Spring 2026 F-1 Registration and Physical Presence Requirements; Late Hire Deadline

 

Memorandum Date: December 10, 2025 To: All Deans, Associate Deans, School Directors, Department Chairs, Coordinators and Staff From: UF Graduate School UF International Center · UFIC F-1 International Student Services RE: F-1 Registration and Physical Presence Requirements; Late Hire Deadline Standard F-1 Registration and Physical Presence Requirements Continue to Apply Indefinitely The F-1 International Students Standard Registration Requirements continue to apply, indefinitely. The standard registration and physical presence requirements apply to all F-1 International Students. Registration is not required in the summer semester if they are not an incoming (new/Initial, SEVIS Transfer), Change of Education Level student in that specific summer, or are not granted approval of a Change of Status or Reinstatement to F-1 status effective in that specific summer, unless the student has an assistantship/fellowship, internship/training, graduation, or other academic department requirement in that specific summer. Please read the F-1 International Students Standard Registration Requirements for complete details. F-1 student registration requires full-time registration in courses with physical presence requirement(s). F-1 International Students are allowed a maximum limit of three (3) credits which are 100% online towards their full-time registration. Course modality of any credits taken above and beyond the minimum full-time registration requirements may be in any format. Undergraduate F1 international students must register for a minimum of twelve (12) credits of which at least nine (9) must be in courses with physical presence requirement(s) (that is, not 100% online). Graduate F1 international students must register for a minimum of nine (9) credits of which at least six (6) must be in courses with physical presence requirement(s) (not 100% online). Note: Registration requirements differ for students in their final semester; see “Final Semester Minimum Registration Requirements" at Standard Registration Requirements. Physical Presence Requirement The physical presence requirement for F-1 international students at UF is met in course sections coded as Primarily Classroom (PC), Hybrid Blend (HB), and possibly Primarily Distance (PD). Course sections coded as All Distance (AD, 100% online) are fully online courses that do not meet the physical presence requirement. The operative wording from the regulations for a course to meet the physical presence requirement is that the course “must require the student's physical attendance for classes, examination or other purposes integral to the completion of the class.”  A course may be mostly online but still meet the physical presence requirement if it meets this criterion. In coding courses as requiring a physical presence, departments should be able to justify that: the activity requires the presence of the student on campus as part of the course,  the activity is required of all students registered in that course section and is not ad hoc to the international students, and the requirements is integral to the successful completion of the course (that is, it is not an optional requirement) such as, for example, the mid-term and the final examination requiring all students in the course to be present in a physical classroom with the course instructor while completing the exam. The physical presence requirement must be clearly stated as such in the course syllabus.  NOTE: Students have received requests from the Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for a copy of their syllabus and confirmation of attendance, especially when the student is applying for a benefit related to their F-1 status. Examples of some ways in which the requirement may be met include: mandatory attendance in class meetings which count toward the final grade, one or more in-person examinations on campus which count toward the final grade, such as the midterm and/or the final. one or more in-class presentations which count toward the final grade, participation in a required experiment or laboratory activity which counts toward the final grade. U.S. Arrival, Registration, and Late Hire Deadlines Spring 2026 classes start on January 12, 2026. The Drop/Add deadline is January 16, 2026. Incoming (new/Initial, SEVIS Transfer): F-1 International Students are expected to arrive in the U.S. and complete the mandatory UFIC international student online check-in by the applicable drop/add deadline of the semester to which they are admitted. If the student will not be able to arrive, check in, and register in compliance by the drop/add deadline, the designated academic department official should return to the ISSS Portal by that deadline to submit the New International Student Update Request, informing us and requesting that the I-20 program start date be deferred to a future semester or canceled. All F-1 International Students, whether incoming (new/Initial, SEVIS Transfer), Change of Status or Reinstatement to F-1 status effective, or Change of Education Level, and including continuing students, are required to register in compliance with Standard Registration Requirements by the applicable drop/add deadline of each required semester. NOTE: If the academic unit has an earlier deadline than the drop/add deadline, the academic department’s deadline takes priority. The Graduate Assistant/Fellowship appointment start/effective date is January 1, 2026. If the hiring department anticipates the graduate student will be later than this for their employment start date, then the hiring department must complete a petition to the Graduate School. The Graduate School reviews petitions through an effective/start date of January 23, 2026. Any date falling after January 23, 2026. will need to be reviewed by the Provost. In the rationale for the late hire petition, the hiring department must include the reason for the late hire and the date on which the graduate student will start. Students with questions regarding this requirement may contact their hiring department for further guidance. The hiring department may contact the Graduate School for guidance. A late hire petition deadline date does not change the requirement that F-1 international students must arrive, check-in, and be registered full-time by the applicable drop/add deadline. Thank you for your continued attention to these important deadlines and processes!