Fall and Spring Semesters
Notes on Admission Process
Arrival and Check-In
- Students may enter the U.S. up to 30 calendar days before the start date on their I-20s or DS-2019s.
- Students must arrive in the U.S. on or before the start date on their I-20s or DS-2019s.
- All new admits must check-in with the Reves Center and attend International Student Orientation
Enrollment Requirements
- Undergraduate Students: Must be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours per semester.
- Graduate Students: Must be enrolled in at least 9 credits per semester.
- Up to three credit hours may be from distance education courses from accredited institutions.
- Students in their final semester are only required to enroll in the number of credits required to graduate.
- With institutional approval, U.S. immigration law allows F-1 and J-1 students to be temporarily enrolled less than full-time for certain medical or academic reasons.
Employment Eligibility & Authorizations
On-Campus Employment
- Students may only work 20 hours per week or less. No special work authorization is required to work on campus.
- Information about hiring international students can be found on our website.
Paid Off-Campus Employment
- Students must secure the appropriate work authorization before beginning employment.
- Students may only work 20 hours per week or less. If the student has an on-campus job, the on-campus job and CPT/AT employment cannot exceed 20 hours per week.
- F-1 students can apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
- Graduating F-1 students may apply for post-graduation Optional Practical Training. Note: It can take up to 3 months for the application to be approved, therefore, students are encouraged to apply early. Students may apply as early as 90 days before their degree completion date.
- J-1 students can apply for Academic Training (AT) for pre-and-post graduation employment.
- Engaging in paid employment without the proper work authorization will result in the termination of the student’s SEVIS (immigration) record. The student might also be required to leave the U.S.
Note: Mason School of Business and Washington Office Programs, please refer to the Business and Washington Office Programs CPT Procedures handout for additional information.
Please Notify the Reves Center if:
- a student is unable to arrive in the U.S. by the start date on their I-20s or DS-2019s. Our office will need to defer the start date.
- a student is unable to maintain full-time enrollment. Enrolling less than full-time without institutional approval will result in the termination of the student’s SEVIS (immigration) record.
- a student plans to take a leave of absence.
- a student will change programs or level of study (e.g., PhD to MS, LLM to JD, etc.).
All information is also available on our Student Visas Cheat Sheet (PDF).
