ISSS would like to remind academic programs about enrollment requirements for new international students, considering the continuation of UConn’s hybrid curriculum through Spring 21 semester.
At this time, the government has not provided updated visa guidelines to Universities regarding online and distance learning for Spring 2021 semester. Unless new guidelines are issued, we plan to operate and advise international students for Spring 2021 based on the Fall 2020 guidelines. This means that international students who will travel to the U.S. for Spring 2021 to begin their UConn academic program will be required to take at least one in-person or hybrid course as part of their full-time course load. This requirement applies to students whose programs begin in Spring 2021, as well as students who began their program in Fall 2020 from their home country and will travel to the U.S. for Spring 2021 to continue their program. Students who were in the U.S. prior to March 2020 are allowed flexibility in most cases to take a fully online course load both inside and outside the U.S. and maintain an active visa document. Some exceptions apply based on the students’ individual circumstances, so please refer all questions regarding enrollment and immigration status to International Student and Scholar Services, international@uconn.edu.
If you have students who are traveling here to begin their programs for Spring 2021, and your program will not offer any in-person or hybrid-based courses that the student can take, please reach out to ISSS as soon as possible so that we can review the options for your incoming student.
Finally, we would like to let you know that visa services at U.S. consular posts worldwide largely remain closed, though some posts have resumed routine visa services. Entry is still not permitted for students who will travel directly to the U.S. from China, Iran and Brazil. Your international students may have difficulty arriving, so any flexibility you can offer to defer their academic start dates or begin their studies from home are appreciated.
Thank you for your efforts to accommodate UConn’s international students during this difficult time, and please contact me if you have any questions.
For more information, contact: Rae Alexander at international@uconn.edu