Credit hour

A unit used by colleges and universities to quantify coursework and student workload, commonly tied to scheduled class time and additional independent study.

Carnegie Unit: A credit measure based on a specified amount of instructional time over an academic term. It is the historical model behind the standard U.S. semester credit hour.
Academic Credit: Recognition awarded for completing assessed learning in an educational program. Credit hours are one common unit for expressing academic credit.
Quarter Credit Hour: A credit unit used in quarter-based academic calendars, typically representing less time than a semester credit hour. Quarter credits require conversion when compared with semester-based credit hours.
Credit Creep: The gradual increase in credits required for degrees or assigned to courses without a corresponding increase in learning. Credit-hour requirements can expand even when course content changes little.
Semester: An academic term that divides a year into two main periods of instruction. Semester credit hours are calculated across a term of defined length.
Credit Transfer: The acceptance of previously earned academic credit by another educational institution or program. Transferred courses are often evaluated by comparing their credit hours.
Continuing Education Unit: A measure of participation in organized continuing education, commonly defined as ten contact hours. It counts continuing-education participation rather than ordinary degree-course credit.
Seat-Time: Time spent attending scheduled instruction, used as a proxy for educational participation or progress. The credit hour's historical link to class attendance makes seat-time a persistent influence.
Contact Hour: An hour of scheduled instruction or supervised educational activity. Classroom contact time is a common basis for assigning credit hours.
Tuition: The charge an educational institution imposes for instruction. Many colleges calculate tuition partly from the number of enrolled credit hours.

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