International Students

Maintaining Legal F-1 Status

• Obtaining Your I-20
• New I-20
• Passport
• Class Registration
• Reduced Courseload/Leave of Absence
• Last Semester of Study
• Address Changes
• Travel
• Employment
• Academic Program Changes, Extensions, and New I-20's
• Reinstatement
• Valid Programs
• Transfer
• Change of Status
• Contact Information

Obtaining Your I-20

We are glad that you have chosen to study at University of Maryland University College. As an international student in F-1 status, it is vitally important that you abide by the Department of Homeland Security regulations that govern your status. To help you do that, we have summarized your legal responsibilities as an F-1 student below. Please read this carefully. You should also be aware that the responsibility for maintaining your status is yours, and ignorance of the law is no excuse. The information provided here is given for informational purposes only.

Do not hesitate to contact International Student Admissions and Advising at 301-985-6734 or ISA@umuc.edu if you have any questions about maintaining your status.

New I-20 (You must be admitted before we will start the I-20 issuance process)

Once you have been admitted to UMUC, we will need the following documents to issue an I-20:

• Application for I-20 form
• Bank Statements to prove finances to cover one academic year of study
• Sponsor statements if someone else will be providing financial support
• Photocopy of I-94 card, Visa Stamp in Passport and Passport ID page showing expiration date (if not in US, we will need this when you arrive)
• I-20 transfer form (if coming from another institution)
• Copy of I-20 from prior institution if transferring

Passport

Keep it valid at all times. Contact your embassy for information about extension procedures at least six months before the expiration of your passport.

Class Registration

You must be registered for a full course load each semester of your academic program. For undergraduate students, this means you must be registered for 12 credit hours. Graduate students must be registered for 9 credit hours (except for the MBA program which has a 3 credit course the first semester and 6 credit courses for subsequent semesters). Of these credit hours only 3 per semester can be online (except MBA students which must enroll in the combination courses). In other words you may register for only one online course per semester. I strongly encourage you to register EARLY each semester so that you will have the required classes to meet the face-to-face requirement. If you do not meet the requirement you will be out of status, in violation of the F-1 regulations, and will be reported.

Reduced Courseload/Leave of Absence

If it becomes necessary for you to take less than a full course load in any semester due to academic difficulties, illness or other medical reason, or if you are requesting a leave of absence, you must speak with your academic advisor and then obtain permission from International Student Services prior to dropping below the full course load. Course load reduction due to academic difficulties will only be authorized once during your course of studies. Reduction of course load due to illness or medical condition will be authorized for only one semester at a time and cannot exceed 12 months during your program of study.

Last Semester of Study

If you are in your final semester of study and need fewer than the full course load to complete your degree requirements, you must obtain permission from International Student Services.

Address Changes

If you move to another address you must notify International Student Admissions and Advising within 10 days of the move. The change will be effected in SEVIS.

Travel

Be sure before you leave the U.S. that the F-1 visa in your passport is valid (not expired). If your visa has expired, you will have to apply for a new one overseas before you will be able to re-enter the U.S. (See Department of State Visa Services.) Also be sure to have your I-20 endorsed for travel (signed) by International Student Admissions and Advising before you leave.

Employment

Optical Practical Training (OPT)

• Must have one full year of academic study
• Must not have already graduated
• Need EAD card to begin employment
• Eligible for 12 months of OPT with each level of study
• Must begin with the 60 day grace period after program end date
• Complete form I-765

CPT

• Only available for undergraduate students at UMUC. Please contact our Cooperative Center – http://www.umuc.edu/coop/coop_home.shtml
• Less than 20 hours per week, if full-time it accrues off of OPT

On-Campus

• You are permitted to work on campus part-time (no more than 20 hours a week) during the semester and full-time during vacation periods

Economic Hardship

• Students in F-1 status are not permitted to work off-campus except in specific circumstances and with prior authorization of the Department of Homeland Security. Students found working off-campus without the proper authorization are in violation of their F-1 status. This is a serious and deportable offense.

Academic Program Changes, Extensions, and New I-20's

You must contact International Student Admissions and Advising to apply for a new I-20 if you change your major or degree program or if you need to extend the length of time required to complete your degree. If you do not apply for an extension before your I-20 expires, you will be in violation of your F-1 status.

Reinstatement

Reinstatement is a process by which a student who falls out of status due to violations of the regulations governing their F-1 status may apply to the USCIS to regain that status. The application for reinstatement must be filed with the USCIS within 5 months of the status violation. Please contact International Student Admissions and Advising for instructions.  

Valid Programs

As a non-traditional university with many online programs, we only offer I-20's to certain programs. The programs listed below can be completed while complying with the ratio of face-to-face to online classes. These are the only programs you may pursue with UMUC as an F-1 student.

Undergraduate Programs:

Accounting
Biotechnology
Business Administration
Communication Studies
Computer and Information Science
Computer Information Technology
Computer Studies
Criminal Justice
Emergency Management (Shady Grove and Dorsey Station)
English
Finance
History
Homeland Security (Shady Grove)
Humanities
Human Resource Management
Information Assurance
Information Systems Management
Investigative Forensics
Legal Studies
Management Studies
Marketing
Political Science
Psychology
Social Science

Graduate Programs:

Master of Business Administration
Master of Science in Health Care Administration
Master of Science in Management (approved specializations - Finance and Health Care)

Transfer

If you are transferring to UMUC, we will need your previous DSO to complete our transfer form and then release your SEVIS record. Please contact us to obtain a transfer form. If you are transferring out of UMUC, please submit your new institution's transfer form to us for completion. When you are either done with coursework or OPT, we will release your record to the new institution. Please note that only active records can be transferred. Students have a 60 day grace period from their program end date or OPT end date to transfer their record.

Change of Status

If you are currently not on an F Visa and wish to change your current status, it is recommended that you call International Student Admissions and Advising. Please note that students on a C, D, K or M and some J Visa's are not eligible to apply for a change of status. If your current Visa has already expired, you are also not eligible to apply for the change in status. Form I-539 will need to be completed and sent to USCIS. Students who are on an F-2 or B Visa are not able to enroll until the change of status is approved.

Contact Information

International Student Admissions and Advising
3501 University Blvd East
Suite 3219
Adelphi, MD 20873
Tele: 301-985-6734
Email: ISA@umuc.edu

USCIS: 1-800-375-5283
TTY: 1-800-767-1833
Web Site: www.uscis.gov

International Students Home Page