This answer depends on whether you are inside the U.S. when the new rule begins on September 15, 2026, and whether you leave the U.S. after that date*

• Students who enter the U.S. after September 15, 2026, or students who travel outside the U.S. and return after that date will be able to find their AUD on their I-94.
• Undergraduate students, master’s students, and J-1 scholars here for four years or less will receive an AUD which is their I-20 or DS-2019 Program End Date plus 30 days.
• Doctoral Students and J-1 scholars here for more than four years will receive an AUD which is four years after their program start date plus 30 days.

If you have difficulty locating your AUD, please schedule a meeting with an ISSS advisor virtually or in person.

Please Note: The new rule does not prohibit students from studying for more than four years and is not retroactive to students who began their program before September 15, 2026. The rule requires that F and J students and scholars who need more than four years must extend their Admit Until Date, usually with an application and fee.

* After this rule takes effect, it is possible that students will continue to see “D/S” written on their I-94 and still receive an Admit Until Date in SEVIS based on the program end date on their I-20/DS-2019 up to 4 years into the future plus 60 days. All continuing students should meet with ISSS to ensure they know and record their AUD so that students can properly plan when to file a program extension. Even if your I-20 or DS-2019 is valid for more than four years, the latest AUD anyone will receive will be 11/14/2030 (Four years after 09/15/2026 plus 60 days).

Any student who is inside the U.S. on 09/15/2026 but who travels outside the U.S. and returns will receive a new I-94 with a new AUD of their program end date up to four years into the future plus 30 days.  

If you wish to extend your educational stay for any reason beyond your Admit Until Date, you must follow the normal program extension process to get a new I-20/DS-2019 and then submit an Extension of Stay application before your admit until date has arrived. The application to extend a stay is the I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status ($420 application fee). 

Educational objective is a new term in immigration which covers the school where a student studies, the subject they study, and the degree level at which they study. The new rule limits when and whether students are allowed to change any component of their educational objective once they have entered the U.S.

Undergraduate students cannot change their educational objectives, change their major or degree level, or transfer to a new school in the U.S., until after the first year of their program unless a special exception is granted. After undergraduate students complete their first year of studies, they can transfer to a new school or change their major.

Graduate and professional students are not allowed to change their educational objectives until they complete their degree unless a special exception is granted. This is true even in cases where a program uses an “umbrella” major for the first year and then becomes track-specific. Departments with programs like this should contact Ana Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Graduate College Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Graduate Student Success.

For all students, it is only possible to change their degree level to a higher degree than the one most recently completed. Students will not be permitted to change their educational objective to a lower degree level or get another degree at the same degree level.

This rule does not restrict or limit on-campus work authorization, curricular practical training (CPT), or optional practical training (OPT). However:

1. Students who apply for OPT will simultaneously need to apply for an extension of stay in order to remain in the U.S. beyond their Admit Until Date.
2. Students who apply for OPT in the first six months after this rule takes effect will be exempted from having to submit an extension as long as they do not leave the U.S. between September 15, 2026, and the start of their OPT.
3. Students who plan to graduate in fall 2026 or spring 2027, and who are able to apply for OPT before March 18, 2027, should consider remaining in the U.S. until their OPT is approved.

International Programs will host webinars and Q&A for the university community in August and September. Additionally, you are always welcome to ask specific questions about how you will be affected in a virtual or in-person advising session.

Webinar #1 - August 12, 2026, at 10 a.m. - Register here

Webinar #2 - September 17, 2026, at 3 p.m. - Register here

F-1 Students who are inside the U.S. before September 15, will receive  an AUD which is 60 days after the program end date listed on their I-20 (or 60 days after four years, if their I-20 is valid for more than four years). Students who enter the U.S. after September 15, including after a trip abroad, will have an AUD which is 30 days after the program end date listed on their I-20 (or 30 days after four years, if their I-20 is valid for more than four years into the future).

Students graduating in spring 2027 can begin applying for OPT on February 15, 2027. OPT applications received before March 18, 2027, will not require an additional Extension of Stay (EOS) application. International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) encourages all students to apply for OPT as early as possible.

Students on OPT and inside the U.S. on September 15 will receive an AUD which is 60 days after their OPT end date. If students are eligible for the OPT STEM Extension and they apply after March 18, 2027, they will need to file an EOS at the same time they file for OPT.

You may continue working without interruption as long as your STEM OPT application is approved withing 180 days of the expiration of your initial OPT end date.

No. The new policy does not affect the cap-gap extension for OPT.

No. The new policy does not affect other Change of Status applications.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) does not recommend filing Form I-539 more than six months before the expiration of a status, however there is no stated limitation on how early students or scholars may file an EOS.

“DHS anticipates providing guidance on educational levels to clarify how it utilizes the NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) definitions of education levels to ensure consistency across components, with ED, and by DSOs.” - Federal Register Source

The new regulation will not permit graduate or professional students to transfer to another school, even if the PI relocates.

Students may receive a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. However, failure to complete a doctoral program would mean that the student cannot remain in the U.S. in F or J status and would need to depart as soon as possible.

Yes. The rule prohibits repeating degree levels only when both degree programs were completed in the U.S.

The new rule does not place any additional limitations on the length of number of program extensions. However, the current rules limit extensions to those which show “Normal Progress” toward the completion of an academic program, and that has not changed. 

F-2 dependents will never receive an AUD that extends beyond the F-1 student’s AUD, regardless of when they enter the U.S.

Yes.  Extensions processed prior to September 15, 2026, will not require a separate Extension of Stay (EOS) application and fee.

Yes. An F-1 student with a program end date of December 12, 2031, will receive an AUD of November 14, 2030 (September 15, 2026, plus four years and 60 days). If the student travels home in December 2026, and returns to the U.S. for spring classes on January 19, 2027, the new AUD would be approximately February 16, 2031 (January 19, 2027, plus four years and 30 days). If the program end date is less than four years into the future when the student reenters the U.S., the AUD will be the program end date plus 30 days.

Academic departments should maintain all academic standards. Please reach out to the Graduate College with questions. This rule does not require programs to be four years or shorter.  Rather, it requires students to apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for an extension if they will remain in the U.S. for more than four years.

The existing form I-539 will be used for Extension of Stay (EOS) applications when the rule takes effect and may be filed from inside the U.S.  DHS has indicated that it may introduce a new form for Extension of Stay applications in the future. The current USCIS filing fee for Form I-539 is $420. USCIS filing fees may be subject to change.