The new class schedule is not available at this time. This should come out some time in mid-July.

As of this time, SEVP has not specified any exceptions to the online requirements for F-1 students. That is, F-1 students can only take one online course as part of their minimum required hours for the fall and spring semesters.

As of this time, no online courses are allowed besides what is required under F-1 regulations. That is, if you take only online courses, you are in violation of your F-1 status. We are currently waiting for SEVP to provide us guidance or leniency to this ruling for the fall term of 2020.

As of this time, you cannot enroll in only online courses for fall 2020 until we get further guidance from SEVP. If you choose to take only online classes for fall 2020, you could do so from back in your home country and if your degree program allows for this. Of course, as previously stated, this may affect your F-1 status and an authorized early withdrawal may have to be submitted to us to terminate your SEVIS record.

This decision will be made closer to mid-July regarding which courses will have a HyFlex option or be online. We hope to have additional guidance from SEVP at this point to provide leniency regarding online hours. Please follow up with your academic advisor/department first and then you may contact our office.

As of this time, we have to wait for additional guidance from SEVP in order to allow leniency on this policy.

As of this time, we have to wait for additional guidance from SEVP in order to allow leniency on this policy in which you can take the remaining courses on a reduced course load and not meet the face-to-face requirements.

SEVP is aware that all universities within the U.S. are needing guidance on how to address the face-to-face hours and keeping the health and safety of students a priority. UH is aware of the need for international students to meet certain requirements by law and if this issue has to be addressed, it will be done.

Only students on a F-1 and J-1 status have restrictions regarding online hours. If you are on a different status in the U.S., there are no restrictions for online hours.

The new class schedule is not available at this time. This should come out some time in mid-July.

We are aware of this recent update. We hope that SEVP will allow leniency regarding the face-to-face requirement in order for international F-1/J-1 students to maintain status while in the U.S. as options for any face-to-face interaction will be limited. President Khator's recent email on June 12th

This is correct. The other options are virtual or online.

There will be an option to attend face-to-face or online for the larger HyFlex courses. If F-1 students are required to attend face-to-face, there could be exceptions made and priorities given to international F-1/J-1 students. We do hope that SEVP will also give international students leniency regarding this requirement when they provide guidance for fall 2020.

Hybrid has a required face-to-face component for all students in the course. HyFlex classes will provide “face-to-face” instruction on campus. To respect the need for social distancing in our classrooms, we may have limited access to “face-to-face” sections in these HyFlex classes. Face-to-face HyFlex classes are also live-streamed to allow students to attend virtually, or a recorded version of the class can be watched online outside of normal class hours.

HyFlex option has a face-to-face or online option. More information will come out on how this looks and if international students will be required to do the face-to-face component of the HyFlex option.

HyFlex will have an option for face-to-face or online. The issue is if F-1/J-1 students will be allowed to choose the online option or not. We are waiting for guidance from SEVP regarding this.

Yes, you can take a semester off. You will be required to leave the U.S. and request an authorized early withdrawal. Otherwise you have to submit a change of status request to remain in the U.S. You cannot stay in the U.S. without enrolling in courses for the fall semester.

Your unexpired F-1 VISA is still valid if you have a positive termination. If you fail to submit the form and a negative termination is on your SEVIS record, an application for a new F-1 VISA will be required (if you are outside the U.S.) or you have to file for reinstatement inside the U.S. if you didn’t leave.

We have not heard this being discussed as an option for fall 2020 from SEVP. We will have to see what guidance SEVP will provide for F-1 students and how they are affected to know if reduced hours will be allowed.

Please wait for more guidance from SEVP regarding the fall semester before applying for a term withdrawal for fall 2020. Our office won’t require any term withdrawal prior to the start of fall classes. You may also want to check with your department or financial services regarding implications of term withdrawals and what deadlines to keep track of.

Financial assistance was offered for this summer in which all mandatory fees were waived for students enrolled in six hours or more. If you had less than six hours, only the extended campus access fee was charged and all other mandatory feeds were waived.

UH has not discussed further assistance in regards to tuition and fees for the fall term of 2020.

F-1/J-1 students are not eligible for TAFSA or FAFSA.

There were only pro-rated refunds for housing, parking, and meal plans during the spring 2020 semester. Fees are expected to return to normal for the fall 2020 semester.

View the Cougar Emergency Fund informational file.

Please view our Financial Services page for information regarding scholarships and grants that are available for F-1 students.

Yes, you may still apply for this if eligible. Our office conducted a webinar regarding Severe Economic Hardship.

We also have the required documents for applying for Severe Economic Hardship on our employment page.

Once you have the required documents, please email them to: isssohlp@central.uh.edu

We are not aware of any additional tuition waiver or discount due to COVID-19 for fall 2020.

Please wait for further communication from Parking and Transportation services regarding fall parking or contact them directly.

Only active F/J Visa holders are automatically enrolled in the UH student health plan. No expected changes to the health plan are being considered.

UH is taking students, faculty, and staff health and safety as a priority. The University is strictly following the guidance provided by the CDC in regards to opening campus and meeting all the regulatory requirements.

UH, as a whole, is working to minimize risks for any COVID-19 exposure to students, staff, and faculty. The HyFlex option is there to minimize risks and create a social distancing based classroom setting while at the same time strictly following the guidance from CDC.

Please visit the UH website for COVID-19 for more detailed information.

If you have symptoms and questions about COVID-19, the Get Tested tool from Harris County will help determine whether you may need further assessment or need to be tested for COVID-19, and direct you to testing sites.

Your current enrollment in the UH System endorsed Student Health Insurance Plan continues through your enrollment. COVID-19 testing and treatment is covered this plan. Please contact United Healthcare if you have questions about your benefits. United Healthcare can also assist you in locating an Urgent Care Clinic in your area should you need it.

If SEVP does not provide guidance on online enrollment, you would have to do an authorized early withdrawal from UH. If this happens, then you would not be eligible to do a TA online from your home country as you would not be eligible for employment under F-1 status.

If SEVP does allow for online enrollment and study from home while keeping F-1 status active, then you may be eligible to keep your TA/RA position. This would then be up to the department to decide.

The F-1 VISA is only required for entry in the U.S. It does not matter if it is expired while you are currently residing in the country. You are only required to maintain your status as an F-1 student. Thus, this will not affect your ability to find work in the U.S. on OPT or CPT with an expired F-1 VISA.

VISA renewals can only be done at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad.

We will have to wait and see if SEVP will allow for study in the home country and keep your SEVIS record active. Otherwise this may require an authorized early withdrawal and request an issuance of a new form I-20 for spring 2021.

The semester will have three modes, HyFlex, Virtual, and Online. F-1 students would only be eligible to take HyFlex courses to maintain status and meet the required minimum face-to-face hours until SEVP provides us additional guidance. You can travel home, though we suggest you keep updated on any travel restrictions that may be in place for your country and also for entering the U.S.

For travel to the U.S., DHS issued news for restrictions

Also make sure you check with your country’s U.S. Embassy/Consulate website for any updates.

If SEVP does not provide guidance on online enrollment, you would have to do an authorized early withdrawal from UH. If this happens, then you would not be eligible to do a TA online from your home country as you would not be eligible for employment under F-1 status.

If SEVP does allow for online enrollment and study from home while keeping F-1 status active, then you may be eligible to keep your TA/RA position. This would then be up to the department to decide.

We also do not know if further guidance will be given for spring 2021 so as to continue with your studies abroad.

Returning to the U.S. is dependent on the travel restrictions from your home country to the U.S. at the time that you plan to travel. This is all fluid and no answer can be given to you at this point except recommending you not to travel this close to graduation, esp. if you plan to apply for OPT.

You cannot apply for OPT outside the U.S.

Taking the last course you have as online is currently not allowed until SEVP provides further guidance.

No, the travel signature on page 2 of your I-20 is only for re-entry purposes. This signature is not required to maintain status in the U.S.

For travel to the U.S., DHS issued news for restrictions.

Also make sure you check with your country’s U.S. Embassy/Consulate website for any updates.

You will have to look at the specifics of the travel restrictions for any updates by DHS in regards to travel. For travel to the U.S., DHS issued news for restrictions.

Also make sure you check with your country’s U.S. Embassy/Consulate website for any updates.

This will depend on the guidance that SEVP/DHS provides for the fall 2020 semester.

J-1 VISA cannot be canceled by President Trump. This is a law that the legislative branch (Congress) has passed and can only be canceled or removed by the same branch of government.

President Trump does have ability to make temporary restrictions based on national emergencies and other possible implementations to make it harder to gain a J-1 VISA. We do not know what these will be until they are released, and the judicial branch deems it as constitutional for the executive branch to implement this action.

This is a broad definition of how the legal system works in the U.S. and does not cover all the possibilities. Our office will continue to review any guidance from the government in order to best serve the interest of our students and scholars.

We will host another webinar once more information becomes available. We are planning for one in July.

This is a great question and we do not have an answer. We are hoping sometime by the end of June.