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Excessive Hours/Enrollment Limit for Texas Residents

Texas Education Code § 54.014 specifies that undergraduate students who enrolled for the first time in Fall 1999 or later may be subject to a higher tuition rate if they attempt excess hours at any Texas public institution of higher education. This policy applies to students classified as: 

  • Texas residents
  • Non-Texas residents, who have received a tuition waiver and pay resident tuition

How much is the excess tuition charge?

University of Houston-Downtown charges a tuition recovery rate of $80 per semester credit hour in excess of the credit hour limit. Individual enrollment limit will be determined according to the following schedule.
 
First Enrolled in a
Texas Public Institution of Higher Education
Enrollment limit
(Hours allowed in excess of those required for a degree plan before the fee is charged) 
Prior to Fall 1999 No Cap/No excess hour fee
Fall 1999 through Summer 2006 45 hours
Fall 2006 and later 30 hours

Which hours count and which do not?

 
Courses attempted at any Texas public institution of higher education will be counted toward the excess hour calculation. These include: 
  • Courses in which a grade is earned and recorded on the transcript; these courses do not have to be part of the student’s degree plan 
The following types of credit hours do not count toward the limit:
  • Credit hours earned after completing a baccalaureate degree
  • Credit hours earned through examination (AP or CLEP)
  • Credit hours earned through remedial and developmental courses
  • Credit hours taken at a private or an out-of-state institution
  • Credit hours earned before graduating from high school and used to satisfy high school graduation requirements 
  • Credit hours excluded from the academic record under the Academic Fresh Start program
 

Access to Records

Although the State of Texas provides the University of Houston-Downtown with your name, the exact number of hours over the limit is not provided to us.  If you would like to know the details regarding your hours attempted, please complete, sign the Permission to Release Credit Hours form (or download the release form at www.uhd.edu/registrar/students), copy of valid picture identification card and return it to the Registrar’s Office.  We will then be authorized to contact the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on your behalf.  When the detailed information is sent to the university, we will forward it to your attention so that you can confer with an academic advisor and check with the college of your major to determine your individual degree plan requirements, and/or to determine how degree plan changes may affect your enrollment limit status.
 
Submit the release form to the UHD Registrar's Office. 
Please either bring the completed form to N330, fax or mail it to:

University of Houston-Downtown
Registrar’s Office
One Main Street, Suite N330
Houston, Texas 77002-1001
Phone: (713) 221 -8999
Fax: (713) 223-7438
E-mail: uhdrecords@uhd.edu
 

Waiver Requests

The Texas Education Code allows hardship waivers of the Tuition Recovery Fee. Requests for waivers will be reviewed on a case by case basis using criteria specified in the Texas Education Code by the Registrar’s office. An example to demonstrate hardship, is if a student has submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the University of Houston-Downtown. University of Houston-Downtown will use the FAFSA to determine a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC will be used to determine if a hardship waiver is warranted. 
 
If you have questions or concerns regarding completing your degree program, an academic adviser will be able to assist you.  
 

Review the Texas State Education Code

Review the Texas State Education Code (54.014 and 61.0595)
Policy on Premium Tuition Charges for Excessive Undergraduate Hours (aka: 45/30 Excessive Hours/Enrollment Limit Rule)