Before you start the application, please have your academic advisor's name and email address available. You will need to submit that information as part of this application. Your academic advisor is the person in your  school or college who assists you with registration questions and planning.

 

An international student advisor from the office of International Student and Scholar Services must authorize a drop below full course load (commonly referred to as a "reduced course load," or RCL) and update SEVIS prior to the student reducing his or her course load.

A student who drops below a full course of study without the prior approval of International Student and Scholar Services will be considered out of status.

Note:

  • The only exception to the requirement that a student be registered full-time before submitting this form is a student in his/her final semester of study. Undergraduate or graduate students may enroll in a part- time course load during final semester of degree program, but we need to have an academic advisor confirm that the student is, in fact, in her/his final semester.
  • Your final semester of  study cannot consist of only one on-line course. There  must be at least one class where your physical participation is required.

A reduced course load can be approved due to “academic difficulty” only once while pursuing a course of study at a particular program level.

  • Academic Difficulty includes the following:
  • Initial Difficulties with difficulty with reading requirements;
  • Initial Difficulties with the English Language;
  • Unfamiliarity with U.S. teaching methods and;
  • Improper Course level placement (student didn’t take a pre-requisite to a course s/he is registered for now)

A student requesting authorization for a reduced course load due to initial difficulty or improper course placement must remain enrolled for no fewer than six (6) semester hours, or half the clock hours required for a full curse of study.