Did you know that eligible students can take 5 units in the fall and spring semesters at no additional cost?
The typical fall / spring course load for HSS majors is 4 units; students may take up to 4.5 units without permission. First year students who have 8 earned units at TCNJ and transfer students who have 4 earned units at TCNJ and who have a ≥ 3.3 cumulative TCNJ GPA may request to overload to 5 course units in any fall or spring semester. There is no maximum limit to the number of overload semesters.
Common reasons for applying to overload to 5 units include:
- Fulfilling major or minor requirements.
- Taking a course that is not offered regularly.
- Enrolling in a 2-unit intensive-language course.
- Completing an independent course (e.g., study, research, thesis, or internship).
Overload notes:
- If your primary major is in another School (i.e., is not in HSS,) you must contact your primary major School to request to overload. English Secondary Education and History Secondary Education majors have a primary major in HSS.
- First-year students who have less than 8 TCNJ earned units and who are planning to take a 2-unit intensive language course may apply for an overload once they have an established TCNJ GPA.
- HSS does not approve overloads for the Winter Term or Summer Session I. There are not enough hours in 3 weeks to meet the contact-hour requirement for more than 1 course.
- Classes taken at an institution outside of TCNJ (e.g., a local community college) count toward overload limits. For example, you can not take 4 units at TCNJ and 1.5 units at a Community College in the same semester.
- There are additional costs included when more than 5.0 units are taken in a semester. Please see the TCNJ Tuition and Fees information on Student Accounts’ webpage found here https://studentaccounts.tcnj.edu/tuition-fees.
If you are interested in taking 4.75 or 5 units in an upcoming semester, complete the Overload Interest Form.
You will receive a follow-up email from the HSS Dean’s Office alerting you to the status of your request.
NOTE: If you are applying for Independent Study/Research or Internship and need a course overload, please submit your Overload interest form first. You will need to upload the overload approval email to your independent course application.