Maintaining your United States immigration visa status is your responsibility.
To maintain your status you must be enrolled in a full course of Ball State University credit hours in both semesters of the academic year (enrollment during the summer semester is not required). Unless it is your first semester at Ball State. In that case - please see required credit hour minimums below.
The required credit-hour minimum varies depending on the level of study you are pursuing:
- undergraduate students—12 credit hours
- graduate students without a graduate assistantship—9 credit hours
- graduate students with a graduate assistantship—6 credit hours
If you fall below the minimum number of credit hours, you will be considered “out of status” by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). (See consequences of “out of status” or failure to maintain status.)
J Visa holders must maintain insurance coverage for themselves and all dependents.
Please consult with us at the Rinker Center for International Programs to ensure that you maintain your visa status.
If you are nearing the end of your authorized length of stay or program of study and need more time to complete the program successfully, you must apply to extend your stay. We can facilitate this request. Please consult with us as soon as you make this assessment in order to remain or maintain your visa status.