A.7.d. Course Load and Overloads
Registering for more than 16 credits in any semester/term may put you in an overload status and additional tuition may be due and payable. Students who are in a two-year degree program should complete it over the course of four terms by taking up to 16 credits each term. They will be charged four comprehensive fees to cover the tuition for such a program. For students who spend a semester at a Middlebury School Abroad, that semester is treated as a semester in which the student paid a comprehensive fee to the Institute for purposes of this policy.
Students who wish to take more credits (defined as an overload) may either: (1) pay for the additional credits at the per-credit rate or (2) defer the overload credits to a subsequent semester in which they pay full-time tuition and take fewer than sixteen (16) credits. A student who has overload credits from previous terms may during another term (including the summer) combine these overload credits with other credits so that he/she can be charged a comprehensive fee rather than a per-credit fee, as long this term is one of his/her four terms and the total number of credits falls within 12 to 16 credits.
Students will be limited to having a maximum of six credits as either outstanding overloads or underloads at any time. If a student incurs more than six overload credits, they will be required to get their Academic Advisor's approval for such an overload and may be required to pay for any credits in excess of six overload credits at the time they are incurred. Students are advised not to underload more than four credits as this may impact their ability to graduate in a timely manner and may result in their paying additional tuition if they have to enroll for an additional term. Additionally, underloading or overloading may ultimately cost the student more than originally advised, as tuition tends to increase from year to year. Underloads can only be used to offset overloads and cannot be used as credits for tuition payment obligations.
Students who defer overload charges without an equivalent underload in a subsequent semester will be required to pay the current rate for the overload credits remaining when they register for their final semester. Students with overload credits who do not return as anticipated must pay for those credits at the current tuition rate. Since no financial aid will be available to students not attending the Institute, the Business Office and the Office of Student Financial Services should be notified before the end of the last semester attended at the Middlebury Institute. Also, overloads and underloads are completely independent and separate from scholarships. Students who carry overloads/underloads should not expect merit scholarships to be applied to either.