For more than thirty years, most F-1 students were admitted to the United States for “Duration of Status” (D/S), meaning they could stay as long as they maintained valid student status, with no fixed end date on their Form I-94. That framework is ending. On July 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule replacing Duration of Status with a fixed period of admission, effective September 15, 2026.

Under the new fixed period of admission rule, F-1 students will instead receive a specific expiration date and generally be admitted for the length of the program listed on their Form I-20, not to exceed four years, plus a 30-day departure period. Because this is a major rule, it remains subject to congressional review, and further guidance from USCIS and ICE is expected before the effective date — so international students should confirm the current status with their DSO before making major decisions.

If you were admitted on D/S before September 15, 2026, you don’t have to replace your existing Form I-94 just because the rule takes effect. Under the transition provisions, students already in D/S may generally remain until the program end date on their Form I-20, or four years from the effective date, whichever comes first, without needing a corrected I-94.

There are two events that switch you over to the new fixed period of admission rules: traveling outside the U.S. and being readmitted under the new rule, or having an Extension of Stay approved by USCIS. Once either happens, you’ll receive a new Form I-94 with a specific Admit Until Date and the shorter 30-day grace period. As long as you stay continuously in the country and maintain status, your original D/S benefits — including the 60-day grace period — generally continue during the transition.

The Admit Until Date (AUD) is the hard calendar deadline that replaces the old “D/S” notation on your Form I-94 admission record. Instead of an open-ended stay, your I-94 will show an exact date by which your authorized status ends. You can view your most recent I-94 and AUD on the CBP I-94 website after each entry to the U.S.

This is the single most important date to track under the Duration of Status elimination, because your lawful presence now runs to that date rather than to your program’s natural completion. A school extending your Form I-20 will not automatically extend your immigration stay — the AUD on your Form I-94 controls how long you can remain, which is why F-1 students need to monitor it closely and plan extensions or travel around it.

If your program will run past your Admit Until Date, yes. Under the new fixed period of admission rule, students who need more time must formally apply for an Extension of Stay (EOS) with USCIS by filing Form I-539, paying the filing fee, and completing biometrics — a process that used to be handled internally by your Designated School Official (DSO) through SEVIS. This adds cost, processing time, and uncertainty that F-1 students should build into their timelines.

The approval standard is also stricter. An Extension of Stay generally must be justified by compelling academic or medical reasons or circumstances beyond your control, and delays tied to academic probation, suspension, or repeated program extensions are generally no longer acceptable grounds. Because processing can be slow, file early and keep copies of every prior immigration record to support the request.

Yes, and for many F-1 students, transferring while still on Duration of Status (before September 15, 2026) is the simpler path. Under the current D/S framework, a SEVIS transfer between schools is handled by your DSO and treated as a continuation of your lawful stay, with no USCIS Extension of Stay application required.

If you’re already weighing a school transfer, it’s worth talking to both your current and prospective DSOs about timing before the deadline. Completing the SEVIS transfer while you’re still admitted for Duration of Status lets you avoid the new fixed-date paperwork, as long as you maintain continuous F-1 status and don’t trigger the new rules by traveling abroad and re-entering on or after the effective date.

You can still request a SEVIS transfer after September 15, 2026, but the new rule sharply limits who is eligible. Students in programs below the graduate level cannot transfer during their first year and must complete that first year at the school that issued their original Form I-20, and students at the graduate level or above cannot transfer at any point during their program — both only if SEVP grants an exception for extenuating circumstances. Even when a transfer is allowed, it no longer resets your immigration clock: your Admit Until Date on Form I-94 stays fixed.

Because of these restrictions, a transfer that extends your studies beyond your Admit Until Date may require an Extension of Stay with USCIS or a trip abroad and readmission to receive a new fixed period of admission. F-1 students planning a transfer should map their program end date against their AUD early and coordinate with their DSO to confirm they even qualify before making a move.

Yes. If you’ve recently entered the country as an F-1 student, you can pursue a SEVIS transfer to another university — and doing it before September 15, 2026 is the more flexible option. While you’re still admitted for Duration of Status, the transfer is handled by your DSO as a continuation of your lawful stay, with no USCIS Extension of Stay required. Many newly arrived students use this window to move to a school with more affordable tuition without restarting their immigration paperwork.

One timing rule to keep in mind: as a new Initial student, your program start date at the transfer-in university must fall within 30 days of your arrival in the United States, and you must report to your new DSO and begin your studies by the program start date listed on your Form I-20. So if affordable tuition is driving your decision, line up your acceptance and SEVIS transfer early — that way your record moves cleanly and you keep continuous F-1 status. This matters because the new final rule adds hard transfer restrictions starting September 15, 2026: students in programs below the graduate level cannot transfer during their first year and must finish year one at the school that issued their original Form I-20, and students at the graduate level or above cannot transfer at any point during their program.

No — this is one of the biggest shifts under the Duration of Status elimination. A SEVIS transfer generates a new Form I-20 from your new school, but it does not by itself issue a new Form I-94 or a new Admit Until Date. Your existing fixed period of admission continues to govern how long you can legally stay.

That means if your new program runs longer than your current AUD, the transfer alone won’t buy you extra time. To lawfully remain past that date, you’d generally need an approved Extension of Stay from USCIS, or you’d need to travel and be readmitted under the new fixed-date rules. Assuming a school transfer “restarts the clock” is a common and costly misunderstanding F-1 students should avoid.

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but the timing matters more than ever under the new rule. Transferring now, while you’re still admitted for Duration of Status, keeps you inside the more flexible framework: the SEVIS transfer is DSO-driven, no USCIS Extension of Stay is required, and you retain the more generous transition benefits.

Waiting until after the fixed period of admission rule takes effect can remove the option entirely for many students. Beginning September 15, 2026, students below the graduate level cannot transfer during their first year, and graduate-level students cannot transfer at any point during their program, unless SEVP authorizes an exception for extenuating circumstances. If a school transfer is on your radar, the safest move is to review your options with both schools’ international offices before the deadline rather than after.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) and the STEM OPT extension still exist, but the new fixed period of admission changes how your authorized stay lines up with your work authorization. Once you’re under the new rule, your time in the U.S. is tied to a fixed Admit Until Date rather than to open-ended D/S, so your OPT or STEM OPT dates and your Form I-94 expiration need to be tracked together — a mismatch can cut a work-authorization window short.

For students currently on OPT or STEM OPT under Duration of Status, the transition protections generally hold as long as you don’t travel and re-enter under the new rule. Because the interaction between OPT end dates, cap-gap, and the fixed period of admission is fact-specific, confirm your exact timeline with your DSO before booking international travel or filing anything.

Start by finding your program end date on your Form I-20 and mapping it against how the new fixed period of admission would apply to you, then flag any point where your studies, OPT, or a planned school transfer would run past that date. Students who may need more time — or who are considering a transfer or change of educational objective — should speak with their Designated School Official (DSO) early, since these steps may now require an Extension of Stay with USCIS rather than a quick internal SEVIS update.

It also helps to keep copies of all your immigration documents (every Form I-20, I-94, EAD, and prior approval), avoid non-essential international travel around the September 15, 2026 effective date, and monitor official DHS “Study in the States” updates. Because the rule is still subject to congressional review and pending further agency guidance, staying in close contact with your international student office is the safest way to protect your F-1 status.