To remain in status, you need to enroll in a full course load for at least 3 quarters in a year (Fall, Winter, Spring). For undergraduate students, this means enrolling in at least 12 credit hours. For graduate students, this means you must enroll in at least 10 credit hours in a quarter. You may only take one online course towards your full-time course load requirement.*

There are exceptions to the full-time enrollment rule. If you meet one of the below exceptions, you may be approved for a reduced course load (RCL) from our office. In order to be approved for RCL, you will need to complete the RCL form, and submit it to SEVIS@cwu.edu for review.

Reasons to be approved for Reduced Course load:

1. It is your final quarter before you graduate, and you need less than full-time enrollment to complete your academic program
2. Medical Condition-if you have either a physical or mental condition that makes attending classes difficult you can apply for RCL.
   • You will need to visit a licensed physician or psychiatrist and submit a letter of approval from the doctor, along with the RCL form.
3. It is your first quarter at Central and you are struggling to adapt to the classes.

*As it stands now, the US government has made exceptions to the usual online enrollment regulations for students on F-1 visas due to Covid-19. This means, for the Fall and Winter quarters, if you are an active student (not a new F-1 student), there is no limit to the number of online classes you can take for the quarter. If you are a new student at Central, and you are studying in the US and did not have F1 student status in March 2020, you will need to enroll in at least one on-campus or hybrid class for your first quarter. The US government has not yet decided what Spring 2021 COVID-19 exceptions will be.

Graduate Students

As a graduate student, if you have completed all the required coursework for your program, and are solely enrolled in thesis work, the thesis enrollment counts as full-time enrollment for the F-1 visa.