General
ISS does not encourage late arrivals, but students may decide to do so at their own discretion. If a student attempts to arrive late, they should be prepared to answer questions from border officials about their late arrival. If a student has requested a “late arrival letter,” it is best that this comes from the academic department rather than ISS. The department is more in tune with the student’s academic program and can speak to whether the late arrival will affect the student’s ability to maintain academic progress.
No content for this section. Make sure you wrap your content like this:
Content here
Yes. F and J international students are required to maintain full-time status each academic quarter. However, if a student is approved for a course drop after a quarter has ended, ISS does not consider this a violation of their immigration status.
After the unrestricted drop period, F and J international students are required to go through the Adviser-assisted Drop process if they would like to drop coursework.
Undergraduate Students
Currently our policy is to extend I-20s only for required coursework to complete a degree. We are not able to extend an I-20 for minor courseowork.
Graduate Students
A Leave of Absence is an immigration process used when an international student wants to take a break from their studies. It results in the termination of their immigration status. Graduate On-leave Status is a process with the Graduate School that retains a students graduate status with the university when taking a break from studies.
If an F or J international student is considering conducting research or fieldwork abroad, they should consult with ISS to understand how being outside the U.S. for an extended period may affect their immigration status.
F and J international students are limited in the number of online courses they can take. If a student is considering switching to an online track/program, they should consult ISS immediately to understand what it means for their immigration record.