Policies for International Students

Online Course Policy for F-1 Students

Starting Fall 2013, ITU began to offer courses in an online format. These courses are available to our international students, but the U.S. federal government limits the number of online courses that a student on an F-1 visa can count towards a full-time course load during the trimester.

F-1 students can only take ONE online course (3 credits units) toward their minimum number of credit units for full-time enrollment during the trimester. This policy applies also to students with other nonimmigrant visa status who are in the process of changing their visa to F-1.

Students with a nonimmigrant visa status should not rely on online courses to meet the enrollment requirements for their visa status.

Federal Regulation 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(6)(i)(G) states:

For F-1 students enrolled in classes for credit or classroom hours, no more than the equivalent of one class or three credits per session, term, semester, trimester, or quarter may be counted if taken on-line or through distance education in a course that does not require the student’s physical attendance for classes, examination or other purposes integral to completion of the class. An on-line or distance education course is a course that is offered principally through the use of television, audio, or computer transmission including open broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave, or satellite, audio conferencing, or computer conferencing. If the F-1 student’s course of study is in a language study program, no on-line or distance education classes may be considered to count toward classroom hours or credit.