Considering a Reduced Course Load Here are some common reasons for considering a reduced course load, all of which have to do with finding the right balance between your studies and your life outside of the classroom. You’re concerned that making the transition from high school to university will be challenging. Rest assured, you’re not alone.
Student must maintain a minimum six-credit course load, or half the clock hours required for a full course of study Find the regulations addressing reduced course loads for F-1 students at: Title 8 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 214.2 (f) (6) (iii)- (iv)
If you are an international student considering a reduced course load, please contact the International Student Services Office (ISSO)to see whether your visa or study permit may be affected. Am I Eligible? As a degree student, am I eligible… 0.5-1.0 credit per term 1.5 credits per term 2.0 credits or more per term To live in residence? no* yes yes
5.0 credits over the fall and winter terms (or 6.0 with an “Overload”) is the maximum course load for degree students. However, it is by no means the Skip to Main Content Carleton.ca About Admissions Undergraduate Graduate Academics Research Campus Future Students Undergraduate Graduate Current Students Undergraduate Graduate Faculty/Staff Alumni
A Reduced Course Load (RCL) is a permission from an ISS Advisor to enroll below the full-time requirements for a given semester. Federal regulations provide limited circumstances when an F-1 student may be authorized for an RCL.
If you can manage a full course load, it can be an important step toward graduating in a timely manner. If you're interested in finishing college in four years, one of the best ways to ensure a timely graduation is to take a full course load—meaning a minimum of 15 units per semester.
A Final Semester Reduced Course Load permits F-1 and J-1 students to reduce their course load below full-time (at least one credit, but fewer than 12 credits) if it is the final semester of their degree program and they need fewer than 12 credits to graduate.
Non-Degree Students = 12 Credit Hours Students who drop below full-time enrollment without prior authorization from the ISSO must be reported to the Department of Homeland Security via SEVIS. As a result, the student will lose lawful F-1 or J-1 status including employment eligibility and benefits.
A college student is considered to be enrolled on a full-time basis for student financial aid purposes if they are enrolled for at least 12 credits a semester. Since a class typically requires at least three credits, 12 credits will require four classes per semester.
What is a Credit Hour?Credits to be earnedHours per week, 7-week courseHours per week, 14-week course1 credit6 hours3 hours3 credits18 hours9 hours6 credits36 hours18 hours12 credits72 hours36 hours
F-1 degree seeking students can count three credits in an online/distance learning course per semester toward the full-time enrollment requirement. Therefore, a minimum of 9 out of 12 credits for undergraduates must be on-campus, face-to-face.
This is because a reduced course load authorization can only apply to one term or semester at a time. Remember, dropping below a full course of study without the proper authorizations could jeopardize your active student status in SEVIS.
You are allowed to take only 1 (one), 3 (three ) credit on-line course each semester in meeting your 18 credit minimum. Because there are NO ON-CAMPUS courses offered in the summer, an F1 international student MUST take 9 credits Fall semester and 9 credits Spring semesters.
12 credit hoursF-1 undergraduate students at a college or university must take at least 12 credit hours per term.
6 creditsYou must take a full course load during the academic year in order to keep your non-immigrant status. This means you must take at least: Undergraduate Students: 12 credits (credit hours) per semester. Graduate Students: 6 credits (credit hours) per semester.
While in the United States, F-1 students must be continuously enrolled full time during the academic year until the completion of their programs of study. A Leave of Absence (LOA) allows F1 student to take time off from their academic program.
Residence. In order to be eligible to live on campus, students must be enrolled in at least 1.5 credits per term. If you are a Residence student considering taking fewer than 1.5 credits in the fall or winter terms, you must contact Housing and Residence Life Services to discuss your situation in more detail.
Although degree students may take up to 2.5 credits per term (or 3.0 with an “Overload”), Carleton University considers any student enrolled in 1.5 credits or more per term a “Full-time” student. Conversely, the University considers any student enrolled in fewer than 1.5 credits per term a “Part-time” student.
You must maintain an annual GPA of 10.0 or better and register in and complete at least 4.0 credits over the fall and winter terms in order to renew your scholarship. For more information about your scholarship and its terms and conditions, please contact the Awards and Financial Aid Office.
For a full-time BA student enrolled in 5.0 credits, that’s a grand total of 45 hours a week. Throw in a part-time job and you may find yourself spread too thin to keep up.
Involvement in certain activities may also allow you to add the experience to your Co-Curricular Record, which is part of your official academic transcript. Much like having a part-time job, however, campus involvement and community work can cut in to study time.
If summer is your first or final semester, you must be enrolled full time (see chart above), and only one course, not to exceed 3 credits, can count toward your full-time enrollment.
When a student is approved for a Final Semester RCL, the student’s I-20 is shortened to the last day of the semester in which they will finish their degree requirements. After the RCL is approved in Cystart, the student will receive an email notification of the RCL approval and that the new, shortened I-20 is ready for pickup.
Summer is a vacation period and enrollment is not required unless it is your first or final semester. If it is your first or final semester, you must be enrolled full time during the summer. *Regulations state 18 clock hours, but IEOP policy requires 20 clock hours.
Enrollment is not required. Enrollment is not required. Enrollment is not required by regulations; Check with Graduate College for their policies, if on an assistantship. If enrolled Spring I and II, enrollment is not required. *Regulations state 18 clock hours, but IEOP policy requires 20 clock hours.
Requests for reduced credit loads (below 12 credits) must be made before the beginning of the semester. Any requests made after the semester has commenced will be considered for the following semester.
The School of Arts and Sciences is a full-time institution. All students are required to enroll in at least 12 credits per semester to maintain full-time status, and are expected to enroll in 15 credits per semester in order to graduate in four years.
University of Virginia College of Arts & Sciences students who wish to carry 6 or fewer credits for a semester may do so with the permission of their dean. Students must submit the Request for Part-Time Study Form by the add deadline. The following rules apply:
Tuition is charged per credit (no more than 6 credits). First-year students may not enroll part-time. Part-time status is mostly for students completing a degree after 8 semesters or for those who need to catch up on credits or requriements.
In order to be considered enrolled at the University of Virginia, students must, by the stated deadlines: Be enrolled in all classes by the College of A&S add deadline. Meet with relevant office to have all holds removed. Pay all bills.
Master’s Student Who Requires Less Than 9 Credits While Engaged in Full Time Thesis or Paper Research and Writing. Students must enroll for a minimum of one credit each semester of reduced course load and cannot use this reason in combination of Last Semester of Enrollment.
Last Semester of Enrollment. Student will complete the program of study in the semester for which the reduced course load is being requested. For students in non-thesis programs, this is the last semester of any enrollment. For students in programs of study which require a thesis or paper, this is the last semester of any enrollment ...
F-1 and J-1 students will find information pertaining to maintaining their immigration status in this section. The international student advisers in DISSA assist students in maintaining their status, but ultimately maintenance of status is the individual student's responsibility. Students should read the information in this section carefully.
If you are dropping or withdrawing from a course during the semester, you must first receive permission from International Student and Scholar Services if the add/drop will cause you to fall below a full course load. You must follow these additional steps:
You are required to meet the minimum number of credit hours taken in the classroom shown below. Courses listed in myZou as 30-80 percent online are considered online courses. These course credits will be counted toward the maximum three credits of online coursework allowed for your full-time enrollment requirements.
At least 50 percent of your courses must be taken at MU. The courses you take at another institution will count toward your full-time enrollment requirement at MU as long as you submit a Reduced Course Load request in myStatus with confirmation of enrollment at the other institution.
Undergraduate students: 6 credit hours. Graduate students: 4.5 credit hours. If summer is your last term at MU, you must be enrolled in at least one credit hour that meets the following criteria: Credit must be offered on MU’s campus as face-to-face instruction. You cannot be enrolled in only online credits.
Continuing students are not required to enroll for summer courses unless it is your final semester at MU (you will complete your degree and graduate in August). Doctoral students who have passed comprehensive exams are required to take at least one credit during the summer.
Individual departments or the Graduate School may require you to take more credits. Enrollment as an auditor or hearer or “in exam” credit does not count toward full-time enrollment. Incomplete courses continued in the following semester do not count toward full-time enrollment.