UNAD Florida operates on the semester system. A semester is defined as a fifteen week term or period.

Students earn credits for each course they successfully complete. A standard course at UNAD Florida is worth three credits, where one credit comprises of 15 hours of interaction between the student and the instructor. A standard course therefore constitutes 45 hours of student/instructor interaction. This interaction is both synchronic (i.e., it occurs in real time, via online chat, of which there are usually 15 hours per course per semester) and non-synchronic.

In addition to the interaction with the instructor, each student is expected to devote a minimum of 30 hours per credit to reading course materials and to other independent study.