Enrolling In Classes

When you are an international student in F-1 status, you must enroll in a full course of study and make normal academic progress to fulfill the purpose of your stay in the U.S.

Contact OISP

Contact Information

Phone: 614.797.4700
Email: oisp@franklin.edu

Address:
Franklin University
Office of International Students and Programs
201 S. Grant Ave.
Columbus, OH 43215
USA

Office Hours

Available virtually and by phone:
Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Available in person by appointment only:
Monday - Wednesday: 9:00am - 5:00pm

All times listed are Eastern Time (ET).

Schedule An Appointment

Prospective Franklin students: click here to schedule an appointment with a member of the international admissions team.

Current Franklin students: click here to schedule an appointment with an international advising coordinator.

For in-person appointments, free parking is available in lot adjacent to the Paul J. Otte Center for Student Services. Notify the Welcome Center staff when you have arrived.

When scheduling a phone appointment, provide a U.S. phone number, and we will call you at the scheduled time. If you do not have a U.S. phone number, please schedule a virtual appointment.

When scheduling a virtual appointment, provide an email address you check regularly, and we will send you a link to a Microsoft Teams meeting. View Microsoft Teams instructions.

Full Course of Study

Franklin University breaks its academic year into Fall, Spring, and Summer Trimesters or “terms.” To meet the requirement to take a full course of study, you must register full-time in Fall and Spring Trimesters in courses that apply to your degree requirements. To be considered full-time, undergraduate students must enroll in 12 credit hours, and graduate students must enroll in 6 credit hours. Only one online course will count toward full-time enrollment.

If Summer Trimester is your first term or graduating term, you must enroll full-time during that term unless you qualify for an exception listed below.

The deadline for F-1 students to meet the full course of study requirement is different than the deadline to register for individual courses. Please refer to Current Student Events for upcoming deadline or contact your international student advisor in OISP.

Exceptions

There are limited exceptions for enrolling in a full course of study. Contact OISP to determine if these circumstances may apply to you.

Concurrent Enrollment

You may be able to enroll in courses at other SEVP-approved institutions while enrolled at Franklin University, as long as the combined enrollment amounts to a full course of study. The majority of your courses must be at Franklin University. Proof of continued enrollment at the other institution must be submitted at the beginning of each term. Please note: if you are planning to attend Franklin temporarily as a transient student while maintaining your SEVIS record at your home institution, we ask that you complete F-1 Transient Student form.

Authorized Reduced Course Load (RCL)

If you have are in your final term, are having academic difficulties, or have medical diagnosis that impacts your studies, submit an RCL Request form and required documentation to OISP to be considered for this authorization to enroll in a less-than-full-time course load. Documentation may include a Personal Education Plan or Student Planning Timeline approved by your Academic Advisor or a Certification of Serious Injury or Illness signed by a licensed medical doctor, a licensed doctor of osteopathy, a licensed psychologist, or a licensed clinical psychologist.

Please note that at a DSO's discretion, an authorized reduced course load may impact eligibility for certain F-1 benefits, such as work authorization. Be sure to discuss your plans with OISP.

Authorized Early Withdrawal

You are allowed to leave the U.S. prior to the completion of your studies. If approved for authorized early withdrawal by OISP, your SEVIS record will be terminated with the anticipation of reactivating it. Submit an Authorized Early Withdrawal request to OISP, and we'll be happy to discuss approval requirements, returning to the US, and other details.

Transfer Out

If you are planning to transfer to another SEVIS-approved school, submit the Transfer Out form with a copy of your new school's acceptance letter, and we'll help you with this process. If you're unable to transfer before our reporting deadline, we can still transfer your record in Terminated status to your new school after you are accepted. Be sure to ask your new school if they want you to transfer your terminated record or start with a new initial I-20.