Credit hours simply refer to the hours you spend in class each week. To be successful in class, you should expect to spend at least 2-3 hours outside the classroom doing homework or studying. Classes are usually held during the week rather than on weekends (although it is possible to attend a Saturday class at some colleges that cater to students who are not traditional).

A credit hour is a measure of workload at a college or university. It is about equivalent to spending 1 hour per week in class for one term (usually a semester). For a degree, a semester-based system typically requires 120 credit hours. A quarter-based system usually requires 180 credit hours. When students are taking classes with labs, credit hours are used to balance their student load. A “CREDIT HOUR” measures educational credit. It is usually calculated based on how many classroom hours a week during a term. The Carnegie unit is used to award credit for students taking classes. A semester unit of credit is defined as a minimum of 3 hours work per week during a semester.

The way that the system works ultimately depends on which institution is granting the degree. This will require you to ask this question for each school you are interested in. Three of the four degrees that I received from institutions of higher learning — Dartmouth, Harvard, and the University of Chicago — did not require credit hours. A class of one semester = one credit at Dartmouth or Harvard, while a class of one-semester = 1/2 credit at the U of C. A year-long class, such as a first-year French class, is one credit. However, the credit system, quarter or semester, is the American standard and tends to be the same across all (accredited), colleges and universities. Anthony, Ferguson, and Vene do a great job explaining the system. If you’re interested, you can read my post about how many credits are AP classes?

How many hours is a 1 credit hour?

If you are an undergraduate student in the United States, a credit hour is 60 minutes. Credit hours are determined by how many hours you spend in a class each week. If you are in a MWF class between 9-10, it means that you would earn 3 credits. The number of credits you have earned is what colleges use to determine your graduation status.

It might be different if you are an undergraduate student outside the United States. Contact your school to find out how many hours of class time is considered one credit hour at your university or college.

For example, if you are studying at a university in the United States and take one class worth three credit hours, the class will be 90 minutes long.

If you are taking a two-credit-hour class, it will be 120 minutes long. Make sure to contact your school’s registrar’s office for more information about how many hours of class time is considered one credit hour at your institution.

If you are an undergraduate student, one credit hour is generally considered 45 minutes of class time per week. So if you are taking a two-credit class, it will be 90 minutes long (2 x 45 minutes = 90 minutes). If you are taking a three-credit course, it will be 135 minutes long (3 x 45 minutes = 135 minutes).

Here’s what’s in my experience.

One credit hour is roughly three hours of class time per week. So if you’re taking a 3-credit class, that’s nine hours of class time per week.

Two credits = 6 hours of class time per week

Three credits = 9 hours of class time per week

Four credits = 12 hours of class time per week

5+ credits = it depends on the institution; ask your advisor or admissions office

Used to be you got one credit hour for everything.

In the old days, credit hours were a fixed amount of time. So whether taking a one-credit or twelve-credit class, you got the same amount of time to complete it.

The system was designed so that every class would take roughly the same amount of time to complete so students could easily predict how long it would take them to graduate.

But that was before the internet. Now, it’s not uncommon for a student to take an online class that lasts only one week but still counts as a full credit toward graduation.

The problem is that this doesn’t work well in an environment where all students are expected to graduate within four years. So you can imagine how confusing it is when some students graduate faster because of their classes and others don’t even finish on time.

Now it’s usually 2 – 3 hours for each class.

As you might expect, the number of hours a credit hour depends on the school and program. It could be as few as 2 or 3 hours or as many as 4 or 5. In some cases, it’s even more than that.

The average is around 3.5 hours, but it varies by course and school. If you’re having trouble figuring out how many class hours there are in a credit hour, this chart will help.

Considering all these factors makes determining the length of one credit hour a challenge. However, there are ways to make an educated guess about how many hours your credits will take.

Some schools have a minimum requirement for how many hours apply to a class.

For example, if you are a full-time student and take three 3-credit hour classes, your total credit hours would be 9. Therefore, you need at least nine credit hours per semester to be considered full-time.

If you take two 3-credit hour classes and one 2-credit hour class, your total credit hours would be 7. You need at least seven credits per semester to be considered part-time.

If you take elective classes, they might count as additional credit hours.

Those courses can count as credit hours if you take additional classes beyond your essential requirements.

These courses are known as electives and are usually not required for graduation. However, some schools don’t have any mandatory requirements for their students’ electives, while others need students to take a certain number of credits in this category.

Electives are usually the courses that students take to fulfill their academic requirements. These classes can be anything from history to art, allowing you more freedom in what you choose to study than your core curriculum.

How long one credit hour depends on your school and other factors

The number of hours that make up a credit hour highly depends on the school you attend and the class. For example, if you are taking an online course at a community college, you may be assigned three hours per week of classes to complete.

In this case, one credit hour will equal 15 weeks (52 weeks divided by three credits = 20 weeks). However, if your school has set more rigid standards for their classes, for example, four hours per week for 12 weeks, then one credit hour would be 48 weeks long (12×4=48).

In short: it depends on the school and other factors such as how many weeks there are in a semester or quarter system.

The general rule is that one credit hour equals about 15 weeks of class time. In some cases, however, it may depend more or less on the school and how many weeks there are in a semester.

More about credit hours

Credit hours are a measure of the workload at a college. It is roughly equivalent to spending one hour per week in class (usually a semester). The typical requirement to graduate is 120 credit hours. This is eight years (4 years) * five classes * three units (credit hours per class). This would be 15 hours per week of class. Each hour of class usually means 2-3 hours of homework. 15 credit hours is approximately equivalent to a full time job (45 hours per semester plus homework). Most classes are 3 credit hours. Some are 5 credit hours. Some classes, such as labs or PE or music classes, may only require one credit hour.

Conclusion

Credit hours are the way to measure your course load at college. Generally, one credit hour equals about three class hours per week.

However, some exceptions exist, like at community colleges, where classes might run for five weeks and only count for half a credit hour.

At four-year universities, you’re likely to have fewer credits per class but still be expected to attend class regularly (e.g., two types = 4 hours).