Continuing Students

In order for international students to legally remain the United States while pursuing their degree program, it is extremely important that students do everything they can to maintain their status. Failure to maintain the terms and conditions of their status is grounds for removal from the United States (deportation). 

In order to maintain their status, continuing students must:

• Pursue a full-time course enrollment: 

  • In order to maintain your status, students must enroll in a full-time course of study each Fall and Spring semester. Summer enrollment is not mandatory unless the summer term is your first term.

    • Graduate Students – minimum of 9 credit hours
    • Undergraduate Students – minimum of 12 credit hours
  • Part-time Enrollment/Reduced Course Load: 
    • Some students are allowed to drop below full-time status or take a reduced course load IF they meet one of the eligible categories for reduced course load: 
      • Category I:Improper Course Placement, Initial Difficulty with English Language Requirement, or Unfamiliarity with U.S. Teaching Methods. (This is usually applicable to students in their initial semester of their ESL/Language Learning program.)
      • Category II:Final Semester in degree program and student needs less than full-time course load to complete degree program; student is enrolled in both courses and internship and is considered full-time, or to complete dissertation/thesis. 
      • Category III:Medical Reasons (Medical reasons must be documented by a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or clinical psychologist detailing medication condition and why medical condition warrants less than full-time enrollment.) 
      • To learn more about Reduced Course Load, or for a copy of the application form, click here. 
• Make normal progress towards completing their course of study, and by completing their studies before the expiration of the program completion date on their Form I-20. 
  • Students unable to complete their degree program before the expiration date listed on their Form I-20, must notify the Office of International Education to request an extension of their I-20 program end date. 
• Reporting changes in their contact information, educational changes (major, level of study, etc.), changes in financial resources, or visa/immigration status to the Office of International Education
  • Students can make some general changes to their SAIL account; however, the Office of International Education should be notified when changes occur, so the student's SEVIS record can be updated. F-1 students must report changes regarding the following categories to the Office of International Education within 10 days of the change:  
    • physical address
    • email address
    • phone number
    • major
    • degree level (bachelor, master, Ph.D.)
  • To update your records, please log on to S.A.I.L.(http://sail.tamucc.edu/) and make the necessary changes. All University correspondence will be sent to the address you have registered in S.A.I.L.
• Notify the Office of International Education and complete Transfer-Out procedures if students wish to transfer their current SEVIS record to a different school
  • Transfer-out requests can be completed at the end of the current term, at the end of a student's degree program, or during the grace period after the end of the student's Post-Completion OPT, or prior to the end of STEM-OPT authorization end date. 
  • To access the Transfer-Out Form, click here. 
• Abide by F-1 student grace period rules
• Not work, either on or off-campus, unless specifically authorized under the F-1 regulations
• Keep their passport valid for a minimum of six months from the date of expiration of the initial period of initial study
• Not participate in criminal activity

• Updating Your Information in S.A.I.L.
  • It's important that students keep their contact information up-to-date with both the Office of International Education Office and in their S.A.I.L. account. Anytime there is a change to your permanent home address, current U.S. address (physical or mailing), telephone number, or personal email address, students should notify the Office of International Education within 10 days of the change, so the information can be updated in SEVIS. Students should also make sure they make the changes in their S.A.I.L. account by logging in to their SAIL account here, and updating their information in S.A.I.L. 
• Maintaining Full-time Course Load
  • As mentioned in the Maintaining SEVIS status information, all international students are expected to maintain a full-time course load every Fall or Spring term in order to be considered "in-status." 
  • A full-time course load is considered 12 U.S. credit hours (UG) or 9 U.S. credit hours (GR/PhD). 
  • Students are only eligible to drop below full-time course load if they 1) meet one of the eligible criteria, and 2) submit a request for approval to drop below full-time. For more information on dropping below full-time see information under "Reduced Course Load." 
• Academic Advising
  • Finding out what course requirements you need, or mapping your course sequencing, may be confusing for most students. However, all students are assigned an Academic Advisor within their respective academic department or degree program. For additional information regarding Academic Planning or Academic Advising, please visit the TAMU-CC Academic Planning webpage. 
• Registering for Courses
  • Continuing students are eligible to start applying for courses for the next term towards the middle of the current term. Summer/Fall course registration for continuing students usually occurs in April; Spring course registration for continuing students usually occurs in November. 
  • Before registering for courses, it is the student's responsibility to ensure that they have paid all tuition/fees and/or removed all holds on their student account. Students can register for courses via their S.A.I.L. account. For more information on how to register for courses visit the Register for Classes webpage. 
• Reduced Course Load: 
  • International Students CANNOT drop below a full-time course load WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORIZATION from the Office of International Education and WITHOUT having appropriate Reduced Course Load request and documentation on file. 
  • Students who are unauthorized to drop below a full-time course load may have suffer additional consequences including having their SEVIS record terminated. Students with terminated SEVIS records will need to depart from the U.S. usually within 15 days of the termination. 
  • International students are allowed to drop below full-time status or take a reduced course load IF they meet one of the eligible categories for reduced course load: 
    • Category I:Improper Course Placement, Initial Difficulty with English Language Requirement, or Unfamiliarity with U.S. Teaching Methods. (This is usually applicable to students in their initial semester of their ESL/Language Learning program.)
    • Category II:Final Semester in degree program and student needs less than full-time course load to complete degree program; student is enrolled in both courses and internship and is considered full-time, or to complete dissertation/thesis. 
    • Category III:Medical Reasons (Medical reasons must be documented by a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, or clinical psychologist detailing medication condition and why medical condition warrants less than full-time enrollment.) 
    • To learn more about Reduced Course Load, or for a copy of the application form, click here. 
• Adding/Dropping Courses
  • Students are allowed to add or drop courses at any point prior to the start of the semester, assuming that they have maintained their eligibility to register for courses. 
  • During regular enrollment periods (see Registration Schedules page), students are able to add/drop courses via their S.A.I.L. account. 
  • Do keep in mind that the university has university-wide deadlines regarding last day to register, add, drop or withdraw from courses as well. For a list of detailed deadlines, visit the Academic Calendar. 
• Extending Program End Date/I-20 Extensions: 
  • All students have a program end date listed on their Form I-20 (Page 1 of I-20 under "Program Start/End Date section." 
  • Most students are able to complete their degree programs prior to the end date listed on their I-20; however, there may be extenuating circumstances which may lead a student to not be able to complete their degree program by the initial end date listed on their I-20. 
  • If you need to extend your program end date, please notify the Office of International Education (preferably a semester prior to the end date), with an I-20 extension request. 
    
    • Students will need to also submit the following documents as part of their I-20 extension request: 
      • Academic Confirmation: Letter or email notification from the student's Academic Advisor (UG) or Program Coordinator/Faculty Advisor (GR/PhD/EdD) that addresses the following: 1) Reason why student was unable to complete degree requirements by program end date listed on I-20, and 2) How much more time student will need to complete degree requirements AND new anticipated graduation date. 
      • Updated Financial Documents: Students will need to submit an updated Affidavit of Support Form along with any combination of bank letters, job offer letters (GA/TA/RA), department funding letters, scholarships, etc. showing sufficient funding to cover the extension period being requested (1 semester, 1 year, etc.)
  • Please note that I-20 extensions can only be granted for 1-year maximum, at a time. If a student needs to extend their I-20 end date by more than 1 year, they will need to submit an additional I-20 extension request prior to the next I-20 end date. 

Employment Information

International students are eligible to work while they pursue their degree programs in the United States; however, there are restrictions regarding the type of employment, where they can be employed, and how many hours per week they can work. 

 How to obtain your Social Security Card

Students can only apply for a Social Security Card, or Social Security Number (SSN), after receiving a job offer or after securing employment. Because the SSN is issued by a state agency, the SS Card/SSN request process needs to be completed at a local Social Security Administration Office.

When students receive an eligible job (on-campus, cpt, opt), they will need to apply for a social security number within the first 30 days of receiving the job offer or starting the job, whichever comes first.

Students will need to gather all necessary SSN application materials and apply in person at the local US Social Security Administration, located in 3801 South Port Avenue, Corpus Christi, TX, 78414. Students will need to present the following documents when they apply for their SSN/SS Card: 

1. Form SS-5
2. Letter of employment (Should be provided by your hiring department.)
3. Letter of support (provided by the Office of International Education)
4. Passport
5. I-94
6. I-20

Notes:

• To request OIE providing “Letter of support”, please email international@tamucc.edu with a scannded copy of your employment offer letter.
• You can find more information regarding the required documents you'll need to apply for a SS Card here. 
• If you don’t have a vehicle, there is a bus stop near the US Social Security Administration, and you can find your routes from CCRTA’s website.
• It will take about 2 weeks or more before you receive your SSN in the mail. When you receive it, please take your card to the Human Resource Department to update on the system.

How to apply for a driver license as an F-1 student

In order to apply for a driver's license, all applicants must apply, in-person, at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The closest DMV office is located at 3506 Twin River Blvd. Corpus Christi, TX 78410.  Students can schedule appointments online or call the DMV Office at: (361) 879 - 4500 for more information about appointments and hours of operation. 

Students will need to submit the following: 

1. Complete the driver license application form
2. Valid Passport
3. Visa (current or expired)
4. Valid I-20 (Program end date should be at least a year or more from driver's license application date.)
5. I-94
6. 2 documents that verify your current physical address (lease agreement, utility, phone bill)
7. Social Security Card (If you have one. If you do not have a social security number, contact the OIE office for a support letter explaining why you do not have a SSN.)
8. $25 application fee

Notes:

• You have to take the knowledge and driving test in order to get the license.
• If you are under 25 years of age you must complete a driver education course.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

STEM-OPT Extension (STEM-OPT)