I would like to overload this term; is this OK? Do I need to ask for permission to overload?

Overloading is generally not recommended nor approved. Only in rare and/or extreme circumstances (for instance, you are only a term away from graduating), and/or a substantial history of excellent grades would exceeding the regular course load be permitted. 

How many units constitute an overloaded term?

A term in which you take 13 or more units constitutes an overloaded term. Your Planner-generated Plan of Study will warn you if you have planned an overloaded term. 

Why should I not overload?

• If you overload, your grades may suffer because of your workload, which then may subsequently disqualify you for Latin Honors — which you can be eligible for if you choose to continue on to a Bachelor's degree. AADDA itself does not award Latin Honors.
• Overloading may exert an extraordinary amount of pressure on you to perform well, and place you under undue stress. Should you wish to request an overloaded term, you might wish to first consult with a mentor or with a medical or mental health professional. 
• Because overloading may exert an extraordinary amount of pressure on you to perform well, you may be tempted to take shortcuts and commit acts of intellectual dishonesty; this will lead to very severe consequences.
• If you overload, then any requests you make on your teachers for extensions on course requirements may be subject to additional scrutiny, given that you chose to take more than what was recommended 
• If you overload, your ability to pursue a regular course load per term may be affected, because the flow of the AADDA program has been carefully crafted to ensure that it is possible for any student to take a full course load (assuming that they pass their courses). If you overload during one term, it is possible that you may find yourself in a term in which you are forced to underload because the planned order of courses has been disrupted. This underloading may subsequently endanger your ability to qualify for Latin Honors. 

It is impossible to predict with absolute certainty whether any or all of these conditions are applicable to your case or not. It is therefore recommended for everyone to take not more than a regular course load.

New AADDA students who are enrolling for the first time will almost certainly not be permitted to overload on their first term. 

What do I do if I still want to overload?

 If you still wish to file a request to overload, do the following:

1. Wait until the enrollment period has started for the term in which you want to overload. Requests to overload terms that are not covered by the enrollment period will not be processed.
2. While waiting, prepare the following documents:
   • A record of your grades from the Student Portal or AIMS. Screenshots of your record will suffice.
   • Your latest and most updated Planner-generated Plan of Study. Your Plan of Study must be free of all unnecessary warnings, take into account your potentially overloaded term, and cover all the courses till the completion of your degree. This is a non-negotiable requirement, and your request will be turned down if you cannot produce such a Plan of Study.
   • A written explanation for why you need (not simply want) to overload, including whether you meet any of the criteria described above.
   • A written justification for why you think you will still do well in your classes during the overloaded term; provide evidence that can support your reasoning. 
   • A written description of how you intend to meet the demands of an overloaded term.
3. Enroll for your courses and submit a request to overload. 
   1. During the enrollment process, you will be prompted by the online registration system in the Student Portal to submit a request to overload. Choose this option.
   2. If you are having trouble submitting this request, see https://registrar.upou.edu.ph/faq-enrollment/  
4. File a ticket with the subject line, "Request to overload - (Your name)", or respond to an existing ticket that specifically addresses your request to overload, and attach all the documents described in step 2. The Program Chair will use those documents to assess the request you submitted from step 3.
5. Wait for the Program Chair to review and assess your request. Be prepared to answer any questions regarding your request. This process may take some time. 
6. If the approval is granted, expect to receive a notification from the online registration system; you can then enroll in an overloaded term.