What is the minimum number of credits I must take each semester?
12 credits per semester, unless otherwise authorized by ISP staff.
Can I drop below full time status due to academic difficulties?
An F-1 student may reduce his/her course load only once per program level due to academic difficulties. To maintain legal status, an F-1 student who is authorized to reduce his/her course load due to this reason must still be enrolled for at least 6 credits (at least one half the full-time credit load) and must enroll full time the next available semester. The International Student Program must approve the request to cancel/withdraw from a class before any changes to a student’s enrollment are made. Students may fill out the Reduced Course Load Form and make an appointment with the international student adviser.
The DHS accepts the following academic difficulties as reasons for a reduction of a student‘s course load:
- Must cancel or withdraw due to improper course level placement (support from the academic adviser required).
- Initial difficulty with the English language and/or with reading requirements (support from academic adviser required).
Unfamiliarity with United States (U.S.) teaching methods or reading requirements (support academic adviser required).
Can I drop below full time status due to a medical reason?
A letter from a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist is required clearly states that the student is unable to maintain full-time enrollment.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations limit to 12 months per program level the period of time an F-1 student may enroll for less than a full course load due to a medical condition. An F-1 student whose medical condition does not permit full-time enrollment after a 12-month period must either leave the U.S. and recuperate in the home country or apply for a change of visa status to allow for continued medical treatment in the U.S.
- The International Student Program advises students who are ill and unable to attend classes to see a doctor regarding their illness. If the illness is such that the doctor recommends that the student withdraw from classes or not enroll, the student may file a Reduced Course Load Form with a supporting letter from the physician. The supporting documentation must clearly state that request for a reduction in the student’s course load is based on medical considerations.
- Illness of family members is not a reason recognized by the DHS for failure to enroll for a full course of study.
Final semester: A student must be completing a program of study by the end of the semester.
Can I take a course online?
International students, studying in the US, are required to take a certain number of their credits as in-person. This means there are limitations on the number of online credits you can count towards your full-course requirement.
If you are only enrolling in the minimum number of credits required to maintain your status, you are only allowed to enroll in up to 3 online credits.
If you enroll in more than your minimum credit requirement, you MAY enroll in more than 3 online credits, but:
Undergraduate students: You must be enrolled in at least 9 in-person credits.
If you are considering dropping an in person class, you are still responsible for having the correct ratio of in-person to online courses. For undergraduate students the minimum in person classes is 9 credits and if you drop below that you will violate your visa status.
Can I enroll in classes that are not a full semester in length?
Yes, but you should enroll for all of your credits at the beginning of the term.
Am I required to be a full-time student during the summer?
Continuing students are not required to enroll during summer, and there is no full course of study minimum for the summer session.
- Students who are starting at the UMN Morris for the first time during the summer MUST enroll full-time (the amounts listed above)
What does it mean to extend my program of study? If I need more time in order to graduate, what is the process?
- A program extension is required if a student is unable to complete all degree requirements by the date noted in Item five of the SEVIS I-20.
- A program extension request must be made to the ISP before the I-20 expiration date.
- Failure to process a program extension before the expiration of the I-20 results in the loss of legal status and the ability to work on the campus.
- Students are not eligible for full-time Curricular Practical Training after a program extension has been processed.
- A student who has entered a new degree program but failed to obtain a new I-20 reflecting the new program should have a new I-20 processed at the International Student Program; this is generally not considered a program extension.
Eligibility
- Student must be in a legal F–1 status.
- I-20 must reflect student‘s current program of study.
- Student must possess valid passport.
- Delays in completion must be caused by compelling academic or medical reasons, such as:
- changes of major
- documented illness
- Delays caused by academic probation or suspension are not acceptable reasons for a program extension.
A student who has been authorized for 12 months or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training and/or Optional Practical Training is not eligible for a program extension.