There are three circumstances when an F-1 student can be enrolled less than full-time: Academic difficulties. Medical condition. Completion of course of study (final semester)
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.
Qualifying circumstances for a regular F-1 student to receive a reduced course load authorization include:Medical condition or illness.Certain initial academic difficulties, including: Improper course level placement. Initial difficulty with the English language. ... Being in your final term or semester.
RCL allows F-1 and M-1 students to attend classes part-time. In addition, for illness or medical cases, a DSO may excuse a student from all classes for up to 12 months for an F-1 or five months for an M-1.
If the reason is “improper course level placement,” the letter should explain the missing prerequisite courses or skills that prevented the student from being academic successful.
Dropping Individual Courses for F-1 and J-1 Students. Remember that any course drop(s) must be approved while the semester is still in session. International students in F or J status cannot retroactively drop or withdraw courses once a semester has ended.
International students may withdraw from a class as long as they continue to be enrolled for at least 12 credits.
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.
Federal student immigration regulations only allow for one 4-credit class to count towards the minimum full-time enrollment requirement of 12 credits.
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.
If a student is in their final semester and will be considered to be enrolled less than full-time, that student should submit their completed RCL form before the first day of the requested semester. They should pre-register for the intended number of reduced credits.
The DGP / Academic Advisor must indicate on the form the academic reason for the RCL request and in signing the form indicate that they do not object (from an academic advising perspective) to the student receiving an academic RCL for the stated reason. The OIS Advisor may need to request, or the DGP / Academic Advisor may wish to provide, additional information related to the academic circumstances which justify the academic RCL. A student may not drop below half of the required credits that make up a full time semester. Students should not drop below full-time – or fail to register full-time – until first receiving approval of the RCL from an OIS advisor.
With a medical Reduced Course Load it is permissible to drop some or all courses and the Reduced Course Load is valid for only one semester at a time, but may be renewed each semester for up to one year if necessary. Following the semester (s) of Reduced Course Load it is expected that the student will continue to enroll as a full-time student unless it is the student’s final semester. Please do not drop below full-time – or fail to register full-time – until you receive confirmation that the Reduced Course Load request is approved in SEVIS.
Note: Thesis and Dissertation students requesting RCL’s must provide on the RCL form the date of their already-scheduled defense date, and that date must be on or before the “Registration Required ETD Review Deadline / Apply to Graduate Deadline / Doctoral Graduation Attendance Notification (DGAN) Deadline”. Students who have not already scheduled their defense to occur before this date do not qualify for the final semester RCL.
Students are not permitted to enroll exclusively for distance education courses, including in their final semester and even if they qualify for a final semester reduced course load. This enrollment requirement is true whether a student’s final semester is a fall, spring, or summer term.
Additionally, please note that Reduced Course Loads only authorize less than full-time enrollment in the immigration database. There may be additional academic steps necessary to drop below a full-time course load, such as completing a schedule revision form. Please check with your academic advisor or Director of Graduate Programs to see if there are any other academic requirements to drop below full-time.
An RCL authorized for a final semester (which shortens the Program End Date in SEVIS to that semester) cannot be extended. A student MUST complete their program by the end of the anticipated final semester. Students are not permitted to enroll exclusively for distance education courses, including in their final semester and ...