As an F-1 student, it is your responsibility to be familiar with and abide by the immigration regulations as they relate to your academics. Please contact OISS directly if you have any questions about the information below.
Academics
An F-1 student's immigration record can be directly impacted by academic issues. As such, it is critical that students pay special attention to the following academic matters.
As an international student on an F-1 visa, you are required to maintain full-time status during the regular semester (fall/spring). Full-time status is equivalent to the following:
| Standing | Number of Units |
| Undergraduate | 12 |
| Graduate | 9 |
| Doctoral | 6 |
The only exception to the full-time requirement is during your final semester, if you require less than full-time loading to complete the final requirements for your degree.
You may request to be authorized for a reduced course load on a semester basis (with a maximum of 2 semesters). A reduction of course load may be authorized due to compelling medical reasons. You must present a letter provided by your physician/medical provider stating your diagnosis, treatment plan, and why a reduction in course load is being recommended.
A reduction in course load may also be authorized if you present a well-documented case for initial adjustment issues that may result from either language adjustment or a lack of familiarity with the American educational system (or both).
You must obtain written authorization/permission from OISS if you would like to file for a leave of absence or withdrawal from the university. Once your leave of absence/withdrawal has been officially processed you will have 15 days to depart the country.
For more information on how to successfully file for an LOA/Withdrawal, please schedule an appointment with OISS.
If you will be transferring out to another U.S. institution, you must notify OISS of your intent to transfer. In order for our office to release your F-1 SEVIS record to your new school, you must submit a copy of your acceptance letter from the new school.
Please be reminded that disciplinary issues, academic probation, or disqualification will impact your immigration standing. For instance, an F-1 student who is disqualified for academic reasons will not be eligible to keep their I-20 record active. In this case, your F-1 record will be terminated and the you will have to depart the United States immediately. F-1 record termination therefore invalidates both your I-20 and F-1 visa stamp, and the you may no longer use either document for travel. This is why it is critical for you as an F-1 student to seek advising in matters relating to your immigration status, if you find yourself in a problematic academic situation.
As an F-1 student, you may request to take classes at another university during the regular semester only upon registering full-time at USD. In other words, if you are an undergraduate student, you must first be registered for 12 credits at USD during the fall or spring semester in order to receive permission to take classes at another institution within the same semester. If you have satisfied the full time load requirement and are interested in taking a class off-campus, you may request for a Concurrent Enrollment letter via iTorero.
Note: If you wish to take summer or intersession classes off-campus, you are not required to be registered full-time at USD for those terms.
If you interested in taking a class at another school or institution, you must take all measures to ensure that the class you are taking off-campus will be credited back to your degree at USD, either by confirming it with USD’s Articulation Agreement or with your respective academic advisor. You should consult with your academic department on the current process for requesting a transfer of credits to your degree.
Embassy-sponsored students: You are responsible for ensuring that classes taken off campus are approved and acknowledged by your respective embassies.
A "hold" is a block on your student account that may be placed by various departments on campus, such as your academic department, OISS, or the USD Health Center. A hold indicates that there is something that requires your attention and you should contact the office that placed the hold to resolve it. Please note that you will NOT be able to register or undertake other school-related transactions if there is an active hold on your account.
Sponsored Students
- Follow USD, scholarship sponsor, and immigration rules
- Understand what your sponsor requires of you!
- Maintain a valid financial guarantee (or financial support letter)
- Make sure your official Financial Guarantee is submitted to Student Accounts at studentaccounts@sandiego.edu.
- Check your Financial Guarantee end date:
- If you have an expired Financial Guarantee, you will not be able to register for the following semester. It is your responsibility to work with your sponsor to ensure a valid Financial Guarantee is given to Student Accounts so USD can continue to invoice your sponsor.
- Check your student account in your MySanDiego portal and pay any outstanding personal balance each term
- You are responsible to pay for any fees that are not covered by your sponsor. These include: parking citations, printing, library fines, etc.
- Check your USD email frequently
- Be aware of holds
- Reasons for holds may be:
- Outstanding balance (check your student account frequently and pay on time!)
- Expired Financial Guarantee
- Academic Standing (Grades, Attendance)
- Lack of official documentation such as the submission of high school transcripts or language scores
- It is your responsibility to seek the appropriate office to remove your hold before your course registration date!It may take up to 10 business days to remove a hold. If you are unsure of which office to contact email internationaloffice@sandiego.edu for guidance.
- Reasons for holds may be:
- Submit the Authorization for Release of Information waiver (FERPA form) for your sponsor.
- We ask you to complete this form before the first day of classes.
Types of Letters & Where to Request Them:
- Major Letter: a letter stating a student’s intended or declared major.
- Request from:
- New/Incoming Students: Contact USD International Undergraduate Admissions for this document: intladmissions@sandiego.edu
- Current/Continuing Students: Complete this Verification of Enrollment form which will be processed by the University Registrar.
- Request from:
- Academic Plan: this document confirms the length of your study at USD
- Request from: Please see your Academic Advisor for this document. You can see the name of your Academic Advisor by logging in to your MySanDiego portal, click on “My Academics” and then “Degree Works”.
- Verification of Enrollment Letter: this document confirms your enrollment at USD
- Evaluation of Transfer Credits (Transfer Students Only): complete this document to transfer credits to USD from another institution.
- A formal evaluation of your transfer credits will be conducted once you have confirmed your enrollment. Once complete, it will be available in your Degree Works located in your MySanDiego portal. If you are an incoming student and have further questions about your transfer evaluation in Degree Works, please contact your assigned Academic Advisor.
- Good Standing Letter: this letter confirms you are a student in good standing at USD
- Requested from: Office of International Students and Scholars via iTorero.
- Concurrent Enrollment Letter: this letter states the courses you have requested to take at another institution
- Requested from: Office of International Students and Scholars via iTorero.
- Please keep in mind that the issuance of a Concurrent Enrollment Letter does not guarantee that your classes taken outside of USD will transfer back, nor should this letter be used for tuition reimbursement purposes. Please consult with your embassy adviser or scholarship benefactor with regard to taking classes off campus. Also refer to this resource on petitioning to transfer credits.
- Requested from: Office of International Students and Scholars via iTorero.
- Official Transcript: a comprehensive record of a student's academic progress at the University of San Diego.
- Current USD students or former students/alumni who still have access to the MySanDiego Portal can order official transcripts online through the MySanDiego portal.
- Log into your MySanDiego Portal
- Click on My Academics under Torero Hub
- Click on Request Official Transcript under My Classes
- Current USD students or former students/alumni who still have access to the MySanDiego Portal can order official transcripts online through the MySanDiego portal.
- Unofficial Transcript: an unofficial (not certified by the university) comprehensive record of a student's academic progress at the University of San Diego.
- There is no fee for this request. Current students can view and print unofficial transcript through the MySanDiego portal.
- Log into your MySanDiego Portal
- Click on My Academics under Torero Hub
- Click on View/Print Unofficial Transcript under My Classes
- There is no fee for this request. Current students can view and print unofficial transcript through the MySanDiego portal.
- Immigration Related Documents (such as an I-20)
- Request from:
- Current International Students: iTorero.
- New/Incoming Students: Contact USD International Undergraduate Admissions for this document: intladmissions@sandiego.edu
- Request from:
The Office of International Students & Scholars encourages all sponsored students to complete a FERPA authorization form. In order to facilitate requests and documents from embassy scholarship advisors on your behalf please complete one of the following steps:
- Grant FERPA authorization to your embassy advisor, OR
- Upload your signed scholarship agreement to iTorero.
Students and visiting scholars have the option of enrolling in the USD Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), coordinated through USD’s provider Gallagher Student Health, or waiving with a comparable plan. Embassy scholars have the following options to waive or enroll in the USD SHIP:
Option 1: Request your sponsor send a valid Financial Guarantee (also known as a Financial Support Letter) to Student Accounts at studentaccounts@sandiego.edu. Once the university has this document on file the health insurance charge will be dropped from your student account and you will be waived from the health insurance requirement.
Option 2: If you are unable to provide a Financial Guarantee by the health insurance deadline please follow the waiver instructions here. If you have questions on the waiver process email internationaloffice@sandiego.edu.
Option 3: If your scholarship does not include health insurance you can either enroll in the USD Student Health Insurance Plan or waive with a comparable plan.
Please note
OISS attempts to provide the most recent, useful information to our students. However, we make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to here, the iTorero Portal, and in emails coming out of OISS.
Information provided by OISS does not constitute and should not be considered legal advice or a legal opinion, and it may not necessarily reflect the most current legal developments. OISS likewise cannot guarantee the outcome of status-related benefit requests filed with US government agencies. Students should seek the advice of counsel or a tax professional for additional guidance. OISS reminds students and scholars that failure to comply with F-1 and J-1 regulations is a violation of your status, which may result in serious consequences including the termination of your SEVIS record, your inability to re-enter the US, and the accrual of unlawful presence which could lead to your removal from the US.
Direct all questions regarding your F-1 and J-1 status to OISS, internationaloffice@sandiego.edu.