Sponsor Policy and Immigration Regulation Compliance

Each sponsor has their own policies and rules that their students must follow. Additionally, sponsored students in F-1 or J-1 visa status must adhere to immigration regulations set forth by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and U.S. Department of State respectively. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of and follow both immigration regulations and their sponsor’s rules and policies. For information on how to maintain F-1/J-1 immigration status, please see Maintaining Your Student Status. 

Below are common sponsored student compliance examples:

Online Course Enrollment

Sponsor policy/rule: Some sponsors do not allow and/or will not pay for online course enrollment. Additionally, the number of online courses in which a sponsored student may enroll can be limited during their degree program.

Each semester, ISSS will review the enrollment of all sponsored students. If a student is enrolled in an online course, ISSS may request documentation showing the sponsor’s approval to take said course.

F-1 and J-1 immigration regulation: A maximum of three (3) online/Internet-based credits may count towards a student's full-time enrollment requirement. Note that immigration regulations and guidance differ on what constitutes an “online” class for F-1 and J-1 students.

  • F-1 regulations: Any course other than one coded as “in-person” or “hybrid” is considered online.
  • J-1 regulations: Any course other than one coded as “in-person” is considered online.

See Full-Time Enrollment Requirements for F-1 and J-1 Students for additional information.

Changes to Degree Program

Sponsor policy/rule: A student who wishes to make changes to their degree program (e.g. change of major, addition of a major or minor, change of level) may require approval from their sponsor. Before making any changes to the degree program, a student should contact their sponsor for written approval. Changes to the degree program could prolong the expected graduation date which could affect the sponsor’s financial guarantee.

ISSS will request written approval from the sponsor before processing any changes to a student's degree program. 

F-1/J-1 immigration regulation: A students in F-1 visa status requires approval from their academic department to make any degree program changes. A J-1 student may NOT make any changes to the program of study (e.g. major) listed on their Form DS-2019.

Employment

Sponsor policy/rule: Some sponsors do not permit employment during and/or after the student’s degree program or may permit only certain types of employment (e.g. on-campus only). A student may be negatively impacted if they are engaging in employment without prior approval from their sponsor may.

ISSS will request written approval from the sponsor before authorizing or recommending employment.

F-1/J-1 immigration regulation: A students may work on campus up to 20 hours per week during the long semesters or more than 40 hours per week during vacation periods without special authorization. A students who wishes to work more than 20 hours a week on campus during the long semesters OR any number of hours off-campus, must have authorization by ISSS OR U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services / Department of State BEFORE participating in employment. Working off-campus without the proper authorization is a violation of the F-1/J-1 immigration status and may result in the termination of a student’s immigration record.

For additional information regarding employment authorization options, see Employment Options for F-1 Students or Employment Options for J-1 Students.

Concurrent Enrollment

Sponsor policy/rule: Some sponsors do not allow and/or will not pay for concurrent enrollment (i.e. enrollment at another college or academic entity).

ISSS will request written approval from the sponsor before signing a concurrent enrollment form. Additionally, ISSS cannot facilitate third-party billing for a non-UT Austin entity.

F-1/J-1 immigration regulation: During a long semester, a student may enroll concurrently at another college or academic institution, provided that the majority of the courses counting toward full-time enrollment are taken at UT Austin. For summer enrollment, a student not in their first or graduating semester may concurrently enroll at another college or academic entity without requiring special permission.

Reduced Course Load

Sponsor policy/rule: Some sponsors may terminate their sponsorship if the student enrolls in a reduced course load.

ISSS will request written approval from the sponsor before authorizing a reduced course load/leave of absence.

F-1/J-1 immigration regulation: A student may request approval to take a reduced course load if they meet one of the following criteria:

  • Initial difficulty with the English language or reading requirements
  • Unfamiliarity with U.S. teaching methods
  • Improper course level placement
  • Medical reasons
  • Final Semester

ISSS must approve the reduced course load. Dropping below full-time enrollment before receiving authorization from ISSS is a violation of the F-1 and J-1 visa statuses and may result in the termination of a student’s immigration record.

For additional information regarding reduced course loads, see Full-time Enrollment Requirements for F-1 and J-1 Students.

Sponsored Student Responsibilities

Students have several responsibilities to maintain their sponsored student status at UT Austin:

Attend Virtual Check-in and Complete Third-party Billing Checklist in myIO
  • Complete the required Immigration Briefing and Check-in (IBC) modules in my IO.
  • Submit the Document Check e-form and Contact Information e-form in my IO.
  • Attend a virtual Sponsored Student Check-in for sponsored students requiring third-party billing.
  • Upload a completed and signed Sponsor Acknowledgement Form to the Third-party Billing Checklist.
  • Upload a copy of the sponsor's financial guarantee to the Third-party Billing Checklist.
  • Complete the Third-Party Billing Checklist in my IO.
Maintain a Valid Financial Guarantee

Financial Guarantee: A sponsored student must maintain a valid financial guarantee on record to ensure timely payment of tuition and fees. It is especially important to review the validity of the financial guarantee semester payment deadlines. Failing to furnish ISSS with an updated financial guarantee at least 7 business days before the semester payment deadline may lead to the imposition of late payment fees, which the student may be obligated to cover.

Financial guarantees must include:

  • Full name of student
  • Name and email address of the sponsor billing contact
  • Dates of sponsorship
  • Tuition cap, if any. If the sponsor will only partially cover tuition and fees, the amount needs to be explicitly stated.
  • Description of covered fees (e.g. health insurance, general student fees, late fees, etc.)
  • Sponsor signature
Confirm Attendance Each Semester

Each semester all students must confirm attendance by the tuition payment deadline to secure their courses for the semester. The option to confirm attendance will only become available once Texas Global places payment on the sponsored student’s tuition bill. A sponsored student must wait until Texas Global has processed third-party billing before confirming their attendance.

In cases where the sponsor does not cover all tuition and fees, as indicated by the sponsor financial guarantee, the student is responsible for paying the remaining tuition bill before they may confirm attendance.

To view the tuition bill and confirm attendance, visit My Tuition Bill.

Report Summer Enrollment

International students are not required to enroll during the summer unless it is their first or graduating semester. As a result, ISSS will not process third-party billing for the summer unless a sponsored student makes a 3PB request.

If a sponsored student registers for the summer and require third-party billing, they will receive the Summer Enrollment Survey in early April and must complete it no later than May 1 of each year.