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  2. Internal
  3. Academic Policies
  4. Consequences of Part-Time Status

Consequences of Part-Time Status

Completing fewer than 12 credit hours in a semester may result in the following consequences.

Vanderbilt Consequences
  • All A&S students will be placed on probation for the following semester if they drop below 12 credit hours, except in the case of:

(a) approval for medical underload by an associate dean, or

(b) second-semester seniors approved to take fewer than 12 credit hours.

Spring semester probations end at the end of the semester; probations for fall semesters begin the summer preceding the fall semester. See the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Catalog for details and further consequences of probationary status, especially of multiple probations. Notations about probation and being removed from probation will show only on internal records (e.g., in YES), not on your official transcript.

  • Your financial aid may be affected. If you receive federal aid and/or Tennessee HOPE scholarship support, you should not drop below 12 credit hours without consulting a Vanderbilt financial aid adviser. Other sources of financial aid may also be affected.
  • You will not be permitted to do summer work elsewhere or to earn any other type of transfer credit while on probation.
  • You cannot participate in study abroad while on probation.
  • You will most likely be ineligible for Greek rush. Check with the Office of Greek Life.
  • You may be ineligible to be an officer in a student society.
  • You may be ineligible to represent the university in external affairs.
  • NCAA athletic eligibility may be compromised.
  • You will not be eligible for Dean's List, even if your underload has been approved by an associate dean.
Consequences External to Vanderbilt
  • Health insurance may require full-time status; this is a common problem. Be particularly concerned about whether insurance will carry through the summer. You should be covered, even on probation, if you buy your health insurance through Vanderbilt.
  • Car insurance may require full-time status.
  • Immigration status may be in jeopardy.
  • If you later apply to medical or law schools and are asked if you ever took a light load or if you were on probation, you will have to answer "yes."
  • You may be required to start paying back student loans sooner than you expected.