text: what are semester hours? and full-time students?   semester hours are the number of hours you are taking.  each class is worth so many hours.  usually 1-4 but some might be higher.  it usually equals the number of hours you are in class per week.    full time students are classified differently at different places.  usually 12 hours or about 4 classes is considered full-time.  however, for most programs if you want to graduate on time you have to take more like 16-19 hours.