Academics · Adult Learning

Going back to school?
Start with your week.

Most adults who leave a program leave because the week did not fit, not because the work was too hard. Enter the credits you plan to take and the hours you already spend on work, care and commuting. The questionnaire estimates what school adds, shows what is left after sleep, and turns each low readiness rating into a concrete next step.

Check a planWhat you get

Programs I am considering

The worked example is made up: a working parent planning 10 credits of nursing prerequisites, the same plan at 7 credits and a one-class certificate. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Adult LearningFree

What you finish with
A record per program: start date, first-term credits, weekly hours of work, care and commuting, six readiness ratings and six steps before the first day. Estimates the school load by the credit-hour rule and the hours left after sleep; flags a crowded week, a less-than-half-time load and each low rating with a next step.
Who it is for
Adults thinking about starting or returning to college, a certificate or an adult education program, and the people helping them plan.
Format
Browser questionnaire with a saved record per program, so two loads can be compared. Prints one plan, every plan in a table or a blank copy; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Adult Learning space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Enter the program and credits.
  2. Add your weekly hours.
  3. Rate the six areas honestly.
  4. Read what is left in the week.
  5. Try a lighter load to compare.

Check a plan

What school adds to a week

What a credit costs in a weekCreditsIn classStudyingTotal a week3 (one class)3 hours6 hours9 hours6 (half-time, most colleges)6 hours12 hours18 hours99 hours18 hours27 hours12 (full-time)12 hours24 hours36 hoursWhat a credit costs in a week3 (one class)In class: 3 hoursStudying: 6 hoursTotal a week: 9 hours6 (half-time, most colleges)In class: 6 hoursStudying: 12 hoursTotal a week: 18 hours9In class: 9 hoursStudying: 18 hoursTotal a week: 27 hours12 (full-time)In class: 12 hoursStudying: 24 hoursTotal a week: 36 hours
Based on the federal credit-hour definition: one hour in class and about two hours of work outside it per credit, each week of a semester.

The credit-hour rule

Federal regulations define a credit hour as about one hour of class and two hours of out-of-class work each week for a semester, or the equivalent. Real courses vary: a lab science or an accelerated online course can take more. Use the estimate to compare loads, then ask the program how much time its students actually spend.

Part-time and financial aid

There is no age limit on federal student aid. Pell Grants are available to eligible students taking even one class, prorated by enrollment. Federal Direct Loans require at least half-time enrollment, which most colleges set at 6 credits a semester for undergraduates. Ask the college’s financial aid office how its own rules apply.

Sources

  1. Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR 600.2: definition of a credit hour.
  2. Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education. Eligibility for adult and part-time students; Pell Grant enrollment intensity; Direct Loan half-time requirement (studentaid.gov).
  3. Community College Research Center, Teachers College. Research on adult and part-time student completion (ccrc.tc.columbia.edu).
  4. Council for Adult and Experiential Learning. Credit for prior learning research (cael.org).

The worked example is made up. Hours are estimates for planning, and aid rules are stated in general terms as known at build time; the college’s financial aid office has the final word on your aid. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.