Kishwaukee College operates on a semester system with the academic year divided into two 16-week semesters (fall, spring) and a summer session, May-August, which is offered in 4, 6, 8, and 12-week blocks. The calendar for each term, which specifies holidays, withdrawal deadlines, final exam dates, etc., is published in the class schedule for that term.

• Freshman - A student who has earned less than 30 semester hours of 100/200 level credit.
• Sophomore - A student who has earned 30 or more semester hours of 100/200 level credit.

• Full-Time -Enrolled in 12 or more semester hours for a fall or spring semester and 6 or more semester hours for a summer term.
• Part-Time - Enrolled in less than 12 semester hours for a fall or spring semester or less than 6 semester hours for a summer term.
• A normal academic course load for a student who intends to earn an A.A. or A.S. degree in four 16-week semesters is 15-18 semester hours of credit each term.

Students who wish to schedule a course overload (19 or more semester hours for a fall or spring semester, or more than 9 semester hours for the summer term), must obtain written approval from a counselor in the Student Services or from an academic dean of their major field prior to registration.

The quality of a student’s work is measured by the grade point average. The GPA is used to determine eligibility for: graduation, Dean’s List honors, other honors and scholastic awards, athletic eligibility, and eligibility for financial assistance. See the Grading section of this catalog.

The unit of credit is the semester hour, which is the credit earned by meeting the equivalent of one hour a week for a 16-week period, or two hours a week for an 8-week period, or four hours a week for a 4-week period. Most laboratory courses require additional hours per week, which do not necessarily increase the credit hours awarded for these courses.