FALL 2021 ENROLLMENT GUIDANCE
International Student & Scholar Services has received SEVP enrollment guidance for the 21/22 academic year. Since GSU is offering a full complement of in-person courses, accommodations for excessive online enrollment are no longer available.
Fall 2021 course registration began on March 29th. At that time, ISSS advised current F-1 and J-1 international students to revert to pre-COVID standard enrollment guidelines.
For a refresher on those requirements, please review the Enrollment Requirements webpage.
F-1 and J-1 students are required to maintain a full-time course load during fall and spring semesters. Full-time enrollment means undergraduate students must enroll for at least 12 credits every semester.
For F-1 and J-1 visa holders, only 1 online class (i.e. 3 credit hours) per semester may count towards a “full course of study.” For example, an undergraduate student is required to register for 12 credits per semester to maintain full-time status. Of the 12 required hours only 3 credit hours may be online, so at least 9 credit hours must be traditional, face-to-face enrollment. After an F-1 student has met the full-time requirement, any additional hours above the required hours may be either regular campus classes or online.
STUDENTS CURRENTLY STUDYING OUTSIDE OF THE U.S.
Students who are currently studying outside of the U.S. and have an open and active SEVIS record must make plans to return to campus in time for the fall 2021 first day of classes. If you are unable to do so, ISSS will work with you to complete your SEVIS record and request reactivation of that record when you are able to return.
Students who are currently studying outside of the U.S. and do not have an open and active SEVIS record either need to (1) contact ISSS to request an immigration document to facilitate your travel to campus by the fall 2021 first day of classes; or (2) notify ISSS of your plans to remain abroad.
Students who plan to remain abroad should consult with their academic advisor or academic department to discuss the feasibility of doing so.
All students studying outside of the U.S. will be contacted soon so you can communicate your plans to ISSS. Please monitor your email for that correspondence.
SUMMER 2021 ENROLLMENT GUIDANCE
Summer is considered a normal break in academic studies for continuing undergraduate students.
F-1 & J-1 undergraduate students who have studied in Spring 2021 and will study at GSU in Fall 2021 are not required to enroll in any summer classes. If an international student who has met the full-time requirement for the preceding spring semester decides to enroll in classes for summer, there is no minimum enrollment requirement nor any restriction on method of delivery.
Please note. This is subject to change but currently, we do not have updated guidance. While we understand this may be challenging information to receive, we recommend you make enrollment plans with the expectation that these regulations will go back to the way they were before COVID. Should new guidance be released in the future, we will communicate that to you.