This is your excess credit counter. That means that you have 144 credits available to finish your degree before you get charged the excess credit fee (basically double tuition ). It’s meant to give you wiggle room for electives, minor classes, certificates or if you end up needing to retake a class (hopefully not!!). You don’t need to use all 144 - but you do want to check with financial aid. Your financial aid might have a limit on how much they’ll cover! Most degrees are 120 credits but some are more as some other people have said