Forms and Procedures

Change of Address

By Immigration Law, students must keep the most current local address with ISS and the Registrar at all times. The local address must be where a student is currently residing, even if he or she has a PO Box or Campus Box. All address changes must be filed with ISS and the Registrar within 10 days of the move by completing a Change of Address Form, which can be downloaded here: Change of Address.doc.

Please Note: Failure to maintain a current local address with ISS and the Registrar is a serious violation of Immigration regulations, one that can cause a student to lose his or her Immigration status.

Reduced Courseload

Immigration law requires that international students be enrolled full-time in both the Fall and Spring Semesters. For undergraduates, the minimum courseload is 12 credits. For graduate students, the minimum courseload is 9 credits. However, some graduate programs may require more than 9 credits per semester.

In certain instances, Immigration regulations allow international students to drop below full-time a total of two semesters per academic program:

• Any one semester of the program
• Final semester

Graduate students who enroll in Thesis are not required to complete a Reduced Courseload Form. Although Thesis is generally 3 credits or less, it still fulfills the full-time status requirement.

The following are the only reasons a student may drop below full-time status:

• The student is having difficulty with English language or reading requirements, has been placed in an improper course level, or is unfamiliar with English teaching methods. Generally, only first-semester students will fall under this category.
• The student needs less than a full courseload to complete the degree program and plans to graduate at the end of the current semester.
• Required courses for the student's program are not available for the current semester and no other courses are available to bring the student back to full-time status.
• The student has a medical reason for needing to be registered less than full-time. Medical documentation is required.

Before the Reduced Courseload can be approved, students must complete the following steps:

1. The student takes the Reduced Courseload Form to his or her academic advisor. The form can be downloaded here: Reduced Courseload Form.doc. The advisor must check the appropriate reason for the drop below full-time and sign the appropriate section.
2. The student brings the signed form to ISS. A DSO will provide a second signature.
3. The student goes to the Office of the Registrar and turns in the Reduced Courseload Form with his or her Registration or Drop/Add Form.

Important: If a student attempts to drop below full-time without completing this procedure, he or she will be out-of-status with Immigration.    

Multicultural & International Student Services
2nd floor, University Center

Lois Fuller
Executive Director, Multicultural & International Student Services
tel: 610-499-4498
ljfuller@widener.edu

Dan Stabb
Assistant Director, International Student Services
tel: 610-499-4499
dkstabb@widener.edu

Widener University
One University Place
Chester, PA 19013
tel: 610-499-4000