Full-time study

F-1 students must maintain full time student status each semester until they receive their degrees, except when the student needs a lesser course load to complete the degree requirements during the current term. F-1 students are not required to register for the summer session. Full time study for international students means a minimum of nine credit hours for graduate students (although some graduate programs at Emory require twelve credit hours), twelve credit hours for professional school students (MD, JD, and Mdiv), and twelve credit hours for undergraduate students. Any deviations from these listings should be discussed with an advisor in ISSP. There are a few circumstances under which a student may be authorized to enroll less than full-time or to withdraw from a class(es) during a given semester; however, prior approval from an ISSP advisor must be obtained.

Employment

Employment opportunities are limited for international students in the US. On-campus employment is allowed for F-1 status holders with permission through the ISSP office. On-campus employment is limited to 20 hours during the academic year and may be full-time during vacation periods. Off-campus employment is available with special permission; please see an adviser in ISSP for further information. Please see section on F-1 employment for more details.

Address Changes

Students must keep the International Student and Scholar Programs informed of their current telephone number, local U.S. and permanent home country addresses. DHS requires all non-immigrants to update their address within 10 days of any change. To meet these federally mandated requirements, please follow Instructions for updating address changes at Emory University.

Extension of Stay

Students who need to remain in the US beyond the expiration date on their I-20 in order to complete their program of study are responsible for requesting an extension. The application for extension must be made before the stay expires. Please see an advisor in ISSP for details.