Full Course of Study Information for Faculty and Staff

All students in the United States on F-1 or J-1 student visas are required to complete in-person and full-time studies each required semester (Fall/Spring). In most cases, intersession and summer are considered vacation or optional unless a program requires enrollment during those terms.

Full-time enrollment for:

• Undergraduate students is 12 credit hours per semester

• LLM students is 10 credit hours per semester

• JD students is 12 credit hours per semester

• Graduate students is 6 credit hours per semester

In-person Enrollment Requirements:

• International students are limited to one class, up to 3 units, of online/remote/hyflex courses towards their full-time requirement. For example, graduate students need 6 units to be full-time. A graduate student that is enrolled in 6 units can have one class, up to three units, of these 6 units, be online. 

• International students can never be enrolled in only online classes during required terms.

Exceptions to the full-time requirement can be made under certain circumstances and students need to seek approval from ISSS before dropping below full-time. Students are always eligible to drop below full-time in their final term as long as they are completing the number of units required for their degrees. Academic exceptions include improper course level placement and other academic difficulties that are outside of the student’s control. Medical reasons to drop below full-time vary, but require confirmation from a licensed medical professional in the United States that the student's health will impact their academic ability. We recommend all academic advisors and professors to contact ISSS if there are any questions about a student’s full-time status or the reasons to drop below full-time. ISSS is required to clearly document any exceptions to the full-time rule. There are no exceptions to the in-person requirement.