HU international graduate students in F-1 status are required by United States immigration laws to be continually enrolled in a full-time status. At HU, this requires maintaining a six-credit course load in every semester of enrollment.

 

Per SEVIS guidelines, F-1 students must attend their classes for every scheduled executive session in which they are registered as well as maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by HU’s graduate catalog. 

 

The executive session schedule is announced well in advance and students should plan accordingly: Executive Format Weekend Schedule. For more information on your class schedule, please consult the Records & Registration office by submitting a ticket via their support portal. 

 

If you are an F-1 student and fail to attend your in-person class, the following action will be taken:

 

            

 

 

If you know you will miss a class:


If you know you will miss a class, please do the following:

  • Contact your professor to see how your absence will impact your grade. (Please remember that even if your professor excuses your absence in terms of your grade, it will still be counted as an absence in regard to your F-1 status and you will still receive a warning email.)
  • Collect documentation for your own records related to the reason for your absence. You may need to provide this information to the U.S. government at a later time. Please see below. 
  • Consider carefully that even one absence may negatively impact the following situations:
    1. Travel and reentry to the U.S.
    2. Requests to SEVP to correct your SEVIS record, 
    3. Applications to USCIS for OPT, H1B, Green Card and other statuses

Please remember that F1 students are expected to attend classes in-person and maintain a full-time status. Although, HU will not terminate your F1 status after the first absence, it may cause other negative consequences. 


 

If you are suffering from a medical condition that will require you to miss multiple classes, you will need to apply for a Medical Reduced Course Load to avoid termination. You can find out more information here: Reduced Course Load Overview  It is very important to note that you cannot work while on an RCL. If you want to maintain your CPT authorization, you must attend the in-person classes. 



Note:

If your SEVIS record is terminated and you file for reinstatement or an alternative immigration status after termination in SEVIS, it is your responsibility to secure and pay for private immigration counsel to assess what options are available to regain a legally recognized immigration status, as well as take appropriate legal steps to achieve a recognized immigration status.