Academic Terms
An academic year at Lyon College normally contains three terms, or semesters: fall, spring, and summer. The fall and spring terms are normally 15 weeks long and normally begin in mid-August and mid-January, respectively. The summer term normally consists of two sub-terms of 5 weeks each with the first beginning near the end of May and the second near the end of June or early July. The College, at its discretion, may approve other terms for special needs in particular programs.
Student Course Loads
The unit of measure at Lyon College is the semester credit. One hundred and twenty (120) semester credits are required for graduation. Therefore, a total of 30 credits during the academic year is considered a normal load.
For the fall and spring semesters, the minimum course load for a full-time student is 12 credits per semester.
The maximum course load is 18 credits per semester. Students wishing to take more than 16 credits per semester must have maintained the following grade point averages (GPA) in the preceding semester: for 17 credits, a 2.50 GPA; and for 18 credits, a 3.00 GPA.
Veterans, athletes, and students receiving financial aid are required to take a minimum of 12 credits during the fall term and 12 in the spring semester to be eligible for the benefits accorded to full-time students. Veterans may not count as part of their 12 credits a course taken on a pass-fail basis or a course repeated unless they are required by Lyon regulations to repeat it.
Six credits are considered a full-time load for summer sub-terms. Ten credits are the maximum load for a summer sub-term.