A federal rule years in the making is nearing the finish line, and it could reset how long international students are allowed to stay in the U.S. The White House Office of Management and Budget cleared a final Department of Homeland Security rule in June 2026 that would end “duration of status,” the policy that lets foreign students remain until they finish their degree.
DHS can publish the final version any day now. The rule could then take effect 60 days after publication.
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Current Rule For International Students
For decades, students on F visas (academic students), J visas (exchange visitors), and I visas (representatives of foreign media) have been admitted under “duration of status,” or D/S.
That means no fixed end date: they can stay as long as they remain enrolled and in good standing, through graduation and any authorized work training.
What's Changing
The rule (RIN 1653-AA95) would replace D/S with a date-limited admission period. When DHS proposed the change last summer, it set a four-year ceiling, including time spent on Optional Practical Training.
Students needing more time would have to file a formal extension of stay with USCIS rather than rely on their school to manage their status. The proposal also limited how easily students could switch majors or transfer schools.
Why It Matters
A four-year cap doesn’t match a lot of U.S. degree paths. Nearly all Ph.D. programs run longer than four years, as do some undergraduate programs. Physicians completing residencies on J-1 visas would also be squeezed.
Each extension would carry new fees, biometrics, and review by federal adjudicators instead of campus administrators, and colleges would likely have to hire staff just to help students file the paperwork.
DHS sees it differently. The department says international students typically finish their bachelor’s within four years, and that 79% are enrolled in either a two-year master’s or a four-year bachelor’s program.
How This Connects
The timing lands on an already-shrinking international student pipeline. More than 720,000 international students study in the U.S., but graduate enrollment fell again this year, and some universities have responded with layoffs, budget deficits, and cut degree programs.
The State Department revoked roughly 8,000 student visas over the past year. International students also can’t access federal student loans, so most pay cash or borrow through private lenders like MPower Financing, Prodigy Finance, and Earnest, meaning added time, cost, and uncertainty land directly on families.
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Editor: Colin Graves
Robert Farrington is the founder of The College Investor and is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading voices on student loan debt and saving for college. He holds an MBA from UC San Diego Rady School of Management and has spent over 15 years researching, writing, and advising on student loans, 529 plans, financial aid programs, and saving and investing for young professionals.
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