SACM Online Course Policy

According to SACM online degree and course policies, SACM-sponsored students may be permitted to take online courses if they have prior approval from their SACM advisor.  It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that any courses taken online at MC are officially approved by SACM in advance. 

Separate Financial Guarantees must be issued for online courses taken by SACM students.  Students must meet SACM’s online course policy before completing this form and submitting it to SACM before the registration of any online course for a Financial Guarantee to be issued.

If it is determined that a course was enrolled in without SACM approval, the course may be removed or changed from the student’s schedule. Reducing enrolled hours could cause the student to fall below the required full-time course load, potentially affecting their F1 visa status.  

SACM Online Course Guidelines

In accordance with SACM guidelines, students will only be considered for online course enrollment approval if the following criteria are met:

• No Online Enrollment for On-Campus Students: Students may not take any course online if it is offered in a face-to-face/traditional on-campus format in the current or a future term.  
• One Online Class Per Term: Students may enroll in only one online class per term, unless it is their final semester and they are graduating that term.  
• Online Credit Limit for Bachelor's Students: Students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree may take a maximum of 12 online credits throughout their program.
• Online Credit for Graduate Students: Students seeking a Graduate (Master's or higher) degree may only take 6 online credits.  After obtaining approval from your MC advisor to take an online course, the student must submit an online class request through the SACM portal and receive SACM's approval.  Requests exceeding the maximum allowed online courses will be automatically denied.  
• Payment Policy: It does not matter if you intend to pay for the online course yourself. SACM policy prohibits students from paying out-of-pocket for online courses. Doing so may jeopardize your ability to retain or regain SACM-sponsored funding. SACM counts all online courses, regardless of payment source.

Failure to adhere to SACM's online/hybrid course guidelines may result in the invalidation of your degree verification by SACM.