The NDSU tuition cap provides a maximum charge for tuition and per credit student fees for students taking more than the capped number of credits per semester, per career.

During the fall and spring semester the tuition cap is set at twelve (12) credits per semester. During the summer semester the cap is nine (9).

Students with both undergraduate and graduate courses have a separate cap for each career.

Distance and Continuing Education (DCE) courses and Self Support Courses are not subject to the tuition cap.

• Be sure when enrolling for a course that you check the class notes section to determine whether or not a course is DCE, Self-Support, or a regular course

Students taking more than twelve credits during a fall or spring semester would therefore only pay for twelve credits of tuition and student fees as long as those credits are not Distance and Continuing Education or Self-Support courses.

• Example 1: If a student is enrolled for 18 regular course credits for the fall semester they would be billed for:
  • Tuition and fees for 12 credits at the student's residency status rate.
    
    
• Example 2: If a student is enrolled in 15 regular credits during the spring semester plus one Distance and Continuing Education course for 3 credits they would be billed for:
  • Tuition and fees for 12 credits at the student's residency status rate plus
  • Tuition for 3 credits for the DCE course at the North Dakota residency rate
    
    
• Example 3: If a student is enrolled in a 3 credit self-support course, a 3 credit Distance and Continuing Education course, and 6 credits of regular courses for the summer semester they would be billed for (note: the tuition cap for summer is 9 credits):
  
  • Tuition and fees for 3 Self-Support credits (always billed at the North Dakota residency rate)
  • Tuition and fees for 3 DCE credits (always billed at the North Dakota residency rate)
  • Tuition and fees for 3 credits at the student's residency status rate.
  • Tuition for 3 credits at the student's residency status rate.

To determine your tuition and fee costs go the semester breakdowns under the Tuition Breakdown page.