F-1 Students: Maintaining Your Student Status

It is your responsibility as an international student to maintain your F-1 student status while in the United States. The International Student and Scholar Center (ISSC) is here to assist you, but ultimately it is your responsibility to maintain your F-1 student status.

  1. Under the F-1 Visa requirements, you must enroll as a full-time student during the fall and spring semesters. At Weber State University (WSU), to be considered a full-time student you must be registered for 12 credit hours as an undergraduate student and 9 credit hours as a graduate student.
  2. You must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours as an undergraduate student and 9 credit hours as a graduate student each semester. Summer semester may be considered a vacation semester if you have attended full-time both fall and spring semesters leading to the summer semester.
  3. Undergraduate students, in order to ensure that you complete your course of study by the program end date (item 5 of your I-20), we encourage you to register for 15 to 18 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters. We also encourage you to take advantage of the lower tuition cost during the summer semester.
  4. You must notify the PDSO/DSO in the ISSC office before you:
    • Drop a class that takes you below 12 credit hours if you are an undergraduate student and 9 credit hours if you are a graduate student.
    • Change your major
    • Withdraw completely from classes
    • Transfer to another school (Must complete an official transfer form)
    • Work on or off campus (Must have proper authorization before you start working)
    • Travel outside of the U.S.
    • Apply to change your nonimmigrant status
    • Add or remove dependents from your I-20
    • Contact the office at least 30 days prior to your program end date (item 5 of your I-20).
    • Receive authorization for Reduce Course Load due to:
      • Medical Reasons
      • Last semester of study
  5. You need to notify the PDSO/DSO in the ISSC office if you:
    • Move to a new address – this needs to be done within 10 days of moving to a new address
    • Have a change in financial support
  6. Warnings and Terminations
    • Termination of your F-1 student status is a serious problem that may ultimately result in deportation from the United States. Upon termination of your F-1 student status, you must contact the ISSC and arrange to meet with a DSO/PDSO immediately. The DSO will discuss all the available options, including the possibility of applying for reinstatement. In some instances, the DSO/PDSO might be able and willing to assist with regaining your F-1 student status through the reinstatement process. However, requesting reinstatement is at the discretion of the DSO/PDSO and he/she must be convinced that losing your F-1 student status was beyond your control.
    • You may and can be terminated without warning if you fail to maintain your F-1 student status.
    • If you are a sponsored student, we reserve the right to notify your sponsor that you have been terminated.
    • It is YOUR (the student’s) responsibility to attend class, do homework, and study in order to pass all of your classes.
    • Remember that if you withdraw (W) from a class or receive an unofficial withdraw (UW) in a class that drops you below your required credit hours (12 credit hours for undergraduate students and 9 credit hours for graduate students), you will be OUT OF STATUS and your I-20 will be terminated.
    • Although the ISSC office may try to give you a warning before you are terminated, this is not always possible. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to stay in status.
    • It is your responsibility as an international student to maintain your F-1 student status while in the United States. The ISSC staff is here to assist you but ultimately it is your responsibility to maintain your F-1 student status.