Enrollment status is defined for certification purposes as either full-time, three-quarter time, half-time, or less than half-time.
Enrollment Verification Certificates: ISU students can obtain an official printed enrollment verification at no cost, by accessing the National Student Clearinghouse. The enrollment verification can be presented to health insurance agencies, housing authorities, consumer product companies, banks, etc. as required to provide official evidence of enrollment at Iowa State University. To obtain enrollment status for summer 2024 or prior, select "Enrollment cert" on the AccessPlus student menu.
Fall or Spring semesters
Full-time (FT) student status
Note: Courses taken as audit do not count towards full-time student status.
- Undergraduates: 12 credits per semester
- Graduates: 9 credits per semester
- Professional: 12 credits per semester
Three-quarter time student status
- Undergraduates: 9 credits per semester
- Graduates: 7 credits per semester
- Professional: 9 credits per semester
Half-time (HT) student status
- Undergraduates: 6 credits per semester
- Graduates: 5 credits per semester
- Professional: 6 credits per semester
Graduate students on assistantship are verified as full-time when enrolled in 1.0 or more credits per semester (fall, spring, or summer), provided the assistantship is coded on the student's record in the Graduate College.
Graduate students not on assistantship, who meet certain conditions, may be verified as either a full-time or half-time student for loan deferment purposes. To qualify, a graduate student must be accepted into a degree program, registered for course credit and get approval from the Graduate College which allows verification as either full-time or half-time. Contact the Graduate College at 515-294-4531 or by email for the specific qualifications and the form Verification as a Half-time or Full-time Student for Loan Deferment to request this approval.
Summer semester
Full-time (FT) student status
Note: Courses taken as audit do not count towards full-time student status.
- Undergraduates: 9 credits per semester
- Graduates: 7 credits per semester
- Professional: 8 credits per semester
Three-quarter time student status
- Undergraduates: 7 credits per semester
- Graduates: 5.5 credits per semester
- Professional: 6 credits per semester
Half-time (HT) student status
- Undergraduates: 4.5 credits per semester
- Graduates: 3.5 credits per semester
- Professional: 4 credits per semester
Graduate students on assistantship are verified as full-time when enrolled in 1.0 or more credits per semester (fall, spring, or summer), provided the assistantship is coded on the student's record in the Graduate College.
For questions regarding financial aid and summer enrollment, see the Office of Student Financial Aid.