Questions and Answers for International Students

Please visit the office of admissions and records' page on the Transcript Evaluation process. You should allow 4-8 weeks for the office of admissions and records to process your request.

If you are a new student, you will not be able to register in classes until you have completed international orientation and met with an academic counselor. Please check your admissions packet or visit our Admitted Students page or instructions.

Need help using MyGCC to add/drop a course? See step-by-step videos. If you need help with resetting your password or experience log in issues, please visit mygcc.glendale.edu.

Federal Online Course Limit

Federal law allows one online/remote course to count toward full-time enrollment. Full-time is 12 units (9 for Associate in Nursing). Different rules apply for summer/winter intersessions (see examples below).

For Summer intersession admits, full-time is 6 units initially; 12 units apply in Fall and Spring.

 

How many in-person units do I need?

If you take multiple online courses, only the smallest one counts toward your online limit. All other units must be in-person. Hybrid courses with in-person sessions count as in-person.

To determine how many in-person units you need to take each semester, use this formula:

Full Time Requirement - Smallest Online Course = In-Person Units Needed. 

For example: a student is required to take 12 units to be full-time. The student is taking one 3-unit online course and one 4-unit online course. The student needs to also take 9 in-person units: [12]-[3]=[9 units].

 

What is considered an online course?

Courses with no in-person meetings are online (including remote and hybrid/remote). Courses with any in-person meeting - even one - are in-person (e.g., "Proctored Online" classes with in-person exams). 

Please carefully review the following examples to better understand your registration requirements:

• Students Admitted to Summer
  • Must take a full-time course load. For the initial summer term 6 units is considered full time. Only 1 online course may be applied towards this limit.
• Students Admitted to Fall or Spring
  • Must take a full-time course load of 12 units. Only 1 online course may be applied towards this limit.
• Continuing students enrolling in Summer/Winter who will continue studying in Fall/Spring (including transfer to a new school)
  • The summer/winter intersession is an optional term and enrollment is not required. You may enroll in any combination of online, in-person or remote courses you wish.
• Continuing students enrolling in Summer/Winter who are graduating in Summer/Winter
  • You must have in-person courses with a limit of 1 online course. If you will be enrolled in less than 6 units (full-time for summer), complete a Reduced Course Load form with an academic counselor.
• Continuing students who enroll in Fall/Spring
  • Must take a full-time course load of 12 units. Only 1 online course may be applied towards this limit. You are not required to enroll in Summer/Winter but must be registered full-time for the next term within 60 days of the last day of class.

You may drop a class only if it doesn’t reduce your enrollment below 12 units. Dropping below 12 units without approval from your international student advisor will cause you to lose your F-1 Visa status. Always consult with an international academic counselor before dropping courses. Immigration prefers you to fail a class rather than drop below 12 units. If you can’t drop due to unit limits, continue attending and try your best. If you earn a D or F, you can repeat the class and apply for grade replacement. For details, see Admissions & Records’ Frequently Asked Questions page.

A “W” (Withdrawal) grade doesn’t count toward your full-time enrollment requirement. Dropping a class after the “Drop without a W” deadline results in a “W” on your transcript, tuition owed, and those units not counting toward your full-time requirement. Dropping below 12 units (9 for ADN students) without approval from the immigration advisor will cause you to lose your F-1 status. Professors may also drop you for poor attendance—check your syllabus to avoid this.

If you can’t withdraw due to unit limits, keep attending and try your best. If you earn a D or F, you can repeat the class and apply for grade replacement. See Admissions & Records' Frequently Asked Questions page for more information on this process.

If you wish to enroll in a course at another school, and count those units towards your full-time enrollment requirement, you will need to meet with an international counselor to complete the Concurrent Enrollment Request process. If you are enrolled full-time at GCC, and wish to enroll in additional units at another campus “for fun,” you may do so and do not need to complete the concurrent enrollment request form. To learn how to transfer units in, please see our first FAQ.

As an international student you may work on campus up to 20 hours a week without permission (F-1 students; J-1 students must receive written authorization from their sponsors prior to beginning work). To work off campus or participate in an internship, you must receive either F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization or F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) authorization prior to working. Please visit our Immigration page for a guide to Working in the US. J-1 students must speak to their sponsors about Academic Training prior to beginning work. It is important to never work without proper authorizations. Working without necessary authorizations will result in the loss of your immigration status and denial of future benefits applications (i.e. H1-B or permanent residency applications).

If you need a new or updated travel signature, complete the form below. Requests are processed weekly on Friday mornings (or the next business day if Friday is a holiday) and emailed to you. You can also visit the office with your printed I-20. You don’t need a travel signature to leave the US, but you need it to return - request it at least 2 weeks before your return.

Complete the Travel Signature Request form to request your signature. If your visa has expired, you must renew it while traveling (see the Travel Guidelines on the Travel page). Print and sign your new I-20 when you get it. This new I-20 replaces the old one, but keep your old I-20s with you. The signature on page 2 is valid for 6 months.

You should only request a travel signature if you are planning on continuing at GCC or are on OPT. If you plan on transferring to another school, you cannot travel on our I-20 after the end of the term and will need to obtain an I-20 from your new school to return to the US. 

No, this is fine, and you may travel with an I-20 that says “initial attendance” so long as you have a valid travel signature on page 2. A “continuing attendance” I-20 may be issued for a number of reasons (program extensions, change of major, travel requests etc), but is not necessary. If you transferred to GCC, you should be given a final I-20 within 2 weeks of the start of the term. If your I-20 still says “transfer pending” after you begin your studies at GCC, please request an updated I-20.

If you need more time to complete your educational goals, you need to request an extension of your I-20 no later than 2 weeks before the expiration date. To request an extension, you must meet with an academic counselor to complete the I-20 Request Form and discuss your educational plan. By law, you cannot request an extension if the only reason you need more time is due to a previous academic probation or suspension issue. Please discuss this with the immigration advisor if this is your case.

You can transfer anytime during your studies. Keep in mind that the UC and CSU Fall application deadline is usually November 30 of the previous year. Some campuses may allow extra time for F-1 students, but apply by the deadline to be safe. Even if accepted elsewhere, you must maintain your enrollment at GCC to remain eligible for transfer. Meet with an academic counselor before enrolling or dropping classes.

UC and CSU campuses require 60-transferable units to be completed by the end of the Spring semester before Fall transfer. Some campuses/majors require completion of specific major-preparation courses and may have a GPA minimum. Private universities typically require between 24-30 transferable units to have been completed before transfer, and may also have a GPA minimum, depending on the campus. Meet with an academic counselor in the Transfer Center to find out more about specific university admission requirements.

Please note that acceptance to another school does not mean you can drop below full time enrollment at GCC. The only time you can drop below full time in this situation is if you have fewer than 12 units left to earn your certificate or associates degree (9 units for ADN students). Please meet with an academic counselor to determine if this is your case prior to enrolling or dropping classes.

Earning an Associate Degree requires the completion of 60-degree applicable units, including required major and general education coursework. To be awarded an Associate Degree or Certificate from GCC, please fill out a Petition for Graduation with an academic counselor at the beginning of your final semester of coursework for the Associate Degree. 

To be awarded a Certificate, you would need to complete required major courses for that Certificate and meet with an academic counselor to fill out a Petition for Certificate at the beginning of your final semester of coursework for the Certificate.