Full-Time Enrollment

Full-time enrollment is essential to maintain your F-1 student visa status

To maintain your legal F-1 status in the U.S., you must be enrolled full-time each fall and spring semester. You do not have to enroll in summer sessions unless you begin or finish your program of study at Indiana University Indianapolis in the summer. 

Full-time enrollment requirements includes:

  • Undergraduates must enroll in at least 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester.
  • Graduate students must enroll in at least 8 credit hours each fall and spring semester.
  • Professional students (Dentistry, MD, JD) should follow full-time enrollment requirements as determined by their academic program.

Beginning your academic program in the summer

If the summer is your first or final academic term studying at IU Indianapolis, or you are returning from a leave of absence with an initial F-1 SEVIS record, your enrollment requirements for each summer session (both Summer 1 and Summer 2 sessions) will be:

  • Six credit hours for undergraduate students per summer session (12 total credits for the full summer term)
  • Four credit hours for graduate students  (8 total credits for the full summer term)
  • Three credit hours for graduate students with a Student Academic Appointment of 37.5–50% FTE, whose graduate department supports this enrollment. (6 total credits for the full summer term, when combined with the SAA of 37.5–50% FTE)

Dropping below full-time enrollment without authorization from the Office of International Affairs is a serious violation of your F-1 status!

Read about full-time exceptions and procedures

Concurrent Enrollment at Another School

You may take courses at another school that will count towards your full-time enrollment requirement at IU Indy. However, you must:

  • Maintain at least one regular (not online) course at IU Indianapolis
  • Report your concurrent enrollment using the Concurrent Enrollment Verification eForm in Atlas.
  • Consult with an academic advisor to make sure any courses you take at another school will transfer to IU Indianapolis and count towards your degree program.

Online Enrollment

You can take classes online to help fulfill your full-time enrollment requirement as an F-1 student. However, only one online 3-credit class will count toward your enrollment requirement each semester. You may not take only an online course in your final semester of study. Classes that count as “in-person” are coded as: P, HY, IN and IS.

As you plan your course enrollment, make sure you are following this normal guidance. Flexibility on online enrollment that has been allowed during the COVID pandemic ended in May 2023.

Incomplete Courses

Incomplete courses from a previous semester may not count towards your full-time enrollment for a current semester. Additionally, you may not use incomplete courses to extend your program. For F-1 status purposes, your program will be considered completed at the end of your final semester, even if you have an incomplete course.

Enrollment Deadline

Students must be enrolled full time or have received permission to under enroll prior to the full-time enrollment deadline. Each fall and spring semester the full-time enrollment deadline is 30 days after the first day of classes.