Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 5, § 58003.1 - Full-Time Equivalent Student; Computation of Units

(a) Pursuant to the provisions of section 58051, the units of full-time equivalent student for apportionment purposes shall be computed for courses, including those delivered by distance education under article 1 (commencing with section 55200) of subchapter 3 of chapter 6, based on the type of course, the way the course is scheduled, and the length of the course.

(b) The governing board of each community college district shall, for each of its colleges or its district, select and establish a single primary term length for credit courses that are scheduled regularly with respect to the number of days of the week and the number of hours the course meets each week, inclusive of holidays. The units of full-time equivalent student of credit courses scheduled coterminously with the term, exclusive of independent study and work-experience education courses, shall be computed by multiplying the student contact hours of active enrollment as of Monday of the weeks nearest to one-fifth of the length of the term, unless other weeks are specified by the Chancellor to incorporate past practice, by the term length multiplier, and divided by 525. The term length multiplier for attendance accounting purposes shall be determined in accordance with this chapter, provided that the maximum multiplier for semester length terms shall be 17.5 and the maximum multiplier for quarter length terms shall be 11.67.

(c) For credit courses scheduled to meet for five or more days and scheduled regularly with respect to the number of hours during each scheduled day, but not scheduled coterminously with the college's primary term established pursuant to subdivision (b), or scheduled during the summer or other intersession, the units of full-time equivalent student, exclusive of independent study and work-experience education courses, shall be computed by multiplying the daily student contact hours of active enrollment as of the census days nearest to one fifth of the length of the course by the number of days the course is scheduled to meet, and dividing by 525.

(d) For credit courses scheduled to meet for fewer than five days, and all credit courses scheduled irregularly with respect to the number of days of the week and the number of hours the course meets on the scheduled days, the units of full-time equivalent student, exclusive of independent study and work-experience education courses, shall be computed by dividing actual student contact hours of attendance by 525.

(e) For all open entry-open exit credit courses and for all noncredit courses otherwise eligible for state aid, except those described in subdivision (f), the units of full-time equivalent student shall be computed by dividing actual student contact hours of attendance by 525.

(f) For distance education courses not computed using other attendance accounting procedures described in this section and for independent study, correspondence and work-experience education courses, the following alternative attendance accounting procedure shall be used:

(1) For credit courses, for purposes of computing full-time equivalent student only, one weekly student contact hour shall be counted for each unit of credit for which a student is enrolled in one of those courses. The full-time equivalent student of those courses shall be computed by multiplying the units of credit for which students are enrolled as of the census day prescribed in subdivision (b) or (c), as appropriate, for the primary term or intersession and duration for which the course is scheduled, by 17.5 for colleges on the semester system and by 11.67 for colleges on the quarter system and dividing by 525.

(2) For noncredit course sections covered by this subdivision, for purposes of computing full-time equivalent student only, weekly student contact hours shall be derived by counting the total hours of instruction or programming received by the students, plus instructor contact as defined in sections 55204 or 55234, plus outside-of-class work expected as noted in the course outline of record and approved by the curriculum committee, and dividing the total number of hours for the course thus derived by 54. Hours of instruction or programming received shall be independently verified by the instructor using a method or procedure approved by the district according to policies adopted by the local governing board as required by section 58030. Full-time equivalent student for such noncredit course sections shall be computed by:

(A) multiplying the average of the number of students actively enrolled in the section as of each census date (those dates nearest to one-fifth and three-fifths of the length of the course section) by,

(B) the weekly student contact hours as derived above in this section, by

(C) the primary term length multiplier of 17.5, and

(D) dividing by 525.

(g) Notwithstanding subdivisions (b) and (c) of this section, the units of full-time equivalent student for any credit course other than independent study, correspondence and work-experience education courses may, at the option of the district, be computed by dividing the actual student contact hours of attendance by 525. When a district chooses to exercise the option of computing attendance for any course section by the actual student contact hours method, such method must be used consistently for all attendance accounting for that section.

Notes

Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 5, § 58003.1

1. New section filed 3-4-91 by Board of Governors of California Community Colleges with the Secretary of State; operative 4-5-91 (Register 91, No. 23). Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code Section 70901.5(b).
2. Editorial correction of printing error inserting (a) in first paragraph (Register 91, No. 43).
3. Amendment of subsections (b), (c) and (g) filed 5-15-93; operative 6-14-93 (Register 93, No. 25).
4. Amendment of subsections (a), (f) and (g) and new subsections (f)(1)-(2) filed 4-29-94; operative 5-29-94. Submitted to OAL for printing only (Register 94, No. 18).
5. Amendment of section heading and text filed 9-6-94; operative 10-6-94. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 94, No. 38).
6. Editorial correction of HISTORY 1 (Register 95, No. 23).
7. Amendment of subsection (f)(2) filed 12-27-2000; operative 1-26-2001. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2001, No. 7).
8. Amendment of subsections (d) and (f)(1)-(2) filed 12-3-2001; operative 1-2-2002. Submitted to OAL for printing only (Register 2001, No. 50).
9. Amendment filed 5-20-2002; operative 6-19-2002. Submitted to OAL for printing only (Register 2002, No. 26).
10. Change without regulatory effect amending section and NOTE filed 3-15-2006 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2006, No. 17).
11. Amendment filed 7-17-2007; operative 8-16-2007. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2007, No. 35).
12. Amendment of subsections (e), (f) and (f)(2) filed 5-16-2008; operative 6-15-2008. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2008, No. 21).
13. Amendment of subsections (f) and (g) filed 5-21-2020; operative 6-20-2020. Submitted to OAL for filing and printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2020, No. 23).
14. Amendment of subsection (f)(1) and NOTE filed 9-3-2021; operative 10-3-2021. Submitted to OAL for filing and printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2021, No. 42).
15. Amendment of section heading and subsections (b)-(d), (f) and (g) filed 7-27-2023; operative 8-26-2023. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2023, No. 32).

Note: Authority cited: Sections 66700, 70901, 78401 and 84500, Education Code. Reference: Sections 70901 and 84500, Education Code.

1. New section filed 3-4-91 by Board of Governors of California Community Colleges with the Secretary of State; operative 4-5-91 (Register 91, No. 23). Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code Section 70901.5(b).
2. Editorial correction of printing error inserting (a) in first paragraph (Register 91, No. 43).
3. Amendment of subsections (b), (c) and (g) filed 5-15-93; operative 6-14-93 (Register 93, No. 25).
4. Amendment of subsections (a), (f) and (g) and new subsections (f)(1)-(2) filed 4-29-94; operative 5-29-94. Submitted to OAL for printing only (Register 94, No. 18).
5. Amendment of section heading and text filed 9-6-94; operative 10-6-94. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 94, No. 38).
6. Editorial correction of History 1 (Register 95, No. 23).
7. Amendment of subsection (f)(2) filed 12-27-2000; operative 1-26-2001. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2001, No. 7).
8. Amendment of subsections (d) and (f)(1)-(2) filed 12-3-2001; operative 1-2-2002. Submitted to OAL for printing only (Register 2001, No. 50).
9. Amendment filed 5-20-2002; operative 6-19-2002. Submitted to OAL for printing only (Register 2002, No. 26).
10. Change without regulatory effect amending section and Note filed 3-15-2006 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2006, No. 17).
11. Amendment filed 7-17-2007; operative 8-16-2007. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2007, No. 35).
12. Amendment of subsections (e), (f) and (f)(2) filed 5-16-2008; operative 6-15-2008. Submitted to OAL for printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5(Register 2008, No. 21).
13. Amendment of subsections (f) and (g) filed 5-21-2020; operative 6-20-2020. Submitted to OAL for filing and printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2020, No. 23).
14. Amendment of subsection (f)(1) and Note filed 9-3-2021; operative 10-3-2021. Submitted to OAL for filing and printing only pursuant to Education Code section 70901.5 (Register 2021, No. 42).