Current F-1 Students
Continuing students who are located outside of the U.S. will use their standard NSU I-20 and a valid F-1 visa to enter the U.S.
If your travel signature will be more than 12 months old when you will re-enter the U.S., please email intl@nova.edu to request a new I-20 at least seven business days before you will travel.
- NSU is currently issuing all I-20s in an electronic format. No special remarks are required on your NSU I-20. NSU will not honor requests to issue paper I-20s or to add special remarks on I-20s.
If your visa has expired, you will be required to obtain a new F-1 visa before you return to the U.S. We are starting to receive reports of U.S. embassies reopening around the world.
If your NSU I-20 is unexpired and has a travel signature that is less than 12 months old and you have a valid F-1 visa, you should experience no problems entering the U.S.
Although there are no immigration requirements for when continuing students who have already established valid F-1 status must re-enter the U.S., students must confirm with their academic programs if late arrivals are permitted.
If you are entering from a country with a current COVID-19 Travel Ban imposed by the U.S., if you choose to leave the country over the summer, you will only be permitted to enter no more than 30 days prior to your Fall program start date.
If your academic program begins after August 1st, 2021, you may enter the United States no more than 30 days prior to your program start date, even if your country has a COVID-19 Travel Ban. This is due to the current National Interest Exemption for F-1 and M-1 students.
Fragomen Worldwide has the most comprehensive overview of travel restrictions. Please be aware that changes and additions to this list are always possible.
Current students who had already established valid F-1 status prior to the fall 2020 term may maintain this status by enrolling in a full course of study. Please see Enrollment Requirements below for additional information.
Continuing students have the option to take any combination of in-person coursework, Blendlfex courses (which allow for remote study), and/or online courses.
While students who are in the U.S. are welcome to return to NSU Florida and study in person, they are not required to do so. Students can maintain their valid F-1 status while they study in-person or remotely, from within the U.S. or abroad.
Students must meet enrollment requirements for their degree level/program. Students who are enrolled in a sufficient number of credits for the fall term, regardless of their modality (online, Blendflex, or in-person), will maintain valid F-1 status.
F-1 Enrollment Minimums for Immigration Purposes:
- USchool: 6 classes
- Undergraduate Study - Nursing: 9 credits
- Undergraduate Study - All Other Programs: 12 credits
- Masters Study - Huizenga College of Business & Entrepreneurship: 9 credits
- Masters Study - All Other Colleges: 6 credits, or per academic program
- Doctoral Study: 1 course, or per academic program
In other words, as long as continuing students are enrolled in enough credits to be considered full-time, they are not required to be in any in-person coursework. Fully online study for the fall 2020 term is permitted under the updated guidance.
Quarantining procedures will be determined by local, federal, and university policy at the time of arrival.
Students who are required to quarantine will be able to do so in their off-campus or on-campus housing and participate in their coursework remotely during their quarantine.
Early on-campus move-in is not permitted for quarantining; students should communicate to their faculty instructors that they will need to quarantine during the first two weeks of classes.
Additional questions about quarantine requirements can be sent to SharksReturn@nova.edu.
Students who wish to maintain F-1 status while outside of the U.S. may do so as long as they enroll for the minimum number of credits to be considered full-time.
F-1 Enrollment Minimums for Immigration Purposes:
- USchool: 6 classes
- Undergraduate Study - Nursing: 9 credits
- Undergraduate Study - All Other Programs: 12 credits
- Masters Study - Huizenga College of Business & Entrepreneurship: 9 credits
- Masters Study - All Other Colleges: 6 credits, or per academic program
- Doctoral Study: 1 course, or per academic program
You must confirm with your academic advisor (undergraduate), academic program (graduate) and specific course faculty that your coursework can be completed from outside of the U.S. This is not guaranteed for all programs.
Additional considerations:
- Most courses will require synchronous course participation, meaning students will need to log into Zoom at the actual course time in order to complete the course requirements. This is true even for students who are located in other timezones.
- Students must ensure they have a reliable internet connection to join synchronous online coursework.
Online and Blendflex courses are charged at the same tuition rate as on-campus courses.
Students are charged a student services fee.
Students will have access to the full range of university services, remotely. This includes:
- International Affairs
- Academic Advising
- Tutoring & Testing
- Writing Center
- Alvin Sherman Library
- Center for Counseling & Wellness
- Virtual events and programming campuswide
It is very important that students are aware that special accommodations are being made for the fall 2021 term due to COVID-19. Students should not assume they will be able to continue in their program online after the fall 2021 term unless it is a program that is typically offered in a fully online format at NSU.
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) & Optional Practical Training (OPT)
Students who enroll full-time will continue to maintain F-1 status while abroad. Their eligibility for CPT and OPT will not be affected by studying outside of the U.S. in valid F-1 status during the fall 2021 term.
However, please be aware that students must file the I-765 application (OPT application) from within the U.S.
Students living outside of the U.S. are not required to have health insurance. However, all student accounts are automatically charged for Student Health Insurance upon registration. In order to remove the Student Health Insurance charge from their student account, students are required to complete the online waiver.
When students arrive in the fall 2021 term, they will be required to notify NSU’s Student Health Insurance Office to activate their NSU Florida health insurance. Students have the ability to waive NSU's policy with proof of sufficient coverage.
- Undergraduate Students: Contact your academic advisor.
- Graduate Students: Contact your academic program.
You will not be required, nor eligible, to enroll in NSU's health insurance plan while you are on a leave of absence. Once you return, you will be enrolled in NSU's mandatory insurance policy. Students have the ability to waive NSU's policy with proof of sufficient coverage.
Students may enter the U.S. up to 30 days prior to their program start date, as listed on their I-20.
Additional information about requesting your updated I-20 to return to valid F-1 status after the fall 2021 term is available here.
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) & Optional Practical Training (OPT)
Students who return to the U.S. within five months of their termination may be eligible for a reactivated I-20. Reactivation requires SEVP approval and NSU cannot guarantee that reactivation requests will be approved.
I-20s reactivated within five months are not likely to experience disruptions to their eligibility for F-1 off-campus work and/or training (CPT/OPT). However, should SEVP deny a reactivation, a student's eligibility for F-1 off-campus work and/or training (CPT/OPT) resets. This means:
- Students must have one academic year of continuous valid status studying within the U.S. to be eligible to apply for OPT and CPT. A terminated SEVIS record resets this eligibility. It will re-start when the student re-enters the U.S. in valid F-1 status.
- Limited exceptions apply for graduate students who are required to have off-campus work or training and require CPT authorization prior to the eligibility period is met.
- No exceptions exist for undergraduate students.
- No exceptions exist for elective off-campus work/training.
- No exceptions exist for OPT students, at any level.
- Reminder: I-765 applications (OPT applications) must be filed from within the United States.