Students on an F or J visa have enrollment requirements in order to maintain valid status while studying at the University of Tennessee.
Full-Time Enrollment Chart
| Student Type | Minimum Credit Hours |
Maximum Online Hours |
| Undergraduate Students | 12 | 3 |
| Graduate students with no assistantship | 9 | 3 |
| Graduate students with assistantship of less than 20 hrs per week | 9 | 3 |
| Graduate students with assistantship of 20 hrs per week (50% time) | 6 | 3 |
Course of Study Requirements
Regulations require that coursework be part of a course of study. Elective and additional credits are permitted, but placeholder classes are not. The following courses do NOT count as enrollment:
- Use of Facilities Courses;
- Audited and Withdrawn Courses.
Exceptions to Full-Time Enrollment
- The summer semester is an approved break if you have enrolled at UT full-time in the spring and plan to enroll full-time in the fall.
- In your final semester, you are only required to enroll in the credit hours needed to complete your program. Remember, there must be at least one-credit in-person in your final semester. You are required to complete a form to verify your final semester. We have a guide for this at Requesting to Enroll Below Full Time.
- Graduate students in the research phase of their program are allowed to only take thesis or dissertation hours.
Guides
We have created several resources that go into greater depth on enrollment requirements.
Understanding Enrollment Requirements for International Students
Requesting to Enroll Below Full Time