Full-time students taking 12 credit hours may have been doing it wrong the whole time.
According to Complete College America, an organization focused on getting more students to finish their degrees, universities should push for students to take 15 credits per semester to finish on time.
Commissioner of Higher Education Jim Purcell cited the report at both Louisiana Board of Regents meetings this year, calling on the Board to think about the study and how it could improve graduation rates in Louisiana.
According to Complete College America, 28 percent of Louisiana adults in the 25-34 age group have a college degree.
Purcell said that based on the study’s findings, getting students to take more credit hours could increase graduation rates.
The study, “The Power of 15 Credits Enrollment Intensity and Postsecondary Student Achievement,” done in 2013 by Complete College America, shows most states put full-time enrollment at 12 credits per semester.
This delays graduation to five years for a 120-hour bachelor’s degree if students take 12 credits a semester.
Additionally, Purcell said this is a rising trend in higher education, citing other states that have switched to the 15 hour minimum.
Adams State University in Colorado and the University of Hawaii encourage their students to take 30 credits a year.
Grand Valley State University College of Community and Public Service Advising Center in Michigan also articulates for students to take 15 hours.
Like LSU, Auburn University is another SEC school that considers students taking 12 credits full time.
Purcell said the students who might benefit from this the most would be out of state student who do not receive TOPS, or “students who are more susceptible to increases.”
These students could complete their degrees at a more efficient rate by taking more credits.
Purcell has presented this information in front of the Board, but no official plans have been discussed yet.