units or at least 12 combined winter minimester and spring units. To receive a renewal GA or EA grant next year, you must meet MHEC's annual Credit Completion Requirements.
All aid budgets, the "TU Institutional Grant" and Federal SEOG Grants Cost of Attendance budgets for all students and these grant amounts are prorated based on Full-time, ¾ time, ½ time, or less than half-time enrollment.
Federal Pell Grants You must enroll for at least 12 units per term to receive full-time Pell Grant amounts. If you enroll part-time (< 12 units) your grant will be reduced based on the Pell Proration Rules below.

Federal Student Loans

 You must enroll at least half-time to receive any federal loans or Work-Study funds. Starting with the Fall 2026 term if you enroll part-time, your maximum federal student loan amounts must be reduced based on the new federal loan proration rules below.

Federal Work-Study

 You must enroll at least half-time for each term to earn any Work-Study funds during that term.
  • For other Maryland Higher Education Commission awards not listed above, visit MHEC. 
  • For all MHEC aid, also see the Study Abroad Aid restrictions.
  • Other scholarships may have enrollment requirements established by the donor or the scholarship coordinator.
  • Audited classes do not count toward required credits.

Less than Half-Time Status

While some aid programs permit less than half-time enrollment, the Cost of Attendance budgets for less than half-time enrollment can't include living expenses. Because your cost of attendance budget will decrease, we may have to reduce your aid.

In addition, if you drop below half-time status, your Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Student Loans will enter repayment status after a six-month grace period.

Federal Pell Grant Proration Rules

If you take less than 12 units per term, we must prorate your term Pell Grant amount based on your total term units divided by 12.

Pell Example

If your full-time Pell Grant amount is $3,698 per term, the prorated amount for 7 units = $3,698 x 7/12 = $2,144. 

Pell Proration Percentages

1 unit - 8%, 2 units - 17%, 3 units - 25%, 4 units - 33%, 5 units - 42%, 6 units - 50%, 7 units - 58%, 8 units - 67%, 9 units - 75%, 10 units - 83%, 11 units - 92%.

Pell Winter Minimester Units

For these Pell Grant calculations, if you take a winter minimester course, we will treat your combined winter and spring units as a single combined term. If you have at least 12 winter-spring units, you can receive a full-time spring Pell Grant. If you have less than 12 combined winter and spring units, your Pell Grant will be prorated.

Federal Student Loan Proration Rules

If you enroll full-time, your federal student loans can't exceed the annual full-time limits at the end of this section and your fall loans can't exceed half those limits.

Starting with the Fall 2026 term, if you enroll part-time, we must prorate the limits for federal Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Graduate PLUS loans. We won't prorate Federal Parent PLUS Loans or private student loans, but your total aid still can't exceed your Cost of Attendance budget and that budget will decrease if you enroll part-time. These proration rules are only based on your total enrolled units for each academic year (Fall - Winter - Spring- Summer). Your prior-year enrollment isn't relevant. 

Loan Proration Starting Limits

  • For these loan proration formulas, the starting loan amounts are the standard full-time limits below. 
  • If your remaining aggregate federal Subsidized/Unsubsidized loan limits are less than these amounts standard limits below, your starting amounts are your remaining aggregate limits.

Loan Proration Rules

  • Most students must take at least 6-units to borrow a loan for that semester.
  • Doctoral students need at least 3-units per semester.
  • Fall loans are prorated based only on fall units.
  • Spring loans are prorated based on your total fall + winter + spring units.
  • Fall Rules - If you complete all your loan application steps before the fall change of schedule (drop/add) deadline, your fall loans will be based on your total attempted fall units as of that deadline. 
  • Spring Rules - If you enroll fall and spring, your spring loans will be based on the fall and winter units you remained enrolled in (excluding withdrawn units) + your total attempted spring units as of the spring change of schedule deadline.
  • Late Loan Applications - If you complete any aid or loan application steps late, your loans will only be based on the total units you are still enrolled when your loan is processed and will exclude units you already withdrew from.
  • Audited Classes - Audited courses must be excluded from enrolled units.
  • Not Retroactive - If you withdraw from courses after your loans are disbursed, we won't retroactively reduce loans that were already disbursed for that semester.

Loan Proration Formulas

If you are part-time based on the Fall or Annual limits below, we must prorate your maximum Subsidized Loan limits, your maximum combined Subsidized and Unsubsidized limits, and maximum Graduate PLUS limits.

  • Fall Loan limits are based on total attempted fall units.
  • Annual Limits (Fall + Spring) are based on total attempted fall + winter + spring units.

Undergraduate Student Formulas

  • Maximum fall loans = half of standard annual limit x (Fall Units/12-Units).
  • Maximum annual loans (fall + spring) = standard annual limit x [(Fall + Spring Units)/24-Units].

Master's & Graduate Certificate Formulas

  • Maximum fall loans = half of standard annual limit x (Fall Units/9-Units).
  • Maximum annual loans (fall + spring) = standard annual limit x [(Fall + Spring Units)/18-Units].

Doctoral Student Formulas

  • Maximum fall loans = half of standard annual limit x (Fall Units/6-Units).
  • Maximum annual loans (fall + spring) = standard annual limit x [(Fall + Spring Units)/12-Units].

Loan Proration Examples

All these examples are based on the annual $5,500 combined Subsidized & Unsubsidized Loan limit for Dependent Freshmen from the annual limits section below. The maximum fall amount is half of that annual limit ($5,500/2 = $2,750). We must also prorate the maximum Subsidized Loan Limit ($3,500) based on the same formulas.

  • For 6 fall units, 6/12 units = 50%. Max fall loan: 50% x $2,750 = $1,375.
  • For 7 fall units, 7/12 units = 58%. Max fall loan: 58% x $2,750 = $1,595.
  • The same rules apply for 8, 9, 10, or 11 fall units.
  • For 7 fall and 10 spring units, 17/24 units = 71%. Max FL + SP loan: 71% x $5,500 = $3,905. If you received $1,595 for fall, then spring limit = $3,905 - $1,595 = $2,310.
  • For 7 fall and 9 spring units, if you already received $2,750 for fall because you were originally full-time for fall before you withdrew down to 7-units, then your maximum spring loan would be $3,905 - $2,750 = $1,155.

Full-Time Annual Federal Student Loan Limits

Grade Level Units earned Maximum Subsidized Loan Additional Unsubsidized Loan Maximum Total Direct Loans
Freshman 0-29
 $3,500 $2,000 $5,500
Sophomore 30-59 $4,500 $2,000 $6,500
Junior/Senior 60+ $5,500 $2,000 $7,500
Grade Level Units earned Maximum Subsidized Loan Additional Unsubsidized Loan Maximum Total Direct Loans
Freshman 0-29 $3,500 $6,000 $9,500
Sophomore 30-59 $4,500 $6,000 $10,500
Junior/Senior 60+ $5,500 $7,000 $12,500
Graduate Students NA $20,500 $20,500

Graduate PLUS Loans have been eliminated but some graduate students who were enrolled at TU and received federal loans at TU before Fall 2026, can continue borrowing them under Legacy provisions. If you are an eligible legacy borrower, you must first borrow your maximum Federal Unsubsidized Loan amount. For the part-time loan proration formulas below, federal rules require us to use the following formula to calculate your starting annual Grad PLUS loan limit = your part-time Cost of Attendance budget - your total other aid. (Other aid includes loans, scholarships, tuition waivers, etc.).

For example, if your full-time Cost of Attendance (COA) budget is $35,000, but your part-time Cost of Attendance Budget is $31,000, we must ignore your full-time budget and use your lower part-time budget. If your prorated Unsubsidized Loan limit is $10,250 and you aren't receiving any other aid, then your starting annual Grad PLUS limit for the proration formulas below would be your part-time budget - your other aid ($31,000 - $10,250 = $20,750).

Undergraduate Student Enrollment Levels

Financial aid Cost of Attendance budgets, TU Institutional Grants, Federal SEOG Grants, and MHEC aid are based on these full-time, 3/4 time, half-time, and less than half-time enrollment levels.

Enrollment Status Required Units per Term
Full-time 12 or more credits
Three-quarter time 9 to 11 credits
Half-time 6 to 8 credits
Less than half-time 1 to 5 credits

Graduate Student Enrollment Levels

Financial aid Cost of Attendance budgets and MHEC aid are based on these full-time, 3/4 time, half-time, and less than half-time enrollment levels.

Enrollment Status Master’s Degrees and Certificates Doctoral Degrees
Full-time 9 or more credits 6 or more credits
Half-time 6 to 8 credits 3 to 5 credits
< Half-time < 6 credits < 3 credits
  • All Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) aid programs require at least 6 units.
  • Audited classes and graduate assistantship placeholder courses (CGSR G90 and G91) do not count toward required aid units.
  • In certain situations, TU policy allows graduate students to receive enrollment level adjustments for internship, thesis, dissertation, or capstone project courses. Students can only receive these adjustments for up to two terms. For more information, see the graduate placeholder course policy.

Beginning Attendance

Federal aid programs also require that you attend each course at least once.  If you never attend any of your term courses, then we must cancel all your federal aid.  If you receive a Federal Pell Grant, and never attend some of your courses, then we must recalculate your term Pell Grant payment based only on the course you began attending.  (Example: If you enrolled full-time, but only began attendance in 6 units, then we would reduce your Pell Grant payment to the half-time payment amount.

Enrollment Census Deadlines

We must always evaluate your enrollment level based on your total units as of the term’s financial aid census date, which is always the last day of registrar’s change of schedule period.

For Pell, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), and institutional grants, if you add a class after the end of this change of schedule period, we must exclude those late units from your grant calculations.

We will also automatically reduce loans based on your census date enrollment level. However, only for loans, if you add a class late, we can readjust your loans based on the additional late units, but only if you contact the Financial Aid Office to request a loan adjustment based on the late class units.

Aid Restrictions for Repeats of Completed Courses

To receive your aid disbursements each term, your total attempted course units for that term must meet the minimum enrollment requirements above. (For example, student loans require at least 6 units per term.)

For federal grants, loans, and work-study funds, when we calculate your total attempted courses units for each term, we must exclude units from courses you are repeating if you previously passed that same course with a grade of "D" or better and have already repeated that course again since then.

If you previously completed a course with a grade of "D" or better, and already repeated that course at least once, then you can never receive additional federal aid based on the units from that course.

Example: A student took ENGL 100 twice and earned a D both times. During his 3rd attempt, he retook ENGL 100 and another 3-unit course. During this 3rd attempt, his eligibility for federal aid was based only on the other 3-unit course, and he was not eligible for any federal aid that required more than 3 units.  If the student had taken ENGL 100 and 6 units of other courses, then he would still have been eligible to receive aid based on 6 units of eligible courses.

Maximum Developmental Course Units

If you reach 30 attempted units from developmental courses, you will become ineligible to receive any additional aid based on units from additional developmental courses but can continue to receive aid for other eligible courses.