highland cow in santa hat and photos of cities celebrating the holidays

As we move into a new year with hope and enthusiasm for the future, we are grateful for all of you who continued to support and advocate for the international community with care and compassion, thoughtfully taking into account the difficulties specific to global learning, study abroad, travel restrictions, and international status. Thank you!

Below are two important messages related to enrollment as we move into the spring 2021 semester.

I hope you all have a restful winter break.

Blair McElroy

Senior International Officer

Director of Study Abroad

Spring 2021 Online Course Allowance and Registration

It wouldn't be an OGE message without a note on immigration rules. SEVP, which monitors and enforces student visa regulations, finally sent information regarding course enrollment requirements for international students in spring 2021.

International Students Enrolled in Classes during Spring 2020 and Before:
International students who have been at the University of Mississippi or have been taking classes within the United States since Spring 2020 are allowed to continue to take classes fully online if needed. Students should still opt for in-person or hybrid sections if available, but it is acceptable for students to exceed the 3 hours of remote/online/web sections for the spring semester, up to a full online course load.

International Students Who Started at UM in Fall 2020 or Will Start at UM in Spring 2021:
Generally, international students who entered the United States to start a new degree program at UM in Fall 2020 or will be a new student entering the United States and starting a new degree program in Spring 2021 must enroll in at least one 3-hour in-person or hybrid course for Spring 2021. These students are allowed to take online courses but cannot be enrolled in a full online course load. There are nuances to this rule, so please contact ipdept@olemiss.edu with specific immigration questions.

Registration and Holds:
International students joining UM for the first time in Spring 2021 have been advised by the Office of International Programs that they should register prior to arrival in case they are asked for documentation of an in-person or hybrid course at the port of entry. In the fall, other institutions reported that students were denied entry when arriving for the fall semester because they were not registered yet and could not show that they were in compliance with the rule requiring one 3-hour in-person or hybrid course. If you are working with an international student for registration and they have any holds, please email Laura Vaughn at levaughn@olemiss.edu so we can assist in removing them temporarily. Since not every student is eligible to study remotely, we must remove the holds individually.

Online Enrollment from Overseas

We have updated the approved country list for spring 2021 at the OGE website. Please email global@olemiss.edu if you have questions about the information in the table.

Stocking Stuffers

Take a look at this interesting ICEF article about digital health passports and the future of international travel.
Check out these delicious hot chocolate recipes from around the world! Our favorite is the Brazilian Hot Cocoa with sweetened condensed milk.
And, with your favorite hot chocolate, snuggle up with this full length performance of The Nutcracker, performed by the Bolshoi Ballet.

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