what if you take more than 12 credits per semester?

galoisien · 05-03-2008, 09:36 PM

Suppose I think I *can* do it. (Maybe I can't -- I'm still somewhat clueless about how class placement and course registration will work.) Does your tuition go up? Will financial aid compensate? Or is it a fixed cost per semester?

cavalier302 · 05-03-2008, 09:58 PM

?????

12 credits is the minimum full-time courseload. Most people average around 15 per semester.

galoisien · 05-03-2008, 10:34 PM

That's what I would have thought too. Forgive me, for I'm slightly clueless on the course registration process.

But my financial aid seems to be awarded on a 12 per semester assumption?

I thought it was simply a fixed cost for semester thing. My mother who isn't really familiar with the US college system (she was educated in my birth country) but got a degree at a state school here who charged by the credit hour, thought that costs were variable with courseload. Does tuition not increase with higher amount of credits / semester, but go down if you take less?

Protean · 05-03-2008, 10:39 PM

not during the regular fall and spring semesters. Summer sessions are charged per credit hour.

your financial aid probably means that the money is on condition that you take the minimum 12 credits.

galoisien · 05-03-2008, 11:03 PM

Out of curiosity, if you do take less then 12 credits, tuition won't be reduced accordingly? I just want to know in case sometime the next four years I get into an accident or misfortune/stress hits me smack in the face and I want a slight break or something.

A further question -- will financial aid still be awarded (at least on somewhat generous terms, e.g. with need-based loans and grants) if I double major and end up somehow still needing to take a few courses in my fifth year? Is financial aid awarded for summer sessions, if you apply for them?

HopefulHoo'sDad · 05-04-2008, 12:09 AM

Instead of continuing to ask one question after another, you need to become familiar with the information available here:
University of Virginia Financial Aid

If you have legitimate questions regarding either the process or particulars of Financial Aid that aren't addressed on this website, then you should call Student Financial Services and look to them for answers.

Currently they're pretty busy sending out Financial Aid Packages. I suggest you only contact them regarding meaningful financial aid related questions, not trivial hypothetical scenarios.

shoebox10 · 05-04-2008, 12:30 AM

I agree. Start compiling a list of questions and call them. Very few people on here truly know everything about FA office.

As for summer session, yes they award FA, but it's significantly less than during the year. As for fifth year, I doubt you'll need a fifth year, even with a double major.

hazelorb · 05-04-2008, 04:07 PM

Yeah and less than 12 credits isn't really accepted... I mean I took 12 credits in the fall and had enough time on my hands to achieve a 4.0 GPA with 2 A+s so you can't possibly need more of a break than 12 credits. It's a TOTAL joke to take that few, fewer is like.... Ridiculous.

vistany · 05-04-2008, 04:54 PM

Quote:

2 A+s

It is possible to get an A+ at UVa??? Can someone pls provide the grading scale?

Thx

cavalier302 · 05-04-2008, 04:58 PM

It certainly is possible to get an A+ at UVa, but they aren't entirely common and frequently aren't worth the work to attain. UVa gives grades from F through A+, just like every other school. But like any decent college, grading is much less inflated than you're used to in HS. You can still get into fantastic graduate programs or get offers from the very best firms with far south of a 4.0.

swimcatsmom · 05-04-2008, 05:08 PM

Be careful of dropping below the number of credits considered full time by your school - that would mean you are not a full time student so you would lose financial aid. For instance the Pell grant maximum for a full time student is $4731. if you drop below the required hours it would drop to a maximum of $3458 for 3/4 time or $2366 for half time or $1183 for less than 1/2 time.

vistany · 05-04-2008, 06:24 PM

Quote:

grading is much less inflated than you're used to in HS.

Thats the thing, I'm from Ffx. No grade inflation. In fact there was just a presentation to the Superintendent of FCPS which demonstrated the detriment of our grading system relative to oos schools and scholarships. He has ordered a study be conducted. Thats why I was so interested in the A+ at UVa. It is an impossiblility in my county. I have heard it is tough to get an A at UVa.

What is the grading scale at UVa?

cavalier302 · 05-04-2008, 06:53 PM

vistany, have you ever thought about what grades are or what they mean? They're completely arbitrary numbers. They're only valuable in the context of their own environment. FCPS grading isn't unfair or fundamentally different than anywhere else. You're entirely wrong if you think that grades have some objective, absolute value outside of the context of school, major, etc. Now, when you consider things like class rank, especially with respect to some rough estimate of population aptitude, then grades gain meaning.

shoebox10 · 05-04-2008, 07:04 PM

I have two As this semester. They aren't hard. And I came really close to an A+, but I would have had to get a 96 on a final paper, so I chose not to take the final (it was optional).

Question for current students: what is an A+? I know they give them, but is it a 4.3?

cavalier302 · 05-04-2008, 07:08 PM

shoebox, an A+ counts as a 4.0 in your UVa GPA. When applying to professional or graduate schools, though, it's a different matter. Medical, law and business schools all count A+ as 4.3, as do many academic graduate programs. So while the GPA you list (or withhold

) on your resume might not get the small bump from the A+, your AMCAS, LSDAS or GMAC GPA will.