Play to Win: Reminders for International Student Athletes
July 13, 2015
If you are a student athlete, you may be starting to train for the upcoming season. As an international student involved in sports, it is important to know how to maintain your student status.
The most important thing to remember as an international student athlete is that your primary purpose for coming to the United States is to successfully complete your academic program. Regardless of what happens on the playing field, you must always maintain your student status by attending your classes.
Here are some other important things to remember while you gear up for the fall athletic season:
- As a new international student, you cannot enter the United States more than 30 days before the program start date listed on your Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status”. If you are a returning student or summer school student, you may remain in the United States throughout the summer as long as you maintain your nonimmigrant student status.
- Enroll in a full course of study. As an international student, you may only take one online course each school term. Speak with your designated school official to ensure that the class credits you enroll in contribute to the full course of study requirement at your academic institution.
- Understand that your athletic responsibilities are not considered employment, so you do not need work authorization to play sports while you study in the United States. However, if you received a scholarship or stipend to play on your team, you will need to file taxes with the U.S. government.
Want more information about being an international student athlete? Read the U.S. News and World Report’s International Student Counsel blog post, Follow this Playbook for International Student Athletes, written by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program Director Lou Farrell. It provides additional helpful reminders about regulations to maintain your student status.