Full Course of Study for F-1 Students

As an international student on an F-1 visa, you must always be enrolled in the required minimum number of credits at all points during the semester unless you receive permission from ISSS to take a Reduced Course Load.

• Undergraduate Students: 12 credits per semester
• Non-degree seeking students: 12 credits per semester
• Graduate School Students: 6 credits per semester
• Professional School Students: between 6 and 12 credits, depending on your program

International students are required to take a certain number of their credits as in-person. This means there are limitations on the number of online credits you can count towards your full-course requirement.

If you are only enrolling in the minimum number of credits required to maintain your status (the amount listed above), you are only allowed to enroll in up to 3 online credits.

If you enroll in more than your minimum credit requirement, you MAY enroll in more than 3 online credits, but:

• Undergraduate students: You must be enrolled in at least 9 in-person credits.
• Graduate students: You must be enrolled in at least 3 in-person credits.

Yes, you should enroll for all of your credits at the beginning of the term. If you split your enrollment between the first and second half of the semester, you must enroll for ALL courses at the beginning of the term.

• Students who are starting at the UMN for the first time during the summer MUST enroll full-time (the amounts listed above). If you wish to start your program in the summer, you should carefully review the available course options with your academic advisor/department to ensure you can enroll in enough courses to fulfill your enrollment requirements
• Continuing students who are not graduating are not required to enroll during summer, and there is no full course of study minimum for the summer session.
• Continuing students who are graduating in the summer are required to be full-time (the amounts listed above) or have an appropriate reduced course load (RCL) authorization. Many students who are graduating in the summer qualify for an RCL because they do not need a full course load to graduate. Keep in mind that students with an RCL must still enroll in a minimum number of in-person credits.  Students may not be enrolled entirely online in their final semester if they are in the US.  Online degree completion may be possible if a student is returning home and does not wish to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Students who are graduating in the summer are required to be full-time (the amounts listed above) or have an appropriate reduced course load (RCL) authorization Many students who are graduating in the summer qualify for an RCL because they do not need a full course load to graduate. Below are examples of options that students might have if they are on track to complete their degree in the summer.

Undergraduate Students

• Enroll in the remaining credits needed to complete your degree. If 12 or more credits are remaining, at least 9 of the credits must be in person.  If fewer than 12 credits are needed to complete your degree, request a Reduced Course Load (RCL) authorization from ISSS.  Some number of credits will need to be in person, although the exact number will vary depending on how many credits are needed to complete your degree.
• Return home and complete your degree online.  From an immigration perspective, students may complete their degree online from home if they do not intend to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT).  There may be logistical or other considerations, such as timing of synchronous courses if you are completing the degree from another time zone or export control concerns.
• Talk to your advisor about options to complete in the spring or fall.

Graduate and Professional Students

• Enroll in the remaining credits needed to complete your degree. If a full-time course load is required to complete your degree, in person requirements apply in the same way that they do in the fall or spring semesters.  In other words, if 6 or more credits are remaining to complete a graduate degree, at least 3 of the credits must be in person. If fewer than 6 credits are needed to complete your graduate degree, request a Reduced Course Load (RCL) authorization from ISSS.  Some number of credits will need to be in person, although the exact number will vary depending on how many credits are needed to complete your degree. Thesis credits, full-time equivalencies (FTEs) and GRAD 999 are all considered to be in person for immigration purposes.  Professional students have similar requirements but as noted above, full-time requirements for professional students may vary from those of graduate students.
• Return home and complete your degree online.  From an immigration perspective, students may complete their degree online from home if they do not intend to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT).  There may be logistical or other considerations, such as timing of synchronous courses if you are completing the degree from another time zone or export control concerns.
• Talk to your advisor about options to complete in the spring or fall.
• Apply for OPT earlier than anticipated.  Students in a thesis- or dissertation-based program may apply for post-completion OPT at any point after they have completed their coursework and are not subject to full-time enrollment requirements while on OPT.  Students graduating in June, July or August may wish to have spring be considered their final term of enrollment for immigration purposes.  Students interested in this option should speak with an ISSS advisor no later than the end of the spring semester to understand the pros and cons as well as the timelines for this option.

International students are expected to complete all courses, including those taken online, during the semester for which they are registered. You cannot, therefore, count an extended-term course and an incomplete course toward your full course of study credit minimum in any semester other than the one in which you registered for it, as indicated by your transcript.

Audited courses do NOT count toward your full course of study requirement. You may only audit a class if you are already enrolled in your required minimum number of credits (listed above).

You do not need to submit a Reduced Course Load request if you are enrolled in either of the following:

• 6 or more Thesis credits
• Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) courses (for example, 8444 for PhD and 8333 for Master’s students)

Grad0999 enrollment does NOT satisfy the full course requirement, so you must submit a Reduced Course Load request when you enroll in Grad0999.