Dear International CalArtian,
Earlier today, you should have received a message from President Ravi announcing that CalArts has made the very difficult decision to offer all courses online for the fall semester. While this is surely a disappointment to all students, we understand that as an international student you may have additional questions and concerns specific to your status as a J-1 or F-1 visa holder.
For F-1 students:
- Based on the current SEVP guidance, all continuing F-1 students can enroll online from anywhere in the world and maintain status, provided you enroll in a full-time courseload.
- If you are returning from a leave of absence, the International Students and Programs Office will send you an individualized email since different rules apply to you.
- You can travel in and out of the US if you have a valid visa. You should be able to renew your visa as long as you were in good F-1 status during spring semester.
- If you plan to remain outside of the US for fall, you must report your non-US address to us to ensure that your I-20 remarks section notes “Outside the US due to COVID-19.”
- If we were planning to live in Santa Clarita or the LA area this fall, you still can so long as you enroll full-time. If you want to be a part-time student, you will be out of F-1 status so you must be outside of the US.
For J-1 students:
- Based on the current EVP guidance, you can continue to enroll in online courses. If you are a Fulbright student, please contact your Fulbright advisor with specific questions about your location and online courseload.
If you will be in the US during any part of the fall semester you should be covered by an approved health insurance plan. If you will be out of the US until spring please fill out the SHIP Waiver Form by Aug. 13, so the health insurance fee can be removed from your tuition account. Please contact healthinsurance@calarts.edu for student health insurance related questions and accounting@calarts.edu for fee waiver questions.
If you don’t want to enroll online, you can request to take a leave of absence by completing this form by Aug. 28. If you would like to enroll on a part-time basis, please first speak with your mentor or program director, then complete the Part-Time Registration Request Form.
If you are approved to take a leave or be part-time only for the fall semester, it may be possible to have your F-1 status reactivated in November. If approved, being out of status for fall will not affect your CPT/OPT eligibility. This is not an option if you take a leave or enroll part-time for two semesters. We recommend that you communicate with a member of the ISP staff (intlprograms@calarts.edu), Academic Advising (academicadvising@calarts.edu), or the Registrar’s Office (registrar@calarts.edu) prior to deciding on your leave or part-time enrollment
If you have any questions about your status as an international student this fall, please plan to join one of our zoom meetings at the times listed below, or our daily walk-in hour.
International Office Q&A Zoom Room
- Tuesday, Aug. 4 ⋅ 10-11 am Pacific Time
- Thursday, Aug. 6 ⋅ 10-11 am Pacific Time
Daily International Office Zoom Walk-In Hour
- Monday through Friday, 2-3pm Pacific Time
Please do not hesitate to reach out to the ISP Office, or any of the other Student Success Offices listed below with any questions you may have about your enrollment at CalArts this fall.
Anna Jablonski
Assistant Vice President of Enrollment
and Associate Provost for Student Success
Contact Us!
academicadvising@calarts.edu
for questions about degree progress and course requirements
finaid@calarts.edu
for questions about financial aid and scholarships
intlprograms@calarts.edu
for questions about international student resources
registrar@calarts.edu
for questions about student records and class signup