A Message from the Director of ISSS
Enrollment Guidance Moving Forward
This message is to inform all international students with an F-1 & J-1 visa status about the change to the number of online classes students can enroll in during the academic year. The academic year consists of Fall, Spring and Summer (if summer is the student’s first semester in their program or their final semester.) I ask that you read the entire message as it is important and may require planning and working closely with academic advisors.
On March 2020, the U.S. government issued a guidance allowing schools and students to engage in online classes more than what is allowed due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. This allowance continued until the end of Summer 2023.
On May 12, 2023, the U.S. government announced that it will no longer view COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency and will end the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) guidance.
There is a limit to the number of online classes international students can count towards a full-time course schedule per the U.S. Federal Government. Regulations state that only one online class (3 credits) per semester will count towards the minimum number of credits needed for full-time enrollment as an F-1 or J-1 student.
The University of Utah and a handful of other schools officially reverted to pre-COVID enrollment requirements in Fall 2022, however, others have continued following the COVID-19 guidance. The U.S Government will now recognize that starting Fall 2023 all U.S. institutions will revert to pre-COVID enrollment requirements. The following will need to be considered for this upcoming Fall 2023 semester:
- All F-1 and J-1 students are eligible for a maximum of ONE (3 credit) online class towards their full-time enrollment during the academic semesters.
- A student cannot have an online course as the only course.
- Students authorized by ISSS to enroll in less than full-time are limited to ONE (3 credit) online class.
- Summer semester is considered a vacation semester if it's not the student’s first or final semester. During the vacation semester, students have the option to enroll in none or as many in-person/online classes as needed.
- If it is the student’s first semester and it is Summer, they are required to be enrolled in a full-time course enrollment schedule and online class restrictions still apply.
- Students who fail to enroll in the required full-time course schedule will result in “termination” of your visa status.
Once a student has a full-time course schedule and meets the requirements, they can enroll in many additional online courses as they would like.
Below you will find a table for both Undergraduate and Graduate students must have the following number of credits to be considered full-time. Please note that students are not allowed to be enrolled in only 1st or only 2nd half courses. Students must have a FULL-SEMESTER course schedule. Classes with the “Instruction Mode” as “Hybrid” or “IVC Hybrid” will count towards the in-person requirements. “IVC” courses are considered as Online.
Undergraduate Students
|
Semester |
Minimum Credits Required |
Minimum In-Person Credits + Full Semester Credits (In Person/Hybrid/IVC+Hybrid) |
|
Fall |
credit hours |
credit hours (In-Person/Hybrid/IVC+Hybrid) ( credits out of credit hours must be Full Semester ) |
|
Spring |
credit hours |
credit hours (In-Person/Hybrid/IVC+Hybrid) ( credits out of credit hours must be Full Semester ) |
|
Summer (Vacation) |
0 credit hours |
0 credit hours |
|
Summer (First Semester) |
credit hours |
credit hours (In-Person/Hybrid/IVC+Hybrid) ( credits out of credit hours must be Full Semester ) |
Graduate Students
Doctoral students who have completed all coursework, may be enrolled in one 3 credit thesis/dissertation course as long as the course’s “Instruction Mode” is “In-Person.”
|
Semester |
Minimum Credits Required |
Minimum In-Person Credits (In Person/Hybrid/IVC+Hybrid) + Full Semester Credits |
|
Fall |
credit hours |
credit hours (In-Person/Hybrid/IVC+Hybrid) ( credits out of credit hours must be Full Semester) |
|
Spring |
credit hours |
credit hours (In-Person/Hybrid/IVC+Hybrid) ( credits out of credit hours must be Full Semester) |
|
Summer (Vacation) |
0 credit hours |
0 credit hours |
|
Summer (First Semester) |
credit hours |
credit hours (In-Person/Hybrid/IVC+Hybrid) ( credits out of credit hours must be Full Semester) |
Students in their final semester will still need to submit a Reduced Course Load (RCL), a permission to be registered below full-time during a semester. Students will need to obtain permission from ISSS to be under-enrolled by submitting the "Reduced Course Load" e-form in UAtlas. ISSS is federally mandated to report this in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
I encourage you to contact your academic or graduate advisor if you have questions
about the classes or class modality.
Questions about this announcement or your visa status, I encourage you to come to our Walk-In Advising or email international@utah.edu.
Anastasia Fynn 
Director
International Student & Scholars Services | Office for Global Engagement