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• ISSS is required to report in SEVIS whether a student in F-1 or J-1 status is enrolled full-time at ���ϳԹ�, received an authorized reduced course load, dropped below a full course of study without prior authorization by a Designated School Official (ISSS Advisor), or failed to enroll. •
• Failure to meet the full-time enrollment requirement or receive an authorized reduced course load can result in your SEVIS record being terminated.
• International students are allowed to attend the ���ϳԹ� regardless of their immigration status. International students in F-1 and J-1 status are not required to maintain that status if they wish to enroll in online course work from outside of the United States.�� If enrolling at ���ϳԹ� online from outside of the U.S. without the intent to maintain F-1 or J-1 status, then the F-1 and J-1 enrollment requirements do not apply.

• Undergraduate students: At least 12 credit hours
• Graduate students: At least 5 graduate credit hours, a combination of 8 credit hours of graduate and undergraduate-level courses, or 12 credit hours of undergraduate-level courses.
  • This may change depending on your graduate student registration status and level of course enrollment. Graduate School rules for full-time status apply.
  • Ask your academic department for assistance in determining your graduate student registration status and how to define full-time enrollment based on that status.

Classes must be taken for a grade, pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory in order to count toward the full-time requirement. Classes taken for no-credit will not count toward the full-time enrollment requirement.

On-campus presence refers to the regulatory requirement for international students in the United States in F-1 or J-1 status to enroll in course work that “requires the student's physical attendance for classes, examination or other purposes integral to completion of the class.” Students must register for a certain number of credit hours that are taught using an instruction mode that requires in-person attendance if they wish to remain in the U.S. in valid F-1 or J-1 status.

Hybrid courses can count as in-person if the course includes an in-person learning component. Students who register for a hybrid course and who wish to count the hybrid course credits toward the in-person credit requirement should be prepared to document their attendance.

Yes, if you are signed up for a Hybrid In Person and Online and/or Remote (HY) course to meet the in-person requirement, then you are required to attend the course regularly in-person.This is true even if the course offers an online option. You should be prepared to document your in-person attendance. Failure to attend in-person may jeopardize your grade in the class as well as your F-1 or J-1 status.��

• No, students must register for course work that requires their physical attendance on the Boulder campus (in-person instruction) in their final semester in order to maintain their F-1 or J-1 status. While students can count up to 3 credits of online/remote/distance education courses towards the credits needed to complete their academic program requirements in their final semester, they must still meet the on-campus presence requirement. If a student needs only 3 credits to complete their program, then at least 1 credit must be in-person.
• Students who wish to complete their degree from outside of the U.S. with only online course workmust complete the ISSS Leave of Absence or Withdrawal Form (available in MyISSS portal) to report that they are leaving the U.S. and will continue to study from abroad. ISSS will process the request in 2-5 business days and your F-1 or J-1 SEVIS record will be terminated for the positive reason of “authorized early withdrawal.” Students will have a 15-day grace period to leave the U.S. beginning when ISSS terminates their  SEVIS record (and your F-2 dependents' records, if applicable). Please confirm the F-1 SEVIS termination date with ISSS and review the ISSS Leave of Absence website for further information.
  • Please work with your Academic Advisor or Graduate Program Advisor to discuss if your degree can be completed online.

Yes. Due to current restrictions imposed by U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, web course delivery cannot be provided to the following countries:

• Cuba, Iran, Sudan, North Korea, Syria, Crimea Region of the Ukraine

Students who are a resident or may be a resident in any of these countries during their CU study, may require prior U.S. government approval. Students residing in a sanctioned country should not enroll or begin an academic program at CU. CU can seek prior U.S. government approval on a case by case basis. If you are interested in seeking prior approval, contact the Office of Export Controls at exportcontrolhelp@colorado.edu.

Yes. To do so, students must complete the ISSS Leave of Absence or Withdrawal Form (available in MyISSS portal) to report that they are leaving the U.S. and will continue to study from abroad. ISSS will process the request in 2-5 business days and your F-1 or J-1 SEVIS record will be terminated for the positive reason of “authorized early withdrawal”. Students will have a 15-day grace period to leave the U.S. beginning when ISSS terminates their  SEVIS record (and your F-2 dependents' records, if applicable). Please confirm the F-1 SEVIS termination date with ISSS and review the ISSS Leave of Absence website for further information.

• Please work with your Academic Advisor or Graduate Program Advisor to discuss if your degree can be completed online.

ISSS understands that the  that they will not recognize degrees obtained online from foreign universities. It is unclear if that policy applies to ���ϳԹ� degree programs which are not completely online by definition but in which a student may take some courses online including the final course(s) needed for graduation. Therefore, ISSS suggests that if at all possible, international students from China finish their ���ϳԹ� degrees in person on campus. If this impacts you directly, please reach out to ISSS for specific instructions on what you need to do to return to the U.S. on a F-1 student visa. You should not return to the U.S. on any other type of U.S. visa to complete your studies.

If students have a qualifying Academic or Medical reason, they may be eligible for an authorized reduced course load. Please consult ISSS if you have questions regarding eligibility requirements. Please do not drop below a full course of study without ISSS authorization.

Please note, students with an authorized Academic RCL must still satisfy the on-campus presence requirement.

See our page on Final Term Enrollment Requirements

Yes, the F-1 regulations allow schools to authorize a reduced course in a student’s final term if a student needs less than a full-time course load to complete their academic program requirements.��Please note, students must still satisfy the on-campus presence requirement, even in their final semester.

All students enrolling in their final semester must submit the Confirmation of Final Semester e-Form (available in MyISSS portal). If when completing the Confirmation of Final Semester e-Form the student and their academic advisor confirm that less than a full-time course load is needed to complete the academic program requirements,  then ISSS will automatically approve the student for an Academic Reduced Course Load. An Academic Reduced Course Load Request e-Form is not needed in this situation. Please note, if a student has been authorized by ISSS for a reduced course load in their final semester but does not finish as expected, a second consecutive reduced course load is permitted.�� However, a student is not eligible for a third final-term reduced course load.

No. Students who have satisfied all requirements for the completion of their program cannot continue to be enrolled for administrative purposes. For example, after having satisfied all the requirements for their degree, international students in F-1 or J-1 status cannot continue to enroll to improve their overall GPA, prepare for graduate school, or to delay graduation for administrative reasons.

The F-1 and J-1 full-time enrollment requirements only apply if you wish to maintain your F-1 or J-1 status. If you choose to exit the U.S. and pursue a course of study online, then you must complete the ISSS Leave of Absence or Withdrawal Form (available in MyISSS portal) to report that they are leaving the U.S. and will continue to study from abroad. ISSS will process the request in 2-5 business days and your F-1 or J-1 SEVIS record will be terminated for the positive reason of “authorized early withdrawal.” Students will have a 15-day grace period to leave the U.S. beginning when ISSS terminates their SEVIS record (and your F-2 dependents' records, if applicable). Please confirm the F-1 SEVIS termination date with ISSS and review the ISSS Leave of Absence website for further information

• Enrollment in the summer is required if it is your first term at the ���ϳԹ� in F-1 or J-1 status
• Enrollment in the summer is required if you will be completing your course of study and graduating in the summer and you wish to maintain your F-1 or J-1 status
• For Ph.D. or Master’s (thesis) students, enrollment is required in the term you defend your Ph.D. dissertation or your Master’s thesis. If you plan to defend your dissertation or Master’s thesis after the summer term has started, you will need to be fully enrolled during the summer term