Overview and Requirements
Federal immigration regulations require you to be enrolled full-time for the duration of your program at UCSC to maintain J-1 status.
Maintaining Status: Full Course of Study
- J-1 students are limited to counting three (3) online credits towards a full course of study
Undergraduate J-1 students
- Must enroll in at least nine (9) credits of in-person courses. [At UCSC, this is more commonly ten (10) credits.]
- Must enroll in a minimum of twelve (12) credits overall.
- May count three (3) online credits only toward a full course of study.
- Additional courses (in-person or online/remote) are allowed once full-time enrollment, including in-person requirement, is met.
Graduate J-1 students
- Must enroll in at least seven (7) credits of in-person courses. [At UCSC, this is more commonly ten (10) credits.]
- Must enroll in a minimum of ten (10) credits overall, unless have Advanced to Candidacy (see below).
- May count three (3) online credits only toward a full course of study.
- Most graduate J-1 international students need to be enrolled in at least ten (10) credits overall, except for PhD students who have Advanced to Candidacy, who only need five (5) credits, all of which must be in-person. Independent study counts as in-person.
Note: Graduate students on Filing Fee status approved by the Graduate Division are not considered to be enrolled full-time. Students should consider meeting with an ISSP Advisor before the Filing Fee quarter to discuss their plans.
In very specific circumstances (outlined below), you can be authorized by ISSP to drop below full-time enrollment. Any drop below full-time for your program requires an application.
You are not authorized to drop below full-time enrollment unless you have received a Reduced Course Load Authorization (RCL) approval from ISSP. If you are under-enrolled and do not have an approved RCL from ISSP, you cannot maintain F-1/J-1 status, your immigration status will be terminated, and you will be required to depart the U.S. immediately.
Completion Date
The date on your DS-2019 reflects the time period you are approved to study at UCSC. You must enroll full-time each term. If your exchange is from spring into fall, summer term is not required.