Advising International Students
International students, like many domestic students, encounter academic and personal difficulties while pursuing their studies. In addition to the customary transitional issues such as adjusting to the demands of college versus high school, and managing increased independence from family, they are often adjusting to:
- a new academic system
- learning in a second language
- managing their own finances
- having left their support systems far behind
- navigating a foreign culture
The advisors in the Office of International Programs are trained to assist students with these issues and we rely heavily on the Counseling Center for their expertise in personal counseling and Academic Advisors for their expertise in the academic arena.
Tips for Academic Advisors
Dropping classes
International students are required to maintain their immigration status by enrolling full-time every semester. This means 12 credits for undergraduates and 9 credits for graduates. When international students are performing poorly in a class they cannot just drop the class to save their GPA if it will drop them below the required full-time enrollment. When students drop below full-time without prior authorization from our office, they are considered out of status by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). When this happens, they must resume their status which costs them money and requires them to exit and re-enter the country. Our goal is to help students ahead of time so that does not happen.
Online courses
Only 1 online course will count towards an international student's fulltime enrollment. For example, if an undergraduate enrolls in 2 online courses for at total of 6 credits and 2 "regular" courses for a total of 6 credits, that student will not be considered fully enrolled by Department of Homeland Security standards. He or she would have to add one more "regular" course to maintain his or her status.
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