Maintaining Student Status
The regulations concerning an international person's stay in the
United States are contingent upon the visa type s/he holds. You
are strongly urged to review and understand the limits of your visa
so you can avoid any future problems with the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Service.
Specific Regulations
For additional information about maintaining your status see the
links below:
Full-time Status
With few exceptions, students in F or J status must maintain full-time
student status each continuous semester but are not required to
register for summer session. Full-time status at JMU requires a
minimum of 9 credit hours for graduate study and at least 12 credit
hours for undergraduate study. Any deviation from this credit-hour
requirement must be presented to the Designated School Official
or the Responsible Officer in the Office of International Programs
prior to the start of the semester.
The university is required to report to immigration through SEVIS
when an international student is enrolled for less than full-time
study. Exceptions to the full course of study occurs when there
is a documented health problem that limits your ability to pursue
a full course of study or your first semester learning is limited
because of lack of familiarity with the language or teaching methods.
Exception is also granted for the last semester of study when you
may need less than 12 credits to fulfill requirements for graduation.
All cases must be documented by completing an "Underload Form" (found here)
and presenting it to the DSO/RO for approval. Please
note: You must receive DSO/RO approval before you drop below full-time status. The
DSO/RO must then document this underload in SEVIS.
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