Enrollment and Registration Requirements
Revised May 19, 2010

Students must be registered for the required number of credit hours (specified below) all the way through the end of the semester. Students who drop below the required number of hours (specified below), at any time during or after the semester, will be out of status and will be terminated.

Receiving a Failing Grade

A failing grade in a course(s) does not necessarily affect a student’s status. Immigration status will be effect only by a failing grade(s) if a student is suspended from the university due to poor academic performance.

Required Credit Hours (Fall and Spring Semesters)

ESL students must be registered for the number of credit hours required by the Intensive Center for English. The Intensive Center for English will enroll each student for the required number of hours.

Undergraduate students must be registered in at least 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester (9 credit hours must be from in-class or web-assisted courses. the other 3 credit hours can be from an online, web-assisted, or in-class course(s).

Pre-graduate students (students who have an I-20 for graduate work but who have not been officially admitted into a graduate program pending their successful completion of prerequisite courses, and other requirements deemed necessary by their academic department) must be registered in at least 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester (9 credit hours must be from in-class or web-assisted courses. The other 3 credit hours can be from an online, web-assisted, or in-class course(s).

Graduate and Doctoral students who do not hold a Graduate Assistantship must be registered in at least 9 graduate credit hours each fall and spring semester (6 credit hours must be from in-class or web-assisted courses. The other 3 credit hours can be from an online, web assisted, or in-class course(s).

Graduate and Doctoral students with a Graduate, Teaching, or Research Assistantship must be registered in at least 6 graduate credit hours each fall and spring semester they have their assistantship (3 credit hours must be from an in-class or web-assisted course(s). The other 3 credit hours can be from an online, web assisted, or in-class course(s).

Required Credit Hours (Summer)

Students are eligible to take the summer term off from class as long as they have completed an ‘academic year' in their current immigration status and they plan to register in the fall. Students who start their studies at ASU in the summer, students who have not completed the academic year requirement, and/or students who will not register in the same course of study in the fall must be registered according to the below requirements. For more information on exceptions to this requirement, please read the section below entitled “Exceptions to Required Credit Hours”.

1. ESL students must be registered for the number of credit hours given by the Intensive Center for English. The Intensive Center for English will enroll each student for the required number of hours.


2. Undergraduate students must be registered in at least 9 credit hours (6 credit hours must be from in-class or web-assisted courses. The other 3 credit hours can be from an online, web assisted, or in-class course(s). Students have two options for arranging the Summer academic schedule:
   
   
   • 6 credit hours in Summer 1 and 3 credit hours in Summer 2; or
   
   
   • 3 credit hours in Summer 1 and 6 credit hours in Summer 2


3. Pre-graduate students (students who have an I-20 for graduate work but who have not been officially admitted into a graduate program pending their successful completion of prerequisite courses and other requirements deemed necessary by their academic department) must be registered in at least 9 credit hours (6 credit hours must be from in-class or web-assisted courses. the other 3 credit hours can be from an online, web assisted, or in-class course(s). Students have two options for arranging the Summer academic schedule:
   
   
   • 6 credit hours in Summer 1 and 3 credit hours in Summer 2; or
   
   
   • 3 credit hours in Summer 1 and 6 credit hours in Summer 2


4. Graduate and Doctoral students (whether or not they have a Graduate, Teaching, or Research Assistantship) must be registered in at least 6 graduate credit hours (3 credit hours must be from an in-class or web-assisted course(s). The other 3 credit hours can be from an online, web assisted, or in-class course(s). Students must take at least 3 credit hours each summer term.

If a student completes all necessary course requirements/coursework (potentially excluding thesis or equivalent) in the spring, the student’s I-20 will be considered completed in the spring, whether or not the student has graduated.

Any student who has completed his or her academic program must follow the requirements mentioned in the section on graduation and finishing course requirements.

Thesis or Equivalent Work

Students who are required to do a thesis or equivalent can either consider their course of study completed (students must then follow the regulations as specified in the section on completing course requirements), or they must register in thesis/dissertation (or equivalent) hours following the full course of study requirements.

Exceptions to Required Credit Hours

There are some instances in which international students are not required to take a full course of study.

1. Last semester: Students in their last semester of coursework are allowed to take less than a full course of study, but they are required to take at least 1 credit hour. If their last semester is summer, they must still be registered in at least 1 credit hour.  NOTICE: Students who choose this option and do not graduate will be terminated at the end of the semester for failing to enroll in a full course of study.  Therefore students are advised to choose this option only after careful consultation with their academic advisor and the International Student Advisor.


2. Illness or Medical Condition: Students must get written permission from a medical doctor stating their medical condition is severe enough that they cannot enroll in a full course of study. The Office of International Programs has to approve this request before they drop below a full course of study. This reason cannot be used more than an aggregate of 12 months during the program study.


3. Academic Difficulty: In rare circumstances a student facing exceptional academic difficulty might be allowed to drop below the required number of credit hours; however, this is allowed only during the first semester of study, and it must be approved by the Office of International Programs. Students who are approved for this request must be registered in at least 6 credit hours throughout the semester (including summer if required to be registered in the summer.

Requirement to Make Normal Progress

International students are required to make normal progress toward their degree. The following are essential points to bear in mind for achieving this goal:

• Students should work closely with their academic advisors to ensure their classes are appropriate for the degree and major they seek.


• Students must adhere to class attendance policies and course requirements.


• If the academic department, the Office of International Programs, or ASU determines a student is not making normal progress, the student’s immigration status can be affected.


• If a student’s I-20 or DS-2019 expires, and the student is not making normal progress, the student will not be eligible for an extension of the I-20 or DS-2019. The student will then be out of status and ineligible to remain in the United States.

  *At all times, a student is responsible for maintaining their own immigration status

*The above information is susceptible to change.
*The above information is not an exhaustive list pertaining to enrollment requirements.
*For additional information regarding enrollment requirements, students can visit:
   http://www.ice.gov/sevis/index.htm
At all times students are responsible for properly informing the DSO of their immigration status and academic status (as pertaining to immigration matters).