 | New Student Information The information that follows on this webpage is intended to help you understand your legal obligations as an international student in the United States. Read it carefully – this could affect your lawful status. More information for new students
Full-Time Study Baccalaureate undergraduate full-time study:
Full-time undergraduate study is 12 credits, or a paid Bursar's receipt indicating F/T (full-time) tuition was paid.
Undergraduate students are expected to enroll full-time and remain full-time throughout the current semester and each next available semester until the final semester of required coursework for the program of study.
Undergraduate students are NOT required to enroll for the summer session. Summer sessions are optional periods of enrollment and no minimum or maximum number of credits are required. Graduate full-time study:
Students in City College Master's degree programs enrolled for nine or more credits will be certified in SEVIS for full-time study. Some graduate students may be required to take more than nine credits per semester if their degree programs require more than forty (40) credits to graduate. Students are expected to enroll full-time and remain full-time throughout the current semester and each next available semester until the final semester of required coursework for the program of study. Students are NOT required to enroll for the summer session. Summer sessions are optional periods of enrollment and no minimum or maximum number of credits are required. How Is Full Course Of Study Monitored And Regulated Throughout the registration period, and twice each semester, the Office of International Students and Scholar Services will monitor the course load of international students and report reduced course loads.
Remember, only the Designated School Officials, International Student Advisors, in the Office of International Students and Scholars Services have authority to authorize a reduced credit load! THIS APPROVAL MUST BE OBTAINED BEFORE DROPPING BELOW FULL-TIME STATUS. Part-Time Study DROP BELOW FULL COURSE or REDUCED COURSE LOAD (RCL) When to get permission for a reduced course load (RCL): USCIS requires that students obtain authorization from the International Student adviser in the Office of International Students for a reduced course load before classes begin or before the drop below full-time is made. Academic advisers may suggest you take less than full-time credits, but only the International Student adviser can authorization your part-time study with Immigration Services. Office Forms to obtain permission for a reduced course load: Authorization from the International Student Advisor is given after a student obtains, completes and returns the appropriate Reduced Course Load form. Reduced Course Load (RCL) forms are available in the Office of International/Scholar Services Office. All forms should be returned completed and with proper documentation.
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Undergraduate part-time Study: Undergraduate part-time study is six (6) to eleven (11) credits, or a tuition bill indicating part-time study. Undergraduates may be authorized for part-time study based on an Academic or Medical Reason-see below. Graduate part-time study: Master's students are certified in SEVIS as full-time for nine credits. Master's students may be authorized for part-time study based on an Academic or Medical Reason-see below.
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Zero (0) to Five (5) Credits During A Semester: USCIS considers zero to five credits during a semester as non-enrollment and cannot be authorized for part-time study with an Academic Reason. Any student, undergraduate or graduate, who registers for, or drops below six (6) credits can only be authorized if they have a medical reason. [Back to Top]
Zero Credit Permission and Employment: CPT/OPT and On-Campus : Students with medical authorizations for a zero course load, cannot apply for Practical Training during that semester. Students expecting to apply for CPT or OPT, must return to school and apply during a semester of enrollment. Students with a medical permission for a zero credit semester may NOT be authorized for on-campus employment. [Back to Top]
Study after an RCL: Students who receive permission for part-time study are expected to return to full-time study the semester immediately following authorized part-time study, except in the cases where students are part-time because it is their final semester of coursework.
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Reasons acceptable for a reduced course load: Acceptable reasons for reduced course loads are divided by USCIS into two types and are listed below. - Academic Reasons
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- New students who experience academic difficulties their first semester of program enrollment (for example, unfamiliarity with American teaching methods or English language difficulties) may be pre-authorized to take a reduced credit load.
- A Student at any point in her/his program, who has been improperly advised with regard to appropriate course selection, may take a reduced course load.
- Students in their final term of study need only to register for the credits required to complete the degree. There is a special Reduced Course Load form for students in their final semester that will provide the appropriate authorization.
2. Medical Reason Students may be authorized for two (2) semesters for a Medical Reason. Students with a medical condition documented by a letter from a physician may reduce their credit load or take no credits while remaining in the United States. [Back to Top] What is SEVIS?
SEVIS stands for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. It is a secure Internet-based system that allows schools and the Department of Homeland Security ( www.dhs.gov) and its agencies such as United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, (USCIS, formerly INS), to record, control and exchange data on the status of international students. College and university staff (Admissions personnel, International Student Advisors), Consular officers and Port of Entry officers, input and transmit accurate and current information electronically throughout an F-1 or J-1 student’s academic career in the United States, each and every semester. College personnel, U.S. Embassies and Consulates, and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USICE) officers at ports of entry, have access to the SEVIS system and your personal information in that system. Other U.S. federal bureaus and agencies, such as the U.S. Social Security Administration or the New York State Motor Vehicle Agency, will request verification of your immigration status from SEVIS before processing requests for service or benefits. Your SEVIS record is always carefully examined by these agencies before granting applications for employment, social security number, and future changes of status [for example] to H-1B Temporary Worker status, or Legal Permanent Resident. How does SEVIS work? - After The City College admits an international student, and the student satisfies the financial certification requirement and, (if applicable), the school transfer procedures for I-20 issuance, SEVIS is notified and the USICE approves the College’s request to issue an I-20. The Office of Admissions prints and issues the new bar-coded I-20 form to the student.
- If the student is overseas, she/he visits a U.S. Consulate with his/her I-901 payment receipt (SEVIS processing fee), and the consul confirms that the I-20 the student presents is a valid document. If everything is in order, and the visa officer is convinced that the student has no intention of remaining permanently in the U.S., she/he issues the visa.
- A USICE officer at the airport records in SEVIS the student’s time and date of entry into the U.S.
- When the student arrives on campus, he/she reports to the Office of International Students and Scholar Services, Room NAC 1/107, then registers for classes, and the International Student Advisor confirms through SEVIS the student’s enrollment.
- The College’s International Student Advisors continue to provide electronic reports to USICE each and every semester throughout the student’s academic career.
- If and when a student with a SEVIS I-20 desires to transfer to another US academic institution it is that student’s responsibility to personally inform the International Student Advisor of the intended transfer and to request that her/his SEVIS electronic file be transferred to the new school. This does not happen automatically when accepted to a new school, and failure to have your SEVIS file transferred in this manner results in TERMINATION of F-1 status even if you enroll and attend classes at the new school.
- Finally, SEVIS records the student’s departure from the United States.
What data does SEVIS collect? While other agencies with SEVIS reporting requirements input various items, The City College of New York’s reporting responsibility is limited to the following items. - Each semester reports whether students have enrolled at the school or failed to enroll.
- Must report changes of student/dependent’s legal name/address within ten days of the event.
- Reports students who graduate prior to the end date listed on the I-20
- Each semester reports students who have dropped below a full course of study.
- Other data generated by standard procedures such as program extensions, school transfers, changes in level of study, employment authorizations, and reinstatement.
- Immediate reports for any student who fails to maintain status or complete his or her program.
What does "out of status" mean? A person who enters the country legally and stays beyond the authorized time, or who fails to engage primarily in the activity for which he or she was admitted to the United States is out of status. Though persons in the category out of status are in the U.S. without permission, theirs is a CIVIL law violation, not a criminal violation. It is not a crime to be out of status. The only two exceptions where this is a crime, is for out of status non-immigrants in classifications "Crewman" and "Aliens in Transit". A student who is out of status has not committed a crime just by being in the United States without permission, but serious immigration ramifications can result that interfere with the individuals quality of life in the United States.
What does “fails to maintain status” mean? Some examples of failure to maintain status for students with F-1 immigration classification include having an unauthorized drop below full-time enrollment, attending a school other than the one listed on the student's I-20, failure to transfer SEVIS record when transferring to a new school, failure to apply for an I-20 extension or change in level of study, unauthorized employment, and failure to report a change of address. These violations of F-1 status can result in the student becoming out of status.
What are the consequences if a student fails to maintain status? The student’s record is updated in SEVIS at least twice every semester. Students are responsible for maintaining their status according to the regulations on page 2 of the I-20. Students who fail to maintain status lose the privileges of student status. Specific consequences may include denial of re-entry to the U.S., inability to move from undergraduate to graduate status, termination of on-campus employment, denial of requests for Practical Training and change of immigration status, and possible denial of future visa applications. [Back to Top] Can a student who is “out of status” regain legal status? If a student drops below a full course of study without prior approval of the DSO, or otherwise violates lawful F-1 status, that “event” would be reported to USICE, via SEVIS, and he or she would be out of status. The student may apply to USCIS for reinstatement, (within five months of the date of loss of lawful status), if the violation resulted from circumstances beyond his or her control. Applications for reinstatement submitted more than five months after loss of status require proof that exceptional circumstances beyond the control of the student prevented timely submission of the reinstatement request. Denials by USCIS of reinstatement requests cannot be appealed. [Back to Top] Social Security Administration
Students (and scholars) in F-1 and J-1 status are eligible to receive an official Social Security number if they have been offered employment (on or off campus) in the United States. Any student who works on or off campus MUST obtain an official Social Security Number, since your college-assigned ID number is not acceptable for employment purposes. Please visit the Office of International Students & Scholar Services (NAC 1/107) to obtain a letter and instructions on how to obtain a Social Security Number. Social Security numbers are issued by the Social Security Administration (www.ssa.gov). Download PDF: Documents and Procedures for Applying for a Social Security Number (SSN)
The Individual Taxpayer ID Number
An ITIN, or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, is a tax processing number that IRS (Internal Revenue Service) has made available to certain individuals who are unable to get a Social Security Number. For all U.S. tax returns filed after December 31, 1996, including your ITIN on the return will ensure prompt processing and receipt of any refund. To obtain an ITIN, you must complete IRS Form W-7, Application for Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, available in the International Students & Scholar Services office. IRS requires proof of nonimmigrant status and true identity for each individual applying on Form W-7. After completing Form W-7, you can mail it along with supporting documents to the Philadelphia Service Center, present it at IRS walk-in offices, or process your application through Acceptance Agents authorized by the IRS. For more information on the ITIN please check out Publication 1915, Understanding Your IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. New Student Information Fall 2008 NEW STUDENTS
In addition to the City College Orientations that assist Freshmen and Transfer students with course registration and obtaining College IDs, the Office of International Student and Scholar Services hosts an Orientation for new international students each semester. The Orientation for new international students provides information regarding maintaining immigration status and other useful topics.
- What: Fall 2008 Orientation for new international freshmen, transfer and graduate students
- When: August 2008 [Exact date to be announced]
- Time: 9:00am to 1:00pm
- Where: North Academic Center, 3rd Floor, Faculty Dining Room
- Note: This is an information immigration orientation and not an orientation to register for classes. It is at the College Orientation that undergraduates are registered for classes. Check with the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for College Orientation and Registration dates/information.
- RSVP: [information to be announced]
All new International Students, (Freshmen, Transfers and Graduate), are warmly encouraged to attend our Orientation Program for new students. This will be your chance to meet the staff of the International Student & Scholar Services Office and your fellow students. This is also a great opportunity to have ALL those questions answered about life at CCNY that we know you have been anxious to ask. Please e-mail us in July or August at oiscc@ccny.cuny.edu to let us know that you plan to attend. We look forward to meeting you at the Orientation Program and to welcoming you personally to The City College of New York.
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