Most sources recommend that a typical undergraduate college student should study at least 2 hours outside of class each week per unit credit. So for a 4 credit hour course, this common guideline suggests that a typical student should spend at least 8 hours outside of class studying for that course each week.

Certainly this general guideline depends on the student and on the course. But if you aren't doing well in a course, then ask yourself, "How much time do I spend studying compared to this general guideline?"

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Of course, study time isn't the only factor that determines a student's success in a course. Quality of study is a major factor that contributes to a student's success. Read my Guidelines for developing good study habits.

Let's suppose a typical student has a 20 credit hour load and spends 23 hrs/wk in class (20 in class plus, let's say 3 additional lab hours). Following the above guideline, a typical student should spend about 42 hrs/wk studying outside of class. (Labs do not generally require 2 hours of outside study time per hour spent in the lab.) So far that's a total of about 65 hrs/wk devoted to academics.

Since a week has 168 hrs, that leaves 103 hrs per week. If we allow for 7 hrs of sleep/day (49 hrs/wk), that leaves 54 hours each week for other things!

For more ideas on how to use your time wisely, read this.