What Are Credit Hours?

When you get admission in higher education program, one thing you may hear for the first time is the term “Credit Hours”. You might face problem in understanding that how credit hours could possibly influence your grades. The answer is that credit hours are one of the most important factors in calculating GPA. They impact your grade points, actually. 

What Are Credit Hours

Credit Hours are simply the number of hours assigned to a particular course in a week. Normally, one credit hour corresponds to one hour of classroom time and two hours of work outside the class. Major subjects are given more credit hours than the minor ones.

Example:

  • A 3-credit hour course means 3 hours of classes per week, and an additional 6 hours of independent study or homework. 

Why Are Credit Hours Important?

Credit hours do not just assign the hours to a subject, they are important in other aspects as well. Here’s why they matter:

  1. Course Load Management: 

Credit hours help students manage their workload each semester. Because they tell you which subjects need more of your attention.

  1. Graduation Requirements: 

Most degree programs require a specific number of credit hours to be passed to get your degree.

  1. GPA Calculation: 

Credit hours are important in calculating CGPA and SGPA, because they determine the weightage of each course for a semester.

  1. Financial Aid: 

Many financial aid packages are available for the students only taking certain numbers of credit hours in a degree or semester. 

How Credit Hours Influence GPA?

GPA is a numerical representation of a student’s academic performance. SGPA and CGPA are actually the calculated after each semester. They are evaluated based on the grades earned and the credit hours of the courses taken. The grade points are allotted to each grade based on the weightage. 

SGPA Calculation Formula:

SGPA=∑(Grade Points×Credit Hours) / ∑Credit Hours

  • Grade Points: 

The points assigned to the grade you earned in a course (e.g., A = 4.0, B = 3.0).

  • Credit Hours: 

The number of credit hours associated with the course.

Impact of Credit Hours on SGPA Calculation

If you take three courses with the following details:

CourseCredit HoursGrade EarnedGrade PointsGrade Points x Credit Hours
Course A4A (4.0)4.016.0
Course B3B (3.0)3.09.0
Course C2B+ (3.3)3.36.6
Total931.6

The SGPA would be calculated as follows: 

SGPA = (4×4.0)+(3×3.0)+(2×3.3) / 4+3+2​ 

SGPA = 16+9+6.6 / 9

           = 31.6 / 9

      = 3.51

Frequently Asked Question

Contact hours are the actual hours spent in class, while credit hours are the weightage of the course that include study time outside of class as well.

A full-time student typically takes 12-18 credit hours per semester for 5-6 subjects.

Yes, most financial aid packages require students to maintain a minimum number of credit hours to remain eligible.

Failing a course with high credit hours can significantly lower your GPA since those hours carry more weight in the calculation.

Full-time students typically take at least 18 credit hours per semester, while part-time students take fewer, which can affect eligibility for certain programs and financial aid.

Conclusion

Credit hours are the subtle yet important element in CGPA Calculation. Therefore, it is very important for the students to understand this concept. This might give them a perspective that how they should divide their time among subjects and what subject is more important than the other one. Credit hours are a key factor that can help you to stay on track for the good grades.