Current Students

Academics

Your academic success is important. Visit our Center for Academic Excellence to sign up for peer tutoring, writing tutoring, workshops, and webinars.  

Maintaining Your F-1 Status

• Pursue a full course of study.  At Rush, graduate students are considered full-time when registered for at least nine credit hours per term.   PhD, professional doctorate, and master’s students completing dissertations, externships or theses, respectively, may be considered full-time if they meet the following conditions each term: A) register for nine or more graduate-level credit hours; or B) register for a minimum of two credit hours of dissertation, externship or thesis coursework. Undergraduate students are considered full-time when registered for at least twelve credit hours per term.  International students should review the full course of study definition from the University Catalog.
• F-1 students in their final term needing less than a full course of study to complete their program do not need to enroll full-time. Student must be enrolled in at least one required class in this situation.
• Comply with federal regulations regarding online enrollment limits for F-1 students. International students are limited to one fully online class (three credits) towards the full course of study requirement, each term or semester. For immigration purposes, a class which is hybrid and has in-person required components for classes, examinations, or other purposes integral to completion of the class does not count as “online”.
• Students in their final semester are not permitted to have a schedule that is fully online. 
• International students who are enrolled in hybrid or hyflex courses must follow their College’s instructions on attendance.
• The Department of Homeland Security’s Study in the States website is an essential source of immigration information for international students, including course of study requirements.
• Apply for I-20 program extension, if necessary, prior to program end date. If you consulted with your College and your College has approved a new program end date, please submit an I-20 Request for Program Extension at least 30 days before your I-20 expires. The “program end date” on your I-20 should always match your actual program end date. 
• Maintain valid documents. Your passport and Form I-94 must always be valid. Your passport should always have at least 6 months of validity, especially in order to re-enter the U.S.
• Report a change of address within 10 days of the change. U.S. regulation mandates F-1 visa holders report a change of address within 10 days of a move. Please keep your U.S. address updated in your student portal and email international_students@rush.edu to notify us of a change in your U.S. address. 
• Receive authorization in advance of all employment. Please be sure to speak to International Student Services before accepting any employment.