International Student Services

Program Extension

A program extension is required if you cannot complete your program of study by the program end date printed on your I-20.

You can start a program extension request on the International Student Portal.

Rules

  • Your program extension request must be approved before your program end date. Submit your program extension request as early as possible. Requests made at the last minute may not be accepted.
  • Program extensions will only be given for:
    • Compelling Academic Reasons (detailed by an academic advisor)
    • Documented Medical Reasons
  • Delays caused by academic probation or suspension are not acceptable reasons for program extensions.

Considerations for approval

  • Have you been making academic progress towards your program of study?
    • If you have not been making progress towards your major program of study, an extension is unlikely.
  • Do you have any type of registration hold?
    • All registration holds must be cleared by the department that applied them to your record. We will not consider your extension request until we see that you’re eligible to register in the following quarter.
  • Did you add/change a major/minor? When was the effective start of the new program of study?
    • Your undergraduate program of study is defined by what is reported to SEVIS. We can report up to two majors and one minor. We will not extend for anything unreported or unrelated to your program of study.
    • Minors declared in your final quarter must be completed by your current program end date.
  • How many extra quarters do you require? Anything more than one quarter will incur increased scrutiny.
  • Did you follow an academic plan? Failure to adhere to your academic plan or not having a plan is not a compelling reason for extension.
  • Have you been on academic probation?
  • Did you fail required courses in a previous quarter? How many? Have you made an attempt to retake them? Did you use summer quarter to catch up?
  • Did you get advice from your academic advisor?
  • Have you received a program extension in the past? It is unlikely a compelling reason can be given for a second extension.