Per-Credit-Hour Fee above Tuition Cap at the Kent Campus

Tuition Cap Guidelines

Kent State University utilizes a tuition cap to ensure consistent and fair billing. The standard full-time tuition range (the "cap") is 12–18 credit hours for undergraduate students and 11–18 credit hours for graduate students.

The guidelines below explain how tuition is managed when a student takes courses across different campuses, enrolls in different course levels, or exceeds the 18-credit limit.

1. Tuition Cap Adjustments (12–18 Credit Hours)

The Tuition Cap Adjustment ensures that a student is not charged more than a full-time Kent Campus student for the same number of hours, regardless of which campus is attended or the level of the courses. This is a billing limitation applied to the student's account to keep costs within the standard full-time rate.

A Tuition Cap Adjustment is automatically applied in the following situations:

Multi-Campus Enrollment

When a student is enrolled in 12–18 credit hours across both a Regional Campus and the Kent Campus, tuition is initially assessed separately by campus. If the combined total exceeds the Kent Campus full-time (12–18 hour) rate, an adjustment is applied to reduce the total tuition to the Kent Campus cap.

Mixed Upper- and Lower-Division Regional Enrollment only

When a student is enrolled in both upper- and lower-division courses at Regional Campuses, tuition is calculated by course level. If the combined total exceeds the full-time upper-division regional campus rate (12–18 hours), an adjustment is applied to reduce the total tuition to that upper-division cap

Dropping Courses and Adjustments

The tuition cap is a billing limitation, not a per-course rate. If a student drops or withdraws from a course:

Adjustment Reversal

Any Tuition Cap Adjustment is removed before a tuition credit is calculated. Tuition is recalculated based on the student’s actual enrolled credit hours by campus and course level, as if the cap had not been applied.

Tuition Credit Calculation

Tuition credits for dropped courses are based on the original per-credit-hour tuition for the course(s) and the applicable tuition credit schedule, not the capped tuition amount that applied when the student was enrolled full-time.

Important: Credits vs. Refunds

A tuition credit reduces the amount charged on the student’s account. It does not automatically result in a refund. A refund is only issued if, after all charges, credits, and financial aid are applied, there is a credit balance on the account.

2. Credit Overloads (19+ Credit Hours)

Students who enroll in 19 or more credit hours may be subject to additional fees if the schedule includes Kent Campus coursework.

Overload Fees

Kent Campus Students: If a student has at least one Kent Campus credit hour and the total enrollment reaches 19 or more credits, the student will be charged an additional per-credit-hour fee for every credit over 18.
Rate: Both in-state and out-of-state undergraduate students are charged the in-state undergraduate per-credit-hour rate for these additional hours. Graduate students are charged the in-state graduate per-credit-hour rate.
Regional Campus Exception: This fee does not apply to students who are enrolled only in Regional Campus credit hours. For example, a student taking 19 credits split between two Regional Campuses with no Kent Campus hours would not pay the overload fee.

Impact of Dropping Overload Courses

The additional per-credit-hour fee is based on the total number of credit hours the student is registered for or for which the student receives a grade of "W".

80% Tuition Credit Period: If a student drops below 19 hours (and removes any Kent Campus credits) during the 80% tuition credit period, the additional fee will be removed.
After the 80% Period: If a student drops a course after the 80% refund period, the student receives a grade of "W". Because the fee is based on hours that result in a grade, the overload fee will not be removed.