Reduced Credit Load – Academic

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Who Needs to Fill Out This Form?

This form is for F-1 students who need to under-enroll for academic reasons. We call this Reduced Credit Load (RCL).

These 5 situations allow an F-1 to request an Academic RCL:

  1. Initial Difficulty with English Language or Reading Requirements (1st year only)
  2. Unfamiliarity with U.S. Teaching Methods (1st year only)
  3. Improper Course Level Placement (requires explanation from your academic advisor)
  4. Final Semester
  5. Thesis/Dissertation

You can read more about those situations below to see if you qualify.

Your academic advisor needs to understand your situation, too.

If you qualify, submit the form. There are instructions below.

If your advisor needs guidance, there are instructions for advisors below, too.

Student Instructions for Completing This eForm

  1. Scroll down to the bold heading “Student Information.”
    • Fill in all of the required fields, marked with an asterisk (*).
  2. Describe your situation or the reason for which you are requesting a Reduced Credit Load in the box provided above the bold heading “Signature.”
  3. When you click “Submit”
    • Your eForm request will be automatically emailed to your academic advisor for review.
    • Your part of the process is complete, but you will need to wait to drop below full time until the eForm has been approved by both your academic advisor and ISSS.

Please note: Depending on the time of academic year, it may take up to 7-10 business days for our office to process your request once our office receives your request.

Student Tips

  • You will be asked whether you have met with an immigration advisor and an academic advisor. You are not required to select “yes” to either of these questions and your answer will not have any impact on your eForm.
    • However, if your situation is complex, ISSS recommends meeting with an immigration advisor during Remote Open Advising and your academic advisor to make the process more efficient and prevent misunderstandings.
  • Notify your academic advisor that they will be receiving an email from our office regarding your request. This typically helps your eForm be processed faster.
  • You will receive an email from ISSS once your Reduced Credit Load has been approved.
  • Do not drop below full time until you have received final approval from ISSS.

Academic Advisor Instructions for Completing This eForm

  1. Scroll down to the bold heading “Academic Advisor Review.”
    • Fill in all of the required fields, marked with an asterisk (*).
  2. Depending on which reason you select, additional required fields may appear.
    • This is true for “Academic Difficulty” and “Final semester.”
  3. When you click “Submit,” your eForm request will be automatically emailed to ISSS for review.
    • Your part of the process is complete, but the international student will need to wait to drop below full time until the eForm has been approved by ISSS.

Advisor Tips

Please review the “Important Information” listed below this section. The information includes additional qualifying information for RCL reasons as well as minimum credit requirements for certain academic difficulty reasons.

  • The eForm defaults to “Yes” for the first question, “I approve this student for a reduced credit load.”
    • This does not mean you are required to choose yes or approve the Reduced Credit Load; however, you are asked to provide an explanation if you do not approve it and may receive communication from the ISSS office for further clarification.
  • The Reduced Credit Load will not go away if you do not take any action, and you will continue to receive automated reminder emails from ISSS until you approve or deny the eForm. This is because in most cases, the Reduced Credit Load request is very time sensitive.
  • If you select “Academic Difficulty,” three subcategories will become available:
    • Initial Difficulty with English Language or Reading Requirements
    • Unfamiliarity with U.S. Teaching Methods
    • Improper Course Level Placement
      • Improper Course Level Placement does require an additional explanation, but does not necessarily reflect improper advising regarding course selection.
  • If you select “Student is in the final semester of required coursework and taking all available courses to meet graduation requirements,” you will be required to indicate how many credits the student has left to complete.
    • If the student is not able to register in all credits during the semester selected, an additional explanation will be required.
  • “Thesis/Dissertation” should only be selected when all required coursework has been completed.
    • If the student has required coursework left to complete, another reason such as “Improper Course Level Placement” or “Final semester” should be used.
  • The international student will receive an email from ISSS once their Reduced Credit Load has been approved. They should not drop below full time until they have received final approval from ISSS.

Please reach out to ISSS if you are unsure which reason to choose or whether or not to approve the Reduced Credit Load.

Important Information

Regulations

8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(6)(i)(A)-(E)

International students must carry a full academic course load each semester in order to maintain F-1 immigration status.

  • Undergraduate Students: Must carry a minimum of 12 credits per semester (fall/spring) to be considered full time. Must take at least 9 credits of on-campus (RI) coursework toward the 12-credit minimum. For immigration purposes, courses offered through CSU Online or with a section number between 400 and 499 will not count toward the RI minimum.
  • Graduate Students: Must carry a minimum of 9 credits per semester (fall/spring) to be considered full time. Must take at least 6 credits of on-campus (RI) coursework toward the 9-credit minimum. For immigration purposes, courses offered through CSU Online or with a section number between 400 and 499 will not count toward the RI minimum.

There are very few exceptions for students to drop below full time, and not all options are available to all students. A student who feels they cannot maintain a full course of study may request a Reduced Credit Load (RCL) if the reason meets the criteria outlined in the Qualifying Exceptions below. A request for a reduced course load must be supported by the student’s academic advisor or licensed medical professional and authorized by International Student and Scholar Services BEFORE dropping any classes. Failure to do so will affect your immigration status.

Qualifying Exceptions

Academic Difficulty

  1. Initial Difficulty with English Language or Reading Requirements (1st year only)
  2. Unfamiliarity with U.S. Teaching Methods (1st year only)
  3. Improper Course Level Placement (requires explanation from your academic advisor)

Please Note:

  • An Academic Difficulty RCL can only be granted once per educational/degree level. If you have already been granted an RCL for academic difficulty (even at another school) at the current academic level, you cannot be approved for another Academic Difficulty RCL.
  • You must still be enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits for undergraduates or 5 credits for graduates.
  • Students who are granted an RCL for Academic Difficulty are expected to resume a full course of study in the next available semester (with the exception of the summer term).

Nearing Graduation

  1. Final semester of required coursework and taking all available courses to meet graduation requirements
  2. Completed required coursework and preparing for comprehensive examination (graduate students only)
  3. Completed required coursework and working on thesis/dissertation (graduate students only)

Please Note:

  • For students on Continuous Registration (CR) working on their thesis/dissertation
    • an Academic RCL is required
    • once an Academic RCL is approved for this situation, the student doesn’t need to submit RCL each semester after
    • if applying for an I-20 Program Extension, approval of the I-20 Program Extension will automatically extend the thesis/dissertation RCL.

Medical Situations