Unit Load
What's your ideal workload?
Full-time students in the Fall Program for Freshmen (FPF) take an academic course load of 13 to 16 units. The minimum full-time status for the College of Letters and Science is 13 units. FPF College of Engineering students take a minimum of 12 units for full-time status. Our courses carry between two and six units apiece. If you are in a Theme House, the maximum unit load at FPF is 17 units.
Full-time vs. Part-time
We encourage all students to take a full academic load. Most students find the academic pace exciting and can handle taking 13 units their first semester.
Others choose to enroll in 12 units or less. They may find the first semester at college challenging; a less strenuous workload gives them a chance to adjust to college life. Depending on the level of your academic preparation and whether or not you are working during the academic year, enrolling in 12 units or less may be a good solution for you.
Whether you enroll in one class or the maximum of four, the program fee remains the same.
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Financial aid and scholarships usually require a minimum unit load of 12, so be sure to research this requirement as you select your courses.
>> Visit UC Financial Aid Office website
Housing-Related Course Requirement
Please note that if you are selected to live in a Theme House, you will be required to take an additional one- to three-unit seminar course via the Concurrent Enrollment process administered through FPF. You must be approved to enroll in a Theme House seminar course by FPF, prior to the first day of instruction or you may not earn units for this course. This seminar may not take you above 17 units. If it does, you must drop an FPF course.