<p>Hi everyone,
I've just got approval for change of my visa status from J-1 to F-1 for attending community college. I really hoped that I wouldn't need to start my studies until Fall semester, however I was told in college that because I got F-1 through change of status I'll have to get 6 credits in summer semester...It really sucks since I expected to earn some money during these 3 months...So I'm basicaly wondering how many classes I can skip and still get credit...and will skipping classes will violate my status in any way if the credits are received...???</p>
<p>+Can international student can take online classes or community education classes to fulfil "being full-time student" requirement?</p>
<p>I'm not attending it right now...I received approval for change of status few days ago and was told in college that I'm supposed to register for 2 classes in summer semester...</p>
<p>It depends on the school policy and the individual teachers policies. My son was dropped from a class he had an A in a week before finals because he had missed several classes (because he was finding it so easy). He was also dropped another semester from a class for being late several times (not very late - just a few minutes - but the teacher's policy was late=absent too many absents=drop). This is at a community college. CC classes are smaller than big Us so absences are noticed.</p>
<p>At my daughters school (large State U) many teachers do not take roll so absences are not so likely to cause you to be dropped. But teachers often have extra point work in class which can make a difference grade wise. She knew people who rarely showed up for certain classes and were never dropped - grades weren't too fantastic though. And certain classes may be mandatory - for instance my daughter's chem class you miss 3 labs you get an automatic F.</p>
<p>Not a good idea to plan to miss classes. Better to try and find a job with hours that don't clash. Summer classes tend to be intense with a lot covered per class because a semester of work is being crammed into a few weeks.</p>
<p>swimcatsmom, thank you for responding...this information was very useful...
Does anybody know whether international students can take online classes?
Thanks</p>
<p>I took an online class when I was an exchange student. I wouldn't think they would treat international students any different. However, sometimes these online classes do cost more so when you find out if you can or not, you may also want to ask about the cost. I would call the college you are enrolled in and ask them their policy for international students taking online classes. Even though I was able to, every school might take a different approach.</p>
<p>This is just a guess but you might have to enroll in classes during the summer because you have applied for a change of status a long time before the beginning of the fall semester. Usually when you get your F-1 visa abroad, you are supposed to start college within 30 days of entering the country on the student visa. There might be a similar policy here that says that now that you have an F-1 visa, you have to start college within x amount of time.</p>
<p>I would also guess that you could take online classes to fulfill your credit requirement as long as they count towards your degree and are offered by the college that issued your I-20. Check with your college.</p>
<p>On a different note, are you allowed to work on an F-1 visa at all at this point? Regular F-1 policies only allow you to work on-campus for a maximum of 20 hours per week during the summer (because apparently you are supposed to be enrolled full-time during that term; if it was a break, you would be allowed to work full-time). You can work off-campus on F-1 only after completing one full year of college, and it seems to me that any prior work authorization you might have had through your J-1 visa would be void once your status is changed to F-1.</p>