persemester

Per semester refers to a measure or action that occurs for each academic semester. In education, it is used to describe quantities, costs, or policies evaluated or applied on a per-semester basis. The term is typically written as two words, per semester; occasionally hyphenated as per-semester when used as a compound adjective (for example, per-semester tuition or per-semester fees).

Per-semester charges are common in budgeting and financial aid, with tuition and fees quoted per semester rather than per year; housing, meal plans, and student health services may also be billed per semester. In scheduling and academic planning, course loads may be described as "up to 18 credits per semester." Academic calendars segment the year into semesters, with policies such as eligibility for financial aid or satisfactory academic progress assessed per semester.

Not all institutions use per-semester billing; some charge by credit hour, term, or a flat annual rate, and some pro-rate charges based on start date. The term's etymology derives from per meaning for each and semester from Latin, reflecting the half-year division of the academic year. Common variants include semesterly or per-term. In data contexts, "persemester" may appear as a variable name or identifier, but in prose it is normally written as "per semester."

See also academic year, term, tuition, credit hour, financial aid, enrollment.