F-1 international students must meet enrollment requirements to keep their immigration status valid. Always check with ISS if you are not able to enroll full-time.
Enrollment Requirements
To understand more about full-time enrollment at the University of Washington, please visit the UW Registrar’s website.
Undergraduate students must enroll in 12 credits each quarter.
Please keep in mind the Academic and Registration dates issued by the University to ensure that you are able to enroll by the deadline.
Thesis/Dissertation Credits: Graduate students who register for at least 1 credit of thesis (700-level) or dissertation (800-level) meet the full-time requirement for immigration purposes. However, teaching or research assistants may still need to register for 10 credits.
TA/RA in Summer: Graduate students enrolled in 2 credits during the summer quarter but who have an academic appointment are generally considered full-time for immigration purposes.
Other Registration Considerations
Only one online class may count towards the minimum credit amount each quarter.
An online class is one that “does not require the student’s physical attendance for classes, examination or other purposes integral to completion of the class. Therefore, courses with physical attendance requirements, such as lectures, exams, or faculty meetings, are not online for visa status purposes. You cannot take only online coursework during your final quarter. Hybrid classes that are mostly online but have a physical presence requirement are not counted toward the 1 class limit for online courses.
Academic Progress
F-1 international students must make academic progress to maintain their immigration status. While failing a class does not affect your immigration status, a lack of progress or dismissal from your program may.
Can’t Enroll Full-time?
There may be times when you are not able to enroll full-time. To maintain F-1 status, you may need to apply for an Exception to Full-time Enrollment or consider taking an immigration Leave of Absence. Consult an ISS advisor to discuss your options.