PERMISSIBLE REASONS UNDER F-1 REGULATIONS
TO REGISTER FOR LESS THAN A FULL TIME COURSE LOAD
There are very few exceptions to the full time course load rule. Those exceptions include academic difficulty, medical condition, and completion of study, and there are strict criteria for each. In every instance, you must obtain PRIOR authorization from the ISSS. Only once you receive this authorization from the ISSS can you then drop the course. A F-1 student who drops below a full course of study without the prior approval of the Office of International Student and Scholar Services will be considered out of status, and must be reported in SEVIS as having dropped below a full-time course load without authorization.
See the information sheet titled “Rules for Maintaining a Full-Time Course Load” http://isss.binghamton.edu/imm/RuleFTload.htm for complete information on what constitutes a full-time course load.
Academic Difficulty:
The student must first obtain permission from the ISSS before dropping below a full-time course load for academic reasons, which are limited to the three choices listed below. A special form available in the ISSS or downloaded from the ISSS website: http://isss.binghamton.edu/forms/index.html will need to be completed by both the student and department advisor, and then approved by the ISSS before the course can be dropped. If the drop is approved, the student must then be registered for at least six credits.
Federal immigration regulations define academic difficulty as:
- initial difficulty with English Language or reading requirements or
- unfamiliarity with U.S. teaching methods or
- improper course placement
The student must resume a full course of study in the next available semester in order to maintain student status. A student previously authorized to drop below a full course of study due to academic difficulties will not be eligible for a second authorization due to academic difficulties while pursuing a course of study at that program level.
A student authorized to drop below a full course of study for academic difficulty while pursuing a course of study at a particular program level may still be authorized for a reduced course load due to an illness or medical condition, should such a condition arise (see next section).
Medical Condition:
The ISSS may authorize a reduced course load (or if necessary, no course load) due to a student's temporary illness or medical condition for a period of time not to exceed an aggregate of 12 months while the student is pursuing a course of study at a particular program level. In order to authorize a reduced course load based on a medical condition, the student must provide current medical documentation from a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist to the ISSS to substantiate the illness or medical condition. The ISSS must authorize the drop below full-time for each new semester.
The student must first obtain permission from the ISSS before dropping below a full-time course load or withdrawing from school due to a medical condition. A special form available in the ISSS or downloaded from the ISSS website:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/forms/index.html will need to be completed by the student with documentation attached by the appropriate health care provider, and then approved by the ISSS before courses can be dropped.
A student previously authorized to drop below a full course of study due to illness or medical condition for an aggregate of 12 months may not be authorized by the ISSS to reduce his or her course load on subsequent occasions while pursuing a course of study at the same program level.
A student may be authorized to reduce course load for a reason of illness or medical condition on more than one occasion while pursuing a course of study as long as the aggregate period of the authorization does not exceed 12 months.
Completion of Course of Study:
The ISSS may authorize a reduced course load if the student is in his or her final semester and if fewer courses than a full-time course load are needed to complete the course of study. If the reduction is authorized, the student must then be registered for those credits needed to complete the course of study.
The student must first obtain permission from the ISSS before dropping below a full-time course load because the student is in his or her final semester. A special form available in the ISSS or downloaded from the ISSS website:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/forms/index.html will need to be completed by both the student and department advisor, and then approved by the ISSS before any courses can be dropped. In addition, the student must have also filed a "certification of candidacy form" with the Graduate School, or an “application for undergraduate degree” with the Registrar’s Office, depending upon the student’s level of study. These forms verify a student’s intention to graduate in that semester.
A note of warning: Students should be absolutely certain that they will be graduating in the current semester before choosing to register for less than a full-time course load. Failure to graduate after dropping below a full-time course load may result in the student being out-of-status, and the loss of F-1 benefits.
A F-1 student who drops below a full course of study for reasons other than the ones described above will be out of status, and that information will have to be reported to the federal immigration authorities via the SEVIS system.
F-1 students who fall out of status may be eligible for reinstatement, provided they meet the eligibility requirements as described in U.S. federal regulations, or may have to depart the United States for their home country and re-enter on a new I-20.
Special Note for Graduate Students: Graduate students who register for thesis, pre-dissertation research, dissertation, project, or other course rubrics that are eligible to be certified as full-time even though the number of credits will be below the normal full-time course load are not required to seek advance permission from the ISSS. However, such students must submit the Graduate School's "Certification of Full-Time Status for Students Not Receiving Tuition Scholarships" form each semester to their department for filing with the Graduate School. This form may be found at the following website:
http://isss.binghamton.edu/imm/lesscourse.htm