Spring 2023 Enrollment Updates
October 27, 2022
We hope you are doing well and taking care. Because class registration for Spring 2023 semester will be opening up soon, the ISSO wanted to let you know about F-1 enrollment requirement changes for the upcoming semester.
What’s changing?
Since 2020, UT Dallas F-1 students have been following the SEVP temporary guidance for enrollment requirements due to the pandemic. The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) temporary guidance allowed F-1 students to apply more online courses towards their enrollment requirements than is usually allowed as a result of public health concerns created by COVID-19
As of spring 2023, UT Dallas F-1 students must follow the standard F-1 regulations for enrollment. This means only one hybrid or online course can count towards your full-time enrollment requirements. For example, a graduate student who is required to take 9 credit hours to be full-time enrolled would need at least 6 credit hours of face-to-face coursework. Hybrid courses are considered online courses.
Why are the requirements changing?
The SEVP COVID-19 Guidance for F-1 enrollment remains in effect for universities who have reported to SEVP that they continue to implement alterative operating and procedural adaptations as a result of COVID-19 public health concerns. UT Dallas classes, student services and administrative units are no longer implementing these adaptations. As a result, beginning spring 2023, UT Dallas international students must resume meeting the standard enrollment requirements for F-1 students that were in effect prior to the release of the COVID-19 guidance.
What do I need to do?
All F-1 students need to ensure that they are meeting the following enrollment requirements by Census Day of each spring/ fall semester going forward:
- Full-time enrolled for the full duration of the semester
- Undergraduate = minimum total of 12 credit hours
- Graduate = minimum total of 9 credit hours
- Cannot take all enrolled courses or f-t-f courses in a 5- or 8-week session
- Face-to-face classes
- Undergraduate = at least 9 credits of the 12 minimum must be face-to-face
- Graduate = at least 6 credits of the 9 minimum must be face-to-face
- Final/ graduation semester = only one class of total enrollment in graduating semester can be online. If only one class remains, it must be face-to-face
- Hybrid classes do not count as face-to-face course
- CPT internships do count as face-to-face course, even if internship is remote
- Thesis, dissertation, and research courses do count as face-to-face course, even if research is remote
- Students who have been in F-1 status prior to March 9, 2020 can no longer take all online classes and maintain F-1 status from abroad
- Refer to our F-1 Enrollment webpage for more details about enrollment requirements, reduced course load authorizations, and priority deadline graduation.
Not meeting all F-1 enrollment requirements can result in termination.
Beginning Spring 2023, your enrollment each semester must meet all of the above criteria by Census Day, including the face-to-face requirements. If the enrollment requirements are not met, including if you have too many online or hybrid classes in your course load, your SEVIS record could be terminated if the issue is not corrected.
What if I’m on OPT?
COVID-19 guidance for F-1 students on OPT will continue through spring 2023, but it is unlikely that the guidance will be extended beyond that semester. This means certain allowances that were granted on OPT during the pandemic are expected to discontinue after spring: such as part-time work on Post Completion OPT, maintaining status outside of the country with remote OPT employment, and the suspension of the 5 months abroad rule.
Still have questions?
- Contact the ISSO through the iComet “Ask an Advisor” eForm or during Live Chat hours
- If you would like to speak with an advisor, you may schedule an appointment – isso.utdallas.edu/advising/
We hope this information is helpful. We look forward to supporting your success in the upcoming semester.
