The Credit Hour in Higher Education: A Call to Action

Federal policy mandates that all U.S. higher education institutions and regional accrediting bodies comply with credit hour regulations. A credit hour equates to 1 h in class and a minimum of 2 h of study out of class for approximately 15 weeks. To meet these regulations, institutions have implemented policies for designating and reviewing course credit hours. However, research has generally not examined if students are actually spending the required number of study hours, and if they do, the impact on academic achievement. This review examines available research on student study time to determine to what extent federal credit hour mandates are being followed and if these mandates are reasonable and appropriate in today's higher education environment.