Enrollment Requirements & Course Modality
Full Course of Study
F-1/J-1 student status is granted only to students who plan to study full-time at an approved institution in the United States, which includes students studying abroad for a semester or academic year through an approved Babson program. For immigration purposes, full-time status is defined as:
- UG, MBA, MSEL and Exchange programs: at least 12 credit hours per semester
- MSF, MSBA and CAM programs: at least 9 credit hours per semester
Online/Hybrid Course Limitations
Only one course contributing to a full course of study for immigration purposes (as defined above) can be online. Students with only one course remaining in their final semester must be enrolled in an in-person course.
Exceptions to Full Course of Study
Students may be considered to be maintaining valid F-1/J-1 status despite completing less than a full course of study in only a few circumstances. These include:
During the final semester, if a student does not need a full course load to complete his/her program of study, s/he may take less than 12 or 9 credits (as applicable based on their program). However, if the student fails or withdraws from one of these courses and must make it up the following semester, a program extension is required and the student may be considered to be out of status.
Students with only one course remaining in their final semester must be enrolled in an in-person course.
An F-1/J-1 student is considered to be in status during the annual or summer vacation if all of the following conditions are met:
- it is not required by their program;
- if the student was in valid immigration status during the previous semester; and
- if the student intends to register for the next semester
If a leave of absence or reduction in course load to less than full-time is needed for medical reasons, the student must work with their Student Success Advisor (UG) or Graduate Academic Advisor (Graduate) to notify the International Student Advisor (ISA) prior to withdrawing to less than full-time. The student will be required to provide the ISA with a letter from a health-care practitioner requiring or recommending the interruption or reduction in studies.
Only available during the first semester of study in the U.S. It may be possible for a student to reduce his/her course load due to initial difficulty with the English language or reading requirements, unfamiliarity with American teaching methods, or improper course level placement. The student‘s Student Success Advisor (UG) or Academic Advisor (Graduate) must assist with any request in advance of the reduction in credits.
F-1/J-1 students who do not fall into any of the categories above, and who fail to complete a full course load each semester may be seen as failing to maintain their immigration status and may not be able to benefit from privileges associated with F-1/J-1 status, such as SEVIS Registration; travel endorsement on the Form I-20/DS-2019 needed re-entry to the U.S.; on-campus employment verification; or off-campus employment authorization (F-1 Curricular/Optional Practical Training or J-1 Academic Training); transfer of SEVIS record to another U.S. institution.