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Federal regulations require J-1 students to be full-time enrolled each fall and spring semester. The summer term is considered a vacation term, so enrollment is not required unless it is your first semester in J-1 status (in which case full-time enrollment is required).

For undergraduate students, 12 credit hours is required to be considered full-time. In general, graduate students must enroll for at least 9 credit hours per semester. Graduate students should confirm with their academic program the minimum full-time hours per term, as this can vary by academic program.

Graduate students in PhD programs who have completed all their coursework only need to enroll in the zero-credit research course, which is considered full-time.

There are very few exceptions to full-time enrollment, and any exception must be authorized by ISSS (or the program sponsor that issued your DS-2019) in advance. The exceptions include:

• Bona fide academic reason (such as improper course placement or another compelling academic reason)
• Illness or medical condition
• Final semester of your program

Please consult your ISSS advisor if you are in any of the above situations or have questions about enrollment.