Scope
International Students in F-1 Student Visa Status.
Purpose
To outline requirements for international students in F-1 visa status. This is not an exhaustive list of related federal and University policies.
Policy
In addition to complying with the general academic regulations of the University, nonimmigrant students in F-1 student visa status must follow the regulations in this policy. Students are responsible for consulting the Office of International Services and Study Abroad (OISSA) and to understand and comply with all applicable requirements in order to maintain their lawful status. Failure to comply with federal regulations may result in violation of their F-1 status.
01. Full-Time Enrollment
F-1 status international students are required to maintain a full-time enrollment status each fall and spring semester (12 hours undergraduate or 9 hours graduate1 with exceptions for programs listed in A.02.022) and make normal academic progress in their academic program. Students beginning in a summer session must enroll full-time in their initial summer session at UST. No more than one online course or three credit hours can be counted towards their enrollment minimum each semester. International students must obtain authorization from OISSA for an eligible reason before dropping below a full-time course load, taking a leave of absence from their program, or withdrawing from the University. If a student takes only one course in the last semester, it cannot be online.
02. In-Person Attendance Requirement for Hyflex Courses
Unless otherwise specified by federal regulations, international students holding F-1 student visas are required to attend class regularly and in-person in the physical classroom and cannot attend class in a fully online modality.
03. Employment Authorization
Enrolled F-1 students are eligible to work on-campus for up to 20 hours/week during spring and fall semesters. More than 20 hours/week is permitted during official school breaks. They may not work off-campus without prior authorization from OISSA or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
04. Reporting Requirement and Timely Requests
F-1 International students are required to provide updated physical address, phone number, major and minor to OISSA within 10 days of change. Students must reply to OISSA’s requests for information and documentation and submit any necessary requests to OISSA in a timely manner.
05. Health Insurance
All F-1 international students are required to enroll in the University’s international student health insurance plan unless they already have health insurance that meets the waiver requirements and obtain approval for a waiver.
Definitions
Credit hours is the unit of measurement for academic work is the credit hour, representing fifty minutes of class lecture or contact time per week for one semester. Two to four laboratory clock hours are usually required for earning 1 credit hour in a laboratory course.
Distance education is a formal educational process that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor synchronously or asynchronously.
A distance education course (i.e., online course) is defined as one in which the instructional content is delivered exclusively via distance education.
A distance education program (i.e., online program) is a program for which all the required coursework for program completion is able to be completed via online courses.
A hybrid course is defined as one in which a minimum of one third (but less than 100%) of instructional content is delivered via distance education.
A hyflex course is defined as a live course that is also streamed live on the Internet. Students may be in person or remote.
APPROVED: Dr. Richard Ludwick
Date of Original Formation: 09/01/2010
Revision Number: 2
Revision Date: 02/09/2024
Effective Date: 12/20/2024