F-1 Enrollment Requirements

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.

Graduate students must enroll in 10 credits each quarter.

Thesis/Dissertation Credits: Graduate students who register for at least 1 credit of thesis (700) or dissertation (800) 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.

Students in professional programs must enroll in 12 credits each quarter. If your program has a specific course structure, please contact ISS.

Other Registration Considerations

Only one online class may count towards the minimum credit amount each quarter.

For immigration purposes, an online course is one that does not require a student’s physical attendance for classes, examinations, or other activities that are integral to completing the course. As a result, courses that require any in-person attendance such as lectures, exams, or labs are not considered online for visa purposes.

You may count only one online course toward your full-time enrollment requirement each quarter. Hybrid courses that are primarily online but include a required in-person component do not count toward this limit.

ISS determines whether a student meets these requirements based on the official course modality listed in the university’s registration system.

If you change your schedule after the quarter begins, review your enrollment carefully. Dropping or changing courses could affect the amount of required in-person coursework you are taking and may impact your immigration status.

It is okay if you change your grade option to S/NS. You would still be considered full-time. As long as you stay registered, the grade change does not affect your F-1 status. Also, even if you do not pass the class, that does not automatically affect F-1 status. Staying registered and attempting the full-time schedule is the primary concern.

Auditing a class does not count towards your enrollment requirements.

During your final quarter, you may be able authorized to take a Reduced Course Load. Additionally, you may not take only CPT coursework or only online coursework during your final quarter unless required of your program.

If you intend to register for the summer quarter and consider it as a normal academic quarter for immigration enrollment purposes, you must meet the normal full-time requirements and online coursework limitations outlined above.

Note: While many students are eligible to take summer as a vacation quarter, this is not the case if you intend to complete program requirements or if your I-20 expires in the summer. If your I-20 expires in the summer but you plan to continue your studies beyond summer, you must apply for an I-20 Extension.

Courses taken at UW Tacoma or UW Bothell do not count towards your full-time enrollment requirements unless you apply for Concurrent Enrollment authorization.

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.