Course Grades and Your F-1/J-1 Status
It is up to each student to ensure that they are enrolled full-time for their degree level and STAY full-time through the end of the semester. For immigration purposes, grades don't matter when it comes to full-time status (i.e. an A or F in a class will still allow those credit hours to count towards being enrolled full time).
However, if you Q-drop (Q) or withdraw (W) from a course, that course will not count toward full-time enrollment even if the student had been actively taking the course all semester.Incomplete (I) and X grades will also still be counted towards a student's full-time enrollment for the semester(s) in which the student was enrolled in the course. They cannot be counted towards full-time enrollment for the semester(s) in which the student is completing the remaining course work but is not enrolled in the course.
Note!
Students may Q-drop or otherwise drop classes without ISSS approval AS LONG AS they are still at or above full-time hours for their degree level!
Co-Enrollment and Other School Enrollment
F-1 Students
With approval from ISSS, you can co-enroll at Texas A&M and another SEVP-approved school in the U.S. during any semester. The courses must count towards your Texas A&M degree; talk to your academic advisor if you’re unsure.
- Submit a Co-Enrollment or Other School Enrollment request in the ISSS Portal (in the Academic Program Updates section)
- During spring/fall semesters or your final semester, you MUST take at least half of your courses at TAMU.
- You may enroll at another school only (no TAMU enrollment) during the Summer or during minimesters.
ISSS will count the approved co-enrollment courses towards your full-time enrollment for immigration purposes that term.
J-1 students
You can co-enroll at Texas A&M and another SEVP-approved school in the U.S., but those courses will not count toward your full-time enrollment for immigration purposes that term.
If you decide to co-enroll at another school, make sure you take enough credits at Texas A&M to be considered full-time. Prior approval from ISSS is not needed for the co-enrollment.
Distance and Online Courses
F-1 and J-1 students are allowed to enroll in distance/online courses. However, there is a restriction on how many distance/online courses can count for maintaining your status. Only one distance/online course (up to 3 credits) will count towards your immigration requirement each semester.
- Courses with instructional method codes of WEB, VIDEO, or HYBRD will be considered distance/online courses for immigration purposes.
F-1 and J-1 students are permitted to enroll in more than 3 credits of distance/online courses per semester, but only 3 credits will count toward their full-time enrollment requirement for immigration purposes. This is different from the University’s requirement.
You are not allowed to enroll in a fully online or distance education academic program. ISSS cannot issue an I-20 or DS-2019 for students admitted to a fully online or distance education program.
Example Scenario
An F-1 graduate student wants to take two, 3-credit online courses during Fall semester. They may do this as long as they also enroll in 6 credits that are not distance/online. This means they will have to enroll for a total of 12 credit hours (6 in person + 6 online).- The 6 in person credits plus 3 of the distance/online credits will count toward the student's 9 credit hour minimum enrollment requirement.
- The additional 3 credits for which they are enrolled do not count toward their full-time enrollment for immigration purposes.
If this student later wants to drop one of the in-person courses, they will need to obtain an authorized exception to full-time enrollment because they will no longer be considered full-time for immigration purposes if they are enrolled in only 3 in person credits and 6 distance/online credits.
Even though the Office of Registrar may define the student as enrolled full-time, they are NOT full-time for immigration purposes and may be in jeopardy of violating their F-1 immigration status.
During your final semester
If you will not enroll full-time, you must obtain an RCL from ISSS or be coded full-time by the Registrar. See the Dropping Below Full-Time section below for more information. At least one course must be face to faceDuring approved Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
If you are approved to participate in curricular practical training (CPT), the course for which you are earning credit for the CPT cannot be considered an online/distance course. During approved CPT, you may enroll in distance/online courses in addition to the CPT credit(s).
If you are flagged as full-time by the Office of the Registrar due to your enrollment in an internship course, you will be in compliance with F-1 full-time enrollment requirements based on this full-time flag. As such, you can enroll in multiple distance/online courses during the CPT as long as this is approved by your academic department as well.
If you plan to enroll in sufficient credit hours during your CPT semester to be considered full-time enrolled by Texas A&M University, and therefore you not eligible to receive the full-time flag by the Office of the Registrar:
- You do not need to take any action as long as you are enrolled in enough in person courses to meet F-1 requirements.
- You should consult ISSS if you do not plan to enroll in enough in person courses to meet F-1 requirements.
Dropping Below Full-Time
If you need to fall below the required number of credit hours during a required semester, you must apply for authorization to do so. If dropping a course will not put you below full-time hours, then you don’t need permission from ISSS to drop the course.
Students can be authorized to enroll less than full-time and maintain their F-1/J-1 status through a Reduced Course Load (RCL) request in the ISSS Portal under Academic Program Updates OR a full-time code from the Office of the Registrar - Records Administration & Archives. Once an RCL request is approved by ISSS, it is your responsibility to work with your academic department and make sure you drop the course(s).
Reasons to Be Below Full-time
| Reasons to be below full-time | Minimum required credits | Who authorizes it? | How to Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Academic Difficulties
|
F-1 = 6 credits J-1 = 1 credit |
ISSS
|
RCL in ISSS Portal |
| Medical Condition or Illness | No minimum requirement | ISSS | RCL in ISSS Portal |
| Internship or Co-op | 1 credit | Registrar | Your academic department must notify the Registrar |
| Pre-graduation Academic Training (J-1 only) |
1 credit | ISSS | Will be authorized with your Academic Training |
| Study Abroad | 1 credit | Registrar | Your academic department must notify the Registrar |
| Final Semester/Graduating | 1 credit | ISSS OR Registrar (only need to apply to one office) |
RCL in ISSS Portal OR Email Registrar: recordsadmin@tamu.edu |
Additional Information
Reduced Course Load (RCL) based on Medical Condition or Illness
This is only allowed for a maximum of 12 months per degree level and it must be authorized each semester. A letter from a licensed medical doctor, psychiatrist, doctor of osteopathy, licensed clinical psychologist, or clinical psychologist is required. The letter must specify if the student is recommended to have a reduced course load OR drop all courses in a given semester.
If you do not want to enroll full-time for that semester, the RCL request has to be submitted on or before the last day to add/drop courses. If the RCL is submitted AFTER the last day to add/drop courses, you MUST be enrolled full-time and remain enrolled full-time until the RCL request is approved.
Reduced Course Load (RCL) based on Academic Difficulty for F-1 Students
Per federal regulations, you can only request an academic RCL once per degree level. In addition, a reduced course load must consist of at least six credit hours.
- Academic difficulty based on Initial Difficulties with the English Language, reading requirements, or unfamiliarity with US teaching methods can only be used within your first year in the U.S.
- Academic difficulty based on Improper Course Level Placement can be used at any point in your degree.
You MUST resume full-time enrollment in the next major semester (fall/spring) after your RCL semester. You MUST remain enrolled full-time until the request is approved.
Reduced Course Load (RCL) based on Final Semester
You must apply for graduation before submitting a RCL request to ISSS or the Exceptions to Full-Time Enrollment request to Registrar. The deadline to submit the Final Semester RCL is the last day to add/drop courses listed on the academic calendar.
If you do not apply for the Final Semester RCL, then you need to submit a request to Registrar by emailing recordsadmin@tamu.edu to be flagged as full-time based on graduation.
Internship or Co-op for F-1 and J-1 students
F-1 Students
You must have an approved CPT from ISSS and be either enrolled full-time or get a full-time exception from Registrar based on internship.
J-1 Students
You must have an approved Pre-Academic Training from ISSS and be either enrolled full-time, apply for Academic RCL in the ISSS Portal, or get a full-time exception from Registrar based on internship.
Less than Full-time Based on Study Abroad
You will need to notify ISSS about your study abroad by submitting an Enrollment Abroad request in the ISSS Portal under the General Student Services section. See the Enrollment Abroad section for more information on enrollment and maintaining status.