These requirements need to be met whether your final term is a regular semester or in the summer. During your final semester, you need to:
- Register in the credits needed to graduate. If you are registering in fewer than full-time credits, please complete the Reduced Course Load for Academic Reasons e-form in Atlas.
- Register in at least one course which requires your physical presence at IU Bloomington.
Graduate students working 15-20 hours per week (37.5-50% FTE) as an Associate Instructor, Research Assistant, or Graduate Assistant may be required to enroll in six credit hours if their contract requires it.
Enrolling concurrently at IU Bloomington and another university during your final semester or summer term
You may be enrolled at IU Bloomington and another institution at the same time. However, to ensure your F-1 status is not at risk, you need to satisfy the following requirements.
- Talk with your academic advisor to make sure your credits will transfer.
- In Atlas, submit a Concurrent Enrollment e-form and a copy of your current course registration at the other institution to OIS by the end of the first week of classes for each semester you are concurrently enrolled. The documentation of your current course registration needs to include your name, institution name, course name and number, number of credits, and indication if the credits are online or on-campus.
- Enroll in at least an equal number of credits at IU Bloomington as you will enroll in at the other school. For example, as an undergraduate, you can take 3 credits at IU Bloomington and 3 credits at another school.
- Submit your transcripts to OIS to ensure your credits get transferred. If you are transferring in credits during your final semester at IU, be aware that timing is crucial for you to maintain your status. Failure to transfer credits in a timely manner could result in the loss of OPT work authorization as well as your ability to legally remain in the United States.
Precautions to take when enrolling concurrently
Be careful about enrolling in summer sessions at another institution since they may not have the same start and end dates as IU. This would affect which semester the grades would be listed under in your transcript (and potentially endanger your F-1 status).
In addition, during your final semester or summer term, you cannot be enrolled in classes only at a secondary institution. This means you need to be taking classes at IU Bloomington, and you need to be enrolled in equal number or a greater number of credits here.
Enrolling in online classes during your final semester or summer term
During your final semester or summer term, you need to register in at least one IU Bloomington course, which requires you to be physically present for the duration of the term. You can take classes online to help fulfill your full-time enrollment requirement as an F-1 student. The online course needs to end at the same time as your in-person enrollment. However, only one online 3-credit class will count toward your enrollment requirement each semester. This means you need to register in at least 9 credits of in-person classes for undergraduates, or 5 credits of in-person classes for graduates.
Before taking any online classes, talk to your academic advisor to make sure your credit will transfer, if the online class is not at IU.
Enrollment with Approved Curricular Practical Training (CPT) during your final semester or summer term
If you plan to engage in CPT during your final semester, please schedule an appointment to speak with an international student advisor after you have spoken with your academic advisor regarding your plans.