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course load

American  
[kawrs lohd] / ˈkɔrs ˈloʊd /

noun

course loads plural
  1. the number of courses or classroom hours a student is registered for in a given period of schooling.

  2. the amount of schoolwork a person is expected to take on as part of a plan of study.


Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That’s roughly nine hours a week — the equivalent of an undergraduate course load, said Zehra Abid-Wood, president of Lasell Village and a vice president at the university.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

He still works on weekends while juggling a rigorous course load of Advanced Placement classes; he currently has a 4.0 GPA and dreams of becoming a physical therapist.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2024

Even with the course load and the occasional intercontinental trips, she insists she’s living a normal student’s life on campus.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2024

On top of their course load, students attend multiday intensives called cypher sessions, with in-person dance classes and lectures.

From New York Times • Jan. 24, 2023

Things were so hectic that Adam had dropped half his course load and was going to college part-time, and if things kept up at this rate, he was thinking of dropping out altogether.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

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