Academic Regulations: J-1 Students
Change of Academic Program
Students in J-1 status are only allowed to change their academic program to higher degree. Students pursuing a master's degree, for example, may only change to a doctoral degree program. They cannot change to a bachelor's degree program.
J-1 students cannot change their major field of study. For example, a student pursuing a chemistry degree cannot switch to a physics degree.
Change of Category
While in the US, all J-1 students are prohibited from changing categories within the J-1 status. For example, a J-1 student may not change to J-1 research scholar or vice versa.
Enrollment Requirements
A minimum of full-time enrollment is required:
- 12 hours for undergraduate students
- 9 hours for graduate students
Reduced Course Load (RCL): If it is necessary for you to drop below full time for the very limited and specific reasons allowed by immigration regulations, you must receive prior approval from the J-1 Advisor. This is done by submitting the Reduced Course Load Form found on the Forms & Instructions page.
Acceptable reasons for reduced credit load are:
- Academic reasons (limited to one semester)
- Undergraduate students in their final semester of study before graduation
- Graduate students in their final semester of course work
- Students who have a medical problem certified by a physician or clinical psychologist
Suspension from School
Students who are suspended from the University for any reason may not stay legally in the US during the duration of suspension. Students who suspect that they might be suspended at the end of the academic term should check their academic status with their respective colleges before leaving the country on vacation, as they will not be permitted to re-enter the US.
In addition, if students do re-enter the US and discover that they have been suspended, they will lose their student status, and their stay in the US will be considered illegal. A student on suspension can regain J-1 student status by being issued a new DS-2019 and re-entering the country after the suspension has been lifted.