Visa Information

Please review the information below regarding various visa statuses. Then visit the How to Register page to apply for enrollment in Summer Term courses at Boston University.

F-1 Student Status

To qualify for student immigration sponsorship, you must study full time. Full-time enrollment is defined as registration for a minimum of 8 credits in one summer session or 12 credits over both sessions.

• If you do not currently have an F-1 student visa, you can apply for one. In order to apply for an F-1 visa to the US, you must first obtain an I-20 immigration document from Boston University. Please refer to Section A on the How to Register page for information on obtaining an I-20 from Boston University.
• If you are enrolled at another US college/university program in F-1 status in Spring 2026 and will continue studying at that same school in Fall 2026, you may be able to study at Boston University under your current F-1 student immigration status. Please refer to Section B on the How to Register page for information on how to enroll. Students in this situation are eligible to study full time or part time.
• If you are a current F-1 student with an I-20 that will expire or you are enrolled in an academic program that will end before Summer Term, you must obtain an I-20 from Boston University for summer study. Please refer to Section A on the How to Register page for information on obtaining an I-20 from Boston University.
• If you are currently enrolled in an English language, non-degree, or other short-term program, you will likely need to enroll full time to qualify for F-1 student immigration sponsorship and should obtain an I-20 from Boston University. Please refer to Section A on the How to Register page for information on obtaining an I-20 from Boston University.

B-1/B-2 Visitor Visas and WT/WB Status

Visitor immigration status does not permit full-time enrollment. If you are in the US in visitor status, you may be eligible to take a maximum of one course during each summer session. Please refer to Section C on the How to Register page for more information on how to enroll in Summer Term under visitor status.

It is recommended that all students study full time and obtain an F-1 student visa (see section above).

Other Visa Statuses (for example, J-1, J-2, H-1B, H-4)

If you are currently in the US in a different nonimmigrant category, you may be eligible to take courses at Boston University Summer Term, depending on your immigration status. Please refer to Section D on the How to Register page for information on how to enroll.