Maintaining Your F-1/J-1 Status
Once you are admitted to the United States under the F-1 or J-1 status, you must follow certain regulations and procedures in order to remain in lawful F-1/J-1 status. Please ensure that you read each item below carefully.
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Valid Passport
Your passport must be valid at all times. In addition, re-entry into the United States typically requires a passport is valid for at least six months.For more information on re-entry and passport validity, please visit the Department of Homeland Security website.
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Full-Time Enrollment
As an F-1/J-1 student, you must be enrolled full-time during the fall and spring terms. To be considered a full-time student, you must enroll in at least:
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Undergraduate: 12-credit hours
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Graduate: 9-credit hours
Full-time enrollment in the summer is required if it is your initial semester of enrollment. Please keep in mind that some programs do require full-time summer enrollment.
Important: Only one online or distant learning course can count towards you full-time enrollment. International Enrollment & Services cannot consider any online courses counting towards the on-ground requirement.
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On-Campus Employment
F-1 students are eligible for on-campus employment. You are limited to a total of 20 hours per week during fall and spring semesters when classes are in session. If your program does not require enrollment in the summer term, you can work up to full-time hours during the summer semester.
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Address Changes
You are required to keep the Office of International Enrollment & Services informed of any changes to your telephone number, mailing address, or physical address. Notification is required within 10 days of the change in address.
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Extending Your Program
If you (F-1 or J-1 student) are currently maintaining status and making normal progress toward completing your educational objective, but are unable to complete your course of study by the program end date on the Form I-20/DS-2019, you must apply for a program extension prior to the program end date.
If you are unable to meet the program completion date on the Form I-20/DS-2019, you may be granted an extension by the Designated School Official/Alternate Responsible Officer (DSO/ARO) if the DSO/ARO certifies that the you have continually maintained status and that the delays are caused by compelling academic or medical reasons. This could be due to changes of you major or research topics, unexpected research problems, or documented illnesses. Delays caused by academic probation or suspension are not acceptable reasons for program extensions.
A DSO/ARO cannot grant a program extension if you did not apply for an extension until after the program end date on the Form I-20/DS-2019.To apply for a program extension, please read and follow the instructions on the F-1/J-1 Extension Form
Note: If you fall 'out of status,' you will not have employment benefits (including employment performed under GAs & TSs) until an application for 'Reinstatement' is made. Please visit this website for more information on applying for reinstatement.