Time Management

Calculating Your Out-of-Class Study Time

How much out-of-class study time will you need in order to do well in your classes?

You should ask each of your instructors on the first day of class how many hours per week of work they think their course will require. Then you can figure how much time you need to plan to dedicate to your studies in order to do well.

Let’s talk about the time it might take you to earn a top grade - depending on a class, it is estimated that you will need to spend 3 to 4 hrs. per credit hr. per week preparing for that class. That means that a 3 credit class will take 9 to 12 hrs of out-of-class study time per week.

How about a mediocre grade? You can multiply the total number of hours by .7, resulting in 6 to 8 hrs a week for a 3 credit class.

What if your study skills are not very effective?  You will need to factor in extra studying time in that case.

Here are some examples of classes and estimated study time for each one. We recommend that you take 12 credits in your first semester of college and 15-16 in the following semesters.