Permission for a Credit Overload

In order to maintain timely progress to the degree, students are expected to take 4.0 credits per semester. The maximum amount of credits students can register for in one semester is 5.0 credits. In rare occasions, it is appropriate for a student to obtain permission for a credit overload, i.e., taking more than 5.0 credits.

To obtain permission to take more than 5.0 credits, the following is required: 

  • Course instructors provide instructor permission, and any other applicable overrides in Polaris,  
  • Academic advisor(s) email registrar@bowdoin.edu approving the overload,  
  • Student dean emails registrar@bowdoin.edu approving the overload, 
  • Student emails registrar@bowdoin.edu requesting that the class/lab be added to their schedule, 
  • and The Office of the Registrar processes the override and notifies the student when complete. 
Please note that credit overloads are only available during Add/Drop rounds of registration.