Non-immigrant F-1 Student Policy

In addition to the policies stated herein, the F-1 student must comply with the terms and conditions of his/her F-1 visa set. The student who fails to meet any of the regulatory requirements by the U.S and the school will be out of status and terminated in SEVIS.

General Policy (F-1 Students)

• Enroll by the 2^nd day of every term as a full-time student (18 hours or more of instructions per week).
• Inform the school within 10 days, for the following changes: home address, contact information, sources of financial support, immigration status, and dependent status.
• Do not engage in unauthorized employment.
• Be sure to have a valid Form I-20. If your Form I-20 is about to expire, report to your student advisor about your intent to extend your program by completing and submitting the Service Request Form at least 30 days prior to the expiration date indicated on your Form I-20 and submitting it to your DSO.
• Provide the documents requested by the school within 10 days for any filing required by the school for compliance with any regulatory agencies.
• If you are a new student, report in person to the school on time and be fully paid in a timely manner for the amount agreed to pay in order to undertake the courses; an initial must report within 30 days and a transfer must report within 15 days prior to program start date. The tuition is due for the period and for the program indicated on your application form. The period of stay on the Form I-20 should be consistent as requested on the application form. No partial payment will be accepted.

Exiting the School Policy (F-1 Students)

To avoid being terminated from SEVIS for failure to enroll, a student who plans to leave the school must complete and submit the Notice of Intention to Exit form by the 2^nd day of the term required to register. The student’s cumulative attendance and GPA will be reviewed and closed out in SEVIS accordingly.

When transferring to another SEVP approved school, the acceptance letter from the school must be submitted together with the Notice of Intention to Exit form; a letter or a form that expresses only intent to transfer is not sufficient. The student’s record will be released to the school within 7 days of the student’s last day of registration. If the student does not meet the minimum attendance and/or academic requirement, the student will be released terminated.

Leave of Absence Policy (F-1 Students)

A student, who plans to continue his/her studies, may request a leave of absence or take less than the required course load (less than 18 hours of instruction per week) for a session by completing the Vacation/Drop below Full Course Load Request Form. Whether or not such request is approved will be determined within 7 days from the date of submission. Leave of absence from school cannot be abused to extend the student’s transfer period between schools. The school reserves the right to decline the student’s request for a vacation for any reason. For details, please review the Vacation/Drop below Full Course Load Request Form.

• Absence from the US: A student may be relieved from the registration requirement if the student’s absence from the U.S. is greater than 30% of the period for the term(s) indicated. The student must submit in writing for each term for the period not in the U.S. The absence period will be determined by the plane ticket’s departure and arrival dates, which will later be verified by the student’s Form I-94.
• Medical Reason: The student who needs to take a reduced course load or no course load for medical reasons must provide to the school an official letter from a licensed physician. The letter must indicate the reason why the student should not take a full course load. A leave of absence due to medical reason(s) cannot exceed a total of 4 terms for the entire time that the student is enrolled at the school.
• Standard Vacation: A student who has completed a minimum of 900 clock hours is eligible for up to 60 days (2 terms) of vacation. Such hours completed must be from consecutive registered terms without a break, and the number of hours registered for each term must be 20 hours or greater. The term(s) that the student is requesting to be excused from must immediately follow the consecutive terms completed.

Traveling Outside the U.S.

A continuing student who has a multiple entry F-1 visa (not the F-1 visa obtained by the change of status in the U.S.), may be allowed to re-enter the U.S. if the following criteria are met:

• The student has a Form I-20 with current information that is signed by the DSO on pages one and three allowing travel outside of the United States.
• The student's visa and passport is valid at the time the student reenters the United States (the expiration date on the student's visa has not passed at the time of re-entry).
• The student returns and resumes his/her studies within four (4) terms.