For immigration purposes, a vacation quarter is a quarter during which you will not be enrolled (or enrolled less than full time) but remain in the U.S. All F-1 and J-1 students may have one vacation quarter after three or more consecutive quarters of full-time enrollment. If you have not been enrolled full time for three consecutive quarters, you may take a quarter off as long as you are outside the U.S. during that quarter. Notify International Affairs by sending an e-mail to iss@oia.osu.edu from your OSU e-mail account by the last day of the quarter prior to the vacation quarter. Include the words “Vacation Quarter” and the quarter and year of the vacation quarter in the subject line of the e-mail. (For example: “Vacation Quarter Summer 2008.”)

• In the body of your email, please include your name and your SEVIS ID number.
  
• Also indicate if you will be inside or outside the U.S. during the vacation quarter. If you will be outside of the U.S., please indicate the length of your stay abroad so that an Immigration Coordinator can determine whether or not you will need a new I-20.

You must report your vacation quarter to the Office of International Affairs in advance to avoid problems with the immigration and customs enforcement’s full-time enrollment requirement.

Note: If your initial enrollment is in winter or spring quarter, you may take the following summer quarter as your annual vacation quarter. Students must then enroll for the next three consecutive quarters.