New Rules for F-1/M-1 students contemplating MOOCs

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become very popular amongst F-1 and M-1 students in recent years. Students generally want to take these virtual courses for convenience and low cost. Although many colleges and universities in the United States offer these popular MOOCs, foreign students need to be aware of the rules for using online courses towards full course study, as delineated by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).  The SEVP monitors schools and nonimmigrant students for compliance with U.S. laws and regulations. 

The limitations set forth for F-1 and M-1 students are as follows:

• F-1 students are limited to only one online course (3 credit hours) per academic term, with the exception of those enrolled in English language programs.

• F-1 students in English language programs and all M-1 students cannot use online courses to meet enrollment requirements (no exceptions).

• Foreign students can take unlimited online courses but cannot use these courses to satisfy minimum requirements for having a full course load.

In order to provide additional support for foreign students, U.S. Department of State has recently announced a new MOOC Camp initiative in which embassies, consulates, and other institutions from around the world partner to hold informative discussions on various topics to help foreign students better understand the U.S. educational system.

Online courses have seen an enormous surge in recent years. Although they offer many benefits, we at Sharma law want to make sure that all foreign students are informed of the rules governing course credit in accordance with the SEVP.