---
title: "Check an F-1 or M-1 student's full course of study"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/education-law/check-an-overseas-student-s-course-progress-and-attendance/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A59-PU20261022-19-US"
practice_area: "Education Law"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Check an F-1 or M-1 student's full course of study

> From the enrollment and the credit or clock-hour record, list the program level, the credits or clock hours in the current term, and any reduced-course-load authorization already in SEVIS with its start and end dates.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/education-law/check-an-overseas-student-s-course-progress-and-attendance/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Education Law](https://ailawframework.com/practice/education-law.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the enrollment and the credit or clock-hour record, list the program level, the credits or clock hours in the current term, and any reduced-course-load authorization already in SEVIS with its start and end dates. Do not decide that the student is maintaining status, and do not enter a reduced course load. |
| What the lawyer must review | You decide whether the schedule is a full course and whether a reduced course load may be authorized. Study in the States, full course of study, last updated 6 February 2024, says an F-1 or M-1 student maintains status by enrolling in a full course at the SEVP-certified school whose designated school official issued the Form I-20 used to enter. An F-1 undergraduate must take at least 12 credit hours a term. An F-1 postgraduate student must take a full course as certified by the institution. An F-1 student in another postsecondary liberal arts, fine arts, non-vocational, or English language training program must meet 18 clock hours a week if most instruction is in the classroom, or 22 if most is not. An F-1 student at a private academic school or a public high school in grades 9 to 12 must meet the hours a week that school sets for normal progress toward graduation. The student cannot drop below a full course unless the designated school official approves it and updates SEVIS. The reduced-course-load help page says that official may authorize a reduced load for an F-1 student for specified initial academic difficulties, a temporary illness or medical condition, or fewer courses in the last term. An M-1 student may receive a reduced load only for illness or a medical condition. Authorization is for one term and may be extended the next term if the student is still eligible. For illness, an F-1 authorization cannot exceed a 12-month aggregate per program level and an M-1 authorization cannot exceed five months for the course of study. The student must provide documentation from a licensed medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, psychologist, or clinical psychologist. Academic-difficulty reasons are only for the initial term, and the student must keep at least six credits, or half the clock hours of a full course. In the final term the student must be enrolled in at least one required class. These pages do not state an attendance percentage. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Check an overseas student's course progress and attendance](https://ailawframework.com/practice/education-law/check-an-overseas-student-s-course-progress-and-attendance.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: From the enrollment and the credit or clock-hour record, list the program level, the credits or clock hours in the current term, and any reduced-course-load authorization already in SEVIS with its start and end dates. Do not decide that the student is maintaining status, and do not enter a reduced course load.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- A reduced course load must be entered before the student drops below a full course.
- Kindergarten-to-grade-12 hours are the hours the school sets for normal progress. These pages do not state a national hour count.
- An M-1 reduced course load on this page is for illness or a medical condition only.

## Sources

- [Full Course of Study, Study in the States, last updated 6 February 2024](https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/study/full-course-of-study) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [Reduced Course Load, SEVIS Help Hub](https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-records/manage-program-dates-registration-and-course-load/reduced-course) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*