Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Blog
  3. Questions from Designated School Officials: Maintaining Status and Withdrawing from a Class

Please note, this content may be outdated. Visit Study in the States' Students, Schools and Blog pages for more timely information on this topic.

Question: When does withdrawing from a class become a violation of F or M student status?

Questions from Designated School Officials: Maintaining Status and Withdrawing from a Class


May 6, 2013

Questions from Designated School Officials is a blog series on Study in the States for designated school officials (DSOs). Each month, we will answer a question that will help you advise your F and/or M students. If you are a DSO and would like to submit a question, you can email us or ask us via social media, your Field Representative or the SEVP Response Center. We may edit questions for clarity and consistency and may not feature all submissions on Study in the States.

Question: When does withdrawing from a class become a violation of F or M student status?

Answer: Withdrawing from a class is only a violation of F or M status if the withdrawal causes the F or M student to not be enrolled in a full course of study. A student must remain enrolled in a full course of study during each term unless authorized for a reduced course load. An F or M student who withdraws from a class during the term and is enrolled, therefore, in less than a full course of study is out of status.

If your school policy allows the student to withdraw from a course after the semester is already over, the student would have still maintained status by remaining enrolled in a full course of study for the whole semester as defined by the regulations.

Regulations:

  • 8 CFR 214.2(f)(4)
  • 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(i)
  • 8 CFR 214.2(f)(6)(i)
  • 8 CFR 214.2(f)(6)(iii)
Was This Helpful?
Please provide feedback on this page.