{"id":3660,"date":"2026-08-03T19:29:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T00:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/?page_id=3660"},"modified":"2026-08-06T09:41:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T14:41:21","slug":"student-scholar-planning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/duration-of-status\/student-scholar-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"Student &amp; scholar planning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">International Student and Scholar Services continues to review the final rule and related resources to fully understand its impact on Mizzou&#8217;s international community. As federal agencies issue additional guidance, our interpretation and understanding of certain provisions may evolve. The information below is meant to provide general guidance. If you have questions about your specific situation,&nbsp;\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/advising\/walkin-advising\/\">advising<\/a>\u202ffor international students and scholars&nbsp;is\u202favailable&nbsp;through\u202fin-person walk-ins or\u202fonline appointments.&nbsp;You can also contact\u202fan\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/advising\/people\/\">ISSS adviser<\/a>\u202fby email.\u202f&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Important things to note: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your F-1\/J-1 status is your responsibility. ISSS is here to support you, but you will need to be proactive in your planning. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You will be responsible for monitoring your admit until date (AUD). Failure to file for an extension of stay (EOS) in a timely manner could result in serious immigration consequences. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You should check your <a href=\"https:\/\/i94.cbp.dhs.gov\/home\">I-94 record<\/a> every time you travel and re-enter the U.S.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not outlined the official EOS process. We anticipate additional information in the future.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You can continue to be admitted to a degree program that takes longer than four years to complete. You should be aware that you will need to apply for an EOS at some point during your degree program if it will take you longer to complete your degree requirements. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you need any of the immigration process updates listed in the charts below, contact your <a href=\"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/advising\/people\/\">ISSS adviser<\/a>\u202fto discuss your options. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-mizzou-accordion miz-accordion miz-accordion--brand\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"miz-button miz-accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-miz-expand=\"375e3e6d-7e0a-4d58-a75a-b91133844287\"><span>F-1 students<\/span><\/button><div class=\"miz-accordion__content\" id=\"375e3e6d-7e0a-4d58-a75a-b91133844287\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Immigration process<\/th><th>Old rule (through Sept. 14, 2026)<\/th><th>New rule (starting Sept. 15, 2026)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Admit until date (AUD)<\/td><td>Duration of status (D\/S): You may remain in the U.S. as long as you follow the rules to maintain your F status. <\/td><td>Fixed admission date: Beginning Sept. 15, F visa holders who enter the U.S. or change to F status will receive an I-94 record with a fixed AUD. The maximum AUD is four years or the I-20 program end date, whichever is sooner, plus a 30-day grace period.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Program extension<\/td><td>ISSS can process an I-20 program extension if you need additional time to complete degree requirements.<\/td><td>If you need additional time beyond your AUD, you will need to apply to USCIS for an extension of stay (EOS). You may also require an updated I-20 from ISSS.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Changing program objective (major)<\/td><td>You may change your major during your degree program.<br> <br>You may add a secondary major or concurrent degree program at any point during your studies. <\/td><td>Undergraduate students: May change majors after the first academic year.<br><br>Graduate students: Cannot change majors.<br><br>All secondary majors or concurrent degrees must be declared and noted on the I-20 before the program start date.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Change of education level<\/td><td>You may change to a higher or lower degree level.<\/td><td>You may only change to a higher degree level. You cannot repeat a degree level for any degree completed after Sept. 15, 2026.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>SEVIS transfers<\/td><td>You may transfer your SEVIS record to another school during your degree program or within the 60-day grace period following degree or OPT completion. <\/td><td>Undergraduate students: SEVIS records may be transferred to a new school:<br><ul><li>After the first academic year<\/li><li>During OPT<\/li><li>During the 30-day grace period<\/li><\/ul>Graduate students: SEVIS records cannot be transferred during your degree program. SEVIS records may be transferred to a new school:<br><ul><li>During OPT<\/li><li>During the 30-day grace period<\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-mizzou-accordion miz-accordion miz-accordion--brand\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"miz-button miz-accordion__button\" aria-expanded=\"false\" data-miz-expand=\"af8554fa-8599-4781-be18-81082b1e91d0\"><span>J-1 students and scholars<\/span><\/button><div class=\"miz-accordion__content\" id=\"af8554fa-8599-4781-be18-81082b1e91d0\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Immigration process<\/th><th>Old rule (through Sept. 14, 2026)<\/th><th>New rule (starting Sept. 15, 2026)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Admit until date (AUD)<\/td><td>Duration of status (D\/S): You may remain in the U.S. as long as you follow the rules to maintain your J status.<\/td><td>Fixed admission date: Beginning Sept. 15, J visa holders who enter the U.S. or change to F status will receive an I-94 record with a fixed AUD. The maximum AUD is four years or the DS-2019 program end date, whichever is sooner, plus a 30-day grace period.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Program extension<\/td><td>J-1 student: ISSS can process a DS-2019 program extension if you need additional time to complete degree requirements. Your academic department must confirm that you need additional time.<br><br>J-1 scholar: You and your host department will work with ISSS to extend the DS-2019 program end date.<\/td><td>If you need additional time beyond your AUD, you will need to apply to USCIS for an extension of stay (EOS). You may also require an updated DS-2019 from ISSS.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Changing program objective (major)<\/td><td>J-1 student: You may not change or add majors during your degree program.<br> <br>J-1 scholars: You cannot change your program objective. <\/td><td>These provisions continue in the new rule. <\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Change of education level<\/td><td>J-1 students: You may change to a higher degree level.<br><br>J-1 scholars: Not applicable. <\/td><td>These provisions continue in the new rule. <\/td><\/tr><tr><td>SEVIS transfers<\/td><td>You may transfer as long as your DS-2019 program end date has not passed and there are no changes to the original program objective. <br><br>Scholars should be mindful of maximum program duration limits. <\/td><td>These provisions continue in the new rule. Some transfers may require applying to USCIS for an EOS. Early planning will be essential. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Updated 06-AUG-2026<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>International Student and Scholar Services continues to review the final rule and related resources to fully understand its impact on Mizzou&#8217;s international community. As federal agencies issue additional guidance, our interpretation and understanding of certain provisions may evolve. The information below is meant to provide general guidance. If you have questions about your specific situation,&nbsp;\u202fadvising\u202ffor [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":3651,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3660","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3660"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3709,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3660\/revisions\/3709"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/international.missouri.edu\/isss\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}