To study at The New School in J-1 status, international students must pursue a full course of study during the academic year and make normal progress toward completing the course of study. Failure to maintain a full course load is a violation of your status and can result in severe consequences. While it is your responsibility as a student to comply with federal regulations, ISSS will support and assist you during your time in J-1 status.
Full-time enrollment for each fall and spring semester is defined as:
- 12 credit-hours for undergraduates
- 9 credit-hours for graduate students
- 9 equivalency (EQ) credits and maintenance of status for graduate students working on their thesis or dissertation
Only 3 credits of online (distance learning) coursework can be applied toward maintaining your full-time enrollment. All other credits must be earned on campus or through a combination of on-campus and online courses.
Please note that during the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing J-1 students are permitted to be fully enrolled online. New J-1 students must enroll in at least one on-campus course out of full-time enrollment.
The following courses do not count toward full-time enrollment:
- Courses for which a grade of W (withdrawal), Z (unofficial withdrawal), N (permanent incomplete) or GM (grade missing) has been assigned
- Audited courses
- More than 3 credits of online (distance learning) courses
- Online courses if they are the only ones taken in the final semester of study