Reduced Course Load Request - Medical (RCL)
F-1 iStudents can be authorized for a Reduced Course Load (RCL) for two reasons:
- Students who are in the final semester of their program and have less than a full-time course load remaining need to be authorized with Immigration for a RCL. These students should complete the Reduced Course Load Request -Final Semester (RCL) form instead.
-
Students who are experiencing an illness or medical
condition that inhibits their ability to attend classes. Students
in this situation need medical documentation from a licensed
Medical Doctor, Doctor of Osteopathy, or Clinical Psychologist.
The letter needs to:
- be written in English on letterhead from the Dr’s office/practice,
- be dated within one month of the RCL start date,
- be signed by the licensed medical doctor, clinical psychologist, or doctor of osteopathy (or foreign licensed equivalent, please provide licensing information for foreign professionals),
- state that the condition limits or completely prohibits ability to fulfill course requirements, and state the degree of the reduced course load (e.g. student can take half course load, 3 credit hours, 0 credit hours),
- specify when the reduced course load should start and when the reduced course load should end and the student resume normal studies,
- list details on when the student first saw the doctor for the issue and when the doctor advised that the student should withdraw from school
If you are requesting RCL for medical reasons, please complete the form below.
Please note: RCLs can ONLY be approved during a students' final semester of study or if they have a documented Illness or Medical Condition.
Processing Time: Medical Reduced Course Loads are expected to take about 1 week (5 business days) to process. Read more on our Maintain Your Status page.
* denotes a required field