1. Academic difficulty exceptions
The ISP office may authorize a
reduced course load for a student experiencing academic
difficulties, but only on the basis of the following reasons
specified in the regulations:
-
Initial Difficulty with the English
Language
-
Initial Difficulty with Reading
Requirements
-
Unfamiliarity with American Teaching
Methods
-
Improper Course Level Placement
These are the
only academic difficulty reasons for which a reduced course load may
be approved.
RCL for
academic difficulty can be approved only once per program level
A reduced course
load can be approved on the academic difficulty basis only
once while pursuing a course of study at a particular program
level. Use of an academic difficulty RCL does not affect
eligibility for other RCLs, however.
Resumption of
full course of study in next available term
Students who are
granted an RCL authorization on one of the academic difficulty bases
must resume a full course of study in the next available semester,
excluding a non-required summer session, in order to maintain
status.
2. Illness or Medical Condition
An illness or
other medical condition may justify an interruption or reduction in
a full course of study.
The medical
condition must be substantiated by "medical documentation from a
licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical
psychologist." RCLs for medical conditions can be granted for
no more than 12 months in the aggregate during any one course of
study. Like all reduced course load authorizations, RCL
authorizations for medical reasons must be approved by the ISP
office prior to the reduction in course load. The rule also
required the ISP office to reauthorize the RCL each new semester.
3. To Complete Course
of Study in Current Term
The ISP office
can authorize a reduced course load in the student's final semester
if fewer courses are needed to complete the course of study.
A student should ask for a
Reduced Course Load
(RCL) authorization
to the ISP office and bring a note from an academic counselor
verifying the completion of study. Otherwise, a student's RCL will be
reported to SEVIS as "Failure to maintain F-1 status."
A student that
requires an official RCL determination may not take "0" courses
during the final term. Even if the school continues to enroll
the student for administrative reasons, the student who will
complete all requirements for the degree must apply for OPT, apply
for a change of status to some other classification, or depart the
United States.
Other exceptions and
exemptions
Annual
vacation exemption
F-1 regulations recognize that traditional school years include
a session (usually summer), during which students are considered by
the school to be on break, and not required to be registered for
classes. The regulations see this as an annual vacation,
and consider the student to be maintaining status even though he or
she is not actually registered for classes.
Students
engaged in practical training
Optional
practical training
A student on authorized practical training following
completion of studies is considered to be maintaining F-1
status, but is not required to be registered for studies.
Curricular
practical training
A student engaged in full-time curricular practical training
may or may not be formally enrolled for coursework. The
regulations do acknowledge that curricular practical training
may be done full-time if the curriculum requires it; they also
indicate that curricular practical training may be done for
credit or as a requirement of a program.
A student engaged in part-time curricular practical training
would be required to enroll concurrently in coursework (or be
otherwise certifiable as exempt from the full-time course of
study requirement, such as in the last term for an undergraduate
degree) to maintain full-time status.
Concurrent
enrollment
Effective January 1, 2003, regulations allow an F-1 student to
be enrolled in two different SEVIS-approved F-1 schools at the same
time (concurrent enrollment), as long as the enrollment in both
schools amounts to a full time course of study.
A student should ask for a
Reduced Course Load
(RCL) authorization
to the ISP office and bring a registration record, at the beginning
of the semester, and a grade report, at the end of the semester,
from another school. Otherwise, a student's RCL will be
reported to SEVIS as "Failure to maintain F-1 status."
The concurrent
enrollment provision is applicable only to those who will be
registered less than full-time at the school that issued their I-20,
and who are relying on enrollment at another school in order to meet
the requirement that they be enrolled for a full course of study.
As long as a student is enrolled full-time at the institution that
issued his or her Form I-20, he or she does not need special
permission to take an additional class at another school.
Maintaining Your Status can be read in these languages:
English (PDF)
Spanish (PDF)
Arabic (PDF)
Japanese (PDF)
Korean (PDF)
Chinese (PDF)
