<p>Like others have said, 4-5 courses per semester is common (but this will vary a little bit between schools).</p>
<p>At my LAC, where one course = one credit (and some courses like PE could be .25 or .5 credits):</p>
<ul>
<li>3 credits (“regular courses”) per semester meant you were a full-time student.</li>
<li>An average of 4 credits per semester (32 credits by graduation) was necessary for graduation.</li>
<li>Special permission was required to register for more than 5.75 credits</li>
</ul>
<p>At the school across the street, something like 5-6 courses per semester were necessary just to graduate (and the load was often more, not less intense). At schools that have quarter systems, it might be normal for students to take 3 courses per quarter, or sometimes even as few as 2.</p>
<p>The “4-5 in general” answer should be sufficient for now, but when you’re closer to deciding on a school, you’ll want to search the registrar’s web page and the course schedule to find the info particular to each college. The registrar’s page should have stuff like how many credits are necessary for full-time status, how many are necessary for graduation, and how many is too many. The course schedule should list credit hours next to each class, giving you an idea of how the school counts hours.</p>