Students must contact their designated school official within 10 days of certain changes.

These include:

• Moving to a new address
• Updating a phone number
• Requesting a program extension
• Changing or adding a major, program or degree level
• Taking a leave of absence
• Transferring to another institution

Students should speak with their DSO before making academic or enrollment changes that could affect their immigration status

F-1 students must remain enrolled full time and meet the academic standards for their program.

Doctor of Chiropractic students

• Enroll in 18 credit hours per quarter
• Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA
• Complete at least nine credit hours on campus
• Twelve credit hours are identified in the source material as the full-time compliance threshold

Undergraduate students

• Enroll in 12 credit hours per quarter
• Maintain at least a 2.0 GPA
• Complete at least nine credit hours on campus

Graduate students

• Enroll in nine credit hours per quarter
• Maintain at least a 3.0 GPA
• Complete at least five credit hours on campus

F-1 students may work only when the employment is permitted under federal regulations and properly authorized.

The supplied guidance identifies:

• On-campus employment of 20 hours or fewer per week
• Curricular Practical Training for an approved internship
• Optional Practical Training after graduation

Working without authorization may result in the loss of F-1 status and may prevent a student from reentering the United States using a Life University I-20.

Obtaining a Social Security Number

Getting a Social Security Number
International students who are employed must apply for a social security number upon offer of employment. Schedule your SSN appointment online (https://www.ssa.gov/). Take the following physical documents (electronic documents are not accepted) to the Social Security Administration office when you arrive for your appointment and submit your application:

• Passport
• Visa
• Proof of Address
• I-94
• I-20
• Employment Letter ( sent to you by Human Resources. Please make sure the international department also has a copy for their records)

International students who have been offered a job and who must apply for a Social Security Number are strongly encouraged to start their SSN application online, prior to going to the Social Security Administration Office for their pre-scheduled appointment. The benefit of starting the application online and using a control number vs. filling out a paper SSN application at the local office is that the process of getting the SSN is much faster and smoother.

When you receive your Social Security card in the mail (in 2 to 4 weeks), take it to the HR Office located in the Administrative Building

A reduced course load may be approved in limited circumstances.

The supplied guidance lists:

• Improper course placement during the first quarter
• A documented medical condition supported by a U.S. doctor
• The final term of study

Medical reduced-course-load approval must be renewed each quarter and may be available for no more than one academic year.

Students in their final term must take at least one on-ground course. A final-term schedule may not consist entirely of online classes.

Because Life University operates on a quarter system and does not have an official summer break, eligible international students may request one annual vacation quarter.

To qualify, students must:

• Complete three consecutive quarters, or nine months, with a full course load
• Meet applicable GPA requirements
• Plan to return to full-time study the following quarter
• Receive approval from the PDSO or DSO before taking the break

The vacation may last one quarter. Students must then maintain F-1 status for another three consecutive quarters before becoming eligible for another annual vacation.

Students living on campus or participating in athletics should also contact Housing or their coach before requesting a break. Taking an unapproved break may affect F-1 status.

The supplied guidance states that international students must complete at least nine quarter credit hours on ground each quarter.

Additional requirements include:

• No more than one online course may count toward the full-time requirement
• At least one course must be on ground during the final quarter
• A student with only one remaining course may not complete that course entirely online
• Audited courses do not count toward full-time enrollment
• Transient study at another SEVP-approved institution requires prior DSO approval

Students should confirm their schedule with their DSO before registering for online or transient coursework.

Students are responsible for ensuring that the information on their I-20 is current and accurate.

Review:

• Your legal name
• Your academic major
• Your program start date
• Your program end date
• The PDSO or DSO signature and date
• Your signature and date
• A parent’s signature, if the student is younger than 18
• Your travel signature

The supplied guidance states that the travel signature should be renewed once each year.

Tuition is due when students register and no later than the second Sunday of the quarter.

Failure to pay tuition may result in disenrollment, which may then cause a loss of F-1 status.

Students with questions about tuition, payments or payment plans should contact Student Accounts.