You must enroll full-time if you wish to remain in the U.S. in F1 status for the Spring 2021 semester. That is 12 credits (undergraduate) or 9 credits (graduate). There are some limited exceptions to enrolling full time for graduate students with only thesis/dissertation remaining, and for students in their final semester. In both cases, the exception requires prior approval from the ISS office.
Unfortunately, U.S. Immigration has not provided any formal guidance about registration requirements for Spring 2021 and may not do so. However, based on recent events, we understand that U.S. Immigration is extending the flexibility regarding on-campus enrollment requirements into Spring 2021. This means that students who were in the U.S. in F1 status on March 9, 2020 can remain in the U.S. while taking online courses.
Important: New students for Fall 2020 who had to take an on-campus course in Fall 2020 must have at least one on-campus course for Spring 2021. If you aren’t sure if this affects you then please contact International Student Services (internationalinfo@boisestate.edu).
If you are a new student at Boise State University for the Spring 2021 semester then please contact an advisor in International Admissions for registration requirements. In most cases, new students will need at least one on-campus or hybrid class to study in the U.S. New undergraduate exchange students (J1 visas) must enroll full time (12 credits) and at least 9 credits should be on-campus.
We will update this FAQ if we receive any additional formal confirmation from U.S. Immigration.