The F-1 duration of status rule is ending: what changes September 15, 2026
On September 15, 2026, DHS replaces F-1 "duration of status" with fixed-date admissions. This is the largest structural change to F-1 status in decades. This page is the plain-language map — for students trying to figure out which rules now apply to them, and for the advisors and DSOs fielding the same question all day. 91 FR 44976
What "duration of status" was — and what replaces it
Since 1983, F-1 students have been admitted for "duration of status," marked D/S on the I-94. There was no fixed end date. You were admitted for as long as you maintained status: full course of study, plus practical training, plus a grace period.
The final rule published at 91 FR 44976 ends that. Students admitted after September 15, 2026 receive a fixed date on the I-94 instead. Staying past that date requires an affirmative extension request to USCIS. 8 CFR 214.1(a)(4); 91 FR 44976
Everything below sorts into two questions. Were you in the U.S. on September 15, 2026? And have you left and come back since?
If you are already in the U.S. on September 15, 2026
Students physically in the United States on September 15, 2026, maintaining F-1 status, who were admitted for duration of status, are "transition" students. They keep old-rules treatment while they remain in the country. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)
The protection has an end point. A transition student is protected through the later of two dates in place on September 15, 2026: the I-20 program end date, or the EAD end date. That protection is capped at September 15, 2030. After the protected date, the student has a 60-day departure period. The outermost date under this framework is November 14, 2030. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)
Two things end transition treatment early. First, leaving and re-entering the U.S. after September 15, 2026 — re-entry converts the student to the fixed-date system. Second, falling out of status. The protection assumes continued maintenance of F-1 status.
If you are admitted after September 15, 2026
New admissions receive a fixed period of stay. The period matches the length of the program on the I-20, up to a maximum of four years measured from the I-20 program start date — not from the day you enter the U.S. A 30-day period after the program is included on the I-94. 8 CFR 214.1(a)(4), 214.2(f)(5)(i)
Two program types get shorter caps: English-language training is limited to 24 months, and public high school attendance to 12 months. 8 CFR 214.1(a)(4)
The four-year cap, the program-start-date measurement, and what happens when a program runs longer are covered in detail in the four-year F-1 admission limit, explained.
Needing more time now means filing with USCIS
Under duration of status, more time meant a DSO extending the I-20 in SEVIS. Under the fixed-date system, staying past the admission date requires Form I-539 filed with USCIS: a DSO-endorsed I-20, evidence of funds, a fee of $420 online or $470 on paper per USCIS fee schedule G-1055, and possibly biometrics. USCIS must receive the filing before the authorized stay ends. A timely filing gives authorized stay while the request is pending, and certain work — on-campus, CPT, and economic-hardship employment — automatically extends for up to 240 days — though not if the extension was filed during the 30-day departure period, which permits study only. Approval is not guaranteed. Each extension can be granted for up to four years. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7), (f)(5)(viii)
This is the single biggest operational shift for both students and international student services offices: a government adjudication, with a fee and a wait, now sits where a SEVIS keystroke used to be.
The March 18, 2027 OPT carve-out
There is one significant relief valve for transition students. A transition student who files a post-completion OPT application (Form I-765) — or a STEM OPT extension before the current EAD expires — on or before March 18, 2027, and while still within their period of admission (including the 60-day period), does not need to file an I-539 for that OPT period. Departing the U.S. before filing forfeits this. DHS may extend the window in six-month increments. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)(i)-(iii)
If OPT is in your near future, read Do I need to file Form I-539? The March 18, 2027 OPT carve-out before you do anything else.
Grace periods now come in four sizes
The familiar 60-day grace period survives only for transition students. Under the fixed-period system, normal completion carries a 30-day departure period. Early completion is also 30 days. An authorized withdrawal is 15 days. A status violation carries no departure period at all. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(v)
The full breakdown — including what filing during the 30-day period does and does not allow — is at 60 days or 30? F-1 grace periods under the new rule.
Travel is where transition protection quietly ends
A transition student who departs and returns after September 15, 2026 is converted to the fixed-date system on re-entry. The new I-94 follows the I-20 program dates, and the departure period becomes 30 days from then on. Travel with a pending I-539 or a pending change-of-status application carries additional abandonment risk. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1); 8 CFR 248.1(f)
Before booking anything, read Traveling after September 15, 2026: what returning students need to know.
What the rule did not break
- Cap-gap is preserved — automatic extension to April 1 of the fiscal year or the H-1B petition start date, whichever is earlier. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(vii)
- CPT rules are unchanged, including Day-1 CPT. One new limit: CPT continuation during a pending extension caps at 240 days or the DSO's CPT end date, whichever comes first. 91 FR 44976
- The OPT filing window got shorter. Post-completion OPT must now reach USCIS no later than 30 days after the program end date — half the 60 days the old rule allowed. The 90-days-before opening is unchanged, and the requested OPT start date can be at most 30 days after program end. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(i)(B)(2), (f)(11)(i)(D)
Program changes now have hard limits
The rule adds restrictions on changing course mid-stream. Graduate students cannot change major or program level during a program, and can transfer only under an SEVP extenuating-circumstances exception. Students below the graduate level cannot transfer or change program objective in their first academic year, absent an SEVP exception for extenuating circumstances. And a student who completes a program after September 15, 2026 cannot start a new program at the same or a lower level. DHS reserved authority to delay these specific provisions until September 14, 2028, but no delay has been announced as of August 15, 2026. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(ii)
Where to start, by situation
| Your situation | Start here |
|---|---|
| In the U.S. on 9/15/2026, staying put | Confirm your protected end date (later of I-20 or EAD, capped 9/15/2030), then watch the March 18, 2027 OPT deadline |
| Planning international travel | The travel conversion guide — before you book |
| Arriving for a program after 9/15/2026 | The four-year limit guide |
| Finishing your program soon | The grace-period guide and the OPT carve-out |
The calculator maps them; Henry answers the follow-up questions with the regulation cited, for students and advisors alike. Three free questions a month with a free account — please leave out student names and ID numbers.
Map your exact situation with the free Duration Rules Calculator → Ask Henry →
FAQ
I am already in the U.S. on F-1. Does the new rule change my status on September 15, 2026?
Not on that day. If you are in the U.S. on September 15, 2026, maintaining F-1 status, and were admitted for duration of status, you keep old-rules treatment while you remain in the country. You are protected through the later of the I-20 program end date or EAD end date in place that day, capped at September 15, 2030, plus a 60-day departure period. Leaving and re-entering after September 15, 2026 ends that treatment. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)
What is the maximum F-1 admission under the fixed-period rule?
Students admitted after September 15, 2026 receive a fixed period matching the I-20 program length, up to four years measured from the I-20 program start date, plus a 30-day period included on the I-94. English-language training is capped at 24 months and public high school at 12 months. 8 CFR 214.1(a)(4), 214.2(f)(5)(i)
Do all F-1 students now have to file Form I-539?
No. An I-539 is needed when a student wants to stay past their fixed admission — for example, a program running longer than four years. Transition students who file for post-completion OPT on or before March 18, 2027, within their period of admission, do not need an I-539 for that OPT period. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7), 214.1(m)(1)(i)-(iii)
Did the new rule change OPT or CPT?
CPT rules are unchanged, including Day-1 CPT, though CPT continuation during a pending extension caps at 240 days or the DSO's CPT end date. The post-completion OPT filing window now runs from 90 days before to 30 days after program end, and cap-gap is preserved to April 1 or the petition start date. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(i)(B)(2)
Can I still travel abroad after September 15, 2026?
Yes, but for students admitted under duration of status, leaving and returning after September 15, 2026 converts the admission to the fixed-date system: the new I-94 follows the I-20 program dates and the departure period becomes 30 days. Plan travel with those consequences in mind. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)