@EdWorkingPaper{ai26-1613,
title = "The Time Costs of Academic Credit Hours",
author = "Aaron Albert, Brachel Champion",
number = "1613",
year = "2026",
month = "October",
URL = "http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai26-1613",
abstract = {Do students give up free time with added classes? We estimate the effect of additional credits on leisure using campus departure logs linked to academic records of U.S. Air Force Academy students and two natural experiments. Leveraging pre-assigned schedules, each credit reduces leisure by 7 hours per semester, while unexpected changes to graduation requirements crowded out 17 hours. Foregone leisure accounts for 17–50% of the time required by a 3-credit course. Grades, physical fitness, and extracurricular performance decline, suggesting students pay the remaining time costs by sacrificing performance.},
}