Archive · 28 Aug 2026
US Universities Urge Indian Students to Return Before September 15
The United States is changing how some international students are allowed to stay.
Until now, F-1 students could usually remain in the country while they kept following their study rules.
Starting September 15, 2026, new entries will receive a fixed end date on their I-94 record.
Students already inside the United States by that date are expected to keep their current protections.
But students who travel abroad and return after the deadline may receive the new type of admission record.
Their stay may be limited to four years or to the end date on their documents.
The time to remain after finishing a degree will also shrink from 60 days to 30 days.
Universities are therefore telling students currently abroad to return early, even though a court challenge could change the rule.
A new US Department of Homeland Security rule will replace F-1 students’ Duration of Status with fixed I-94 admission dates from September 15, 2026.
Students physically in the United States by September 15 can remain under the existing D/S system through their current programme end date.
Students who leave and re-enter after September 15 will be subject to fixed admission dates capped at four years.
The post-graduation grace period will fall from 60 days to 30 days, affecting students and those on OPT or STEM OPT.
Universities including Harvard and Columbia are urging international students abroad to return before the deadline, despite an ongoing court challenge.
- Who
- F-1 and J-1 international students, particularly Indian students studying in the United States, along with their universities.
- What
- The Department of Homeland Security is replacing Duration of Status with fixed I-94 admission dates and reducing the post-study grace period from 60 days to 30 days.
- When
- The changes are scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026; Columbia has advised students to return by September 8.
- Where
- United States universities and US ports of entry; the issue particularly affects Indian students currently outside the United States.
- Why
- Students who re-enter after the deadline may lose the protections of the existing D/S system and face fixed stay limits or additional extension requirements.
University and student-protection concerns
Government rule and legal challenge
Whether students should return before the deadline
University and student-protection concerns
Universities are advising international students outside the United States to return before September 15, with Columbia recommending arrival by September 8 to allow for travel delays.
Government rule and legal challenge
The rule is scheduled to proceed unless a federal court formally blocks it before September 15, and a court challenge is currently underway.
Effect of fixed admission dates
University and student-protection concerns
The article warns that fixed dates could create problems for PhD students whose programmes exceed four years, students on OPT or STEM OPT, and programmes delayed beyond their documented end dates.
Government rule and legal challenge
The Department of Homeland Security’s new system would tie an entrant’s I-94 end date to the programme end date on the I-20, subject to a four-year maximum, with formal extensions available through USCIS.
- Effective date
- September 15, 2026
- Current system
- Duration of Status, or D/S, allows eligible students to remain while enrolled and maintaining valid status.
- New system
- An I-94 will carry a fixed end date tied to the I-20 programme end date, capped at four years.
- Grace period
- The post-degree grace period is scheduled to decrease from 60 days to 30 days.
- Transition protection
- Students physically in the United States by September 15 are expected to remain under D/S through their current programme end date.
- Extension costs cited
- The article lists USCIS Extension of Stay filing costs as $420 online and $470 on paper.
- University guidance
- Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown, Ohio State, George Washington University and the University of Chicago have issued warnings or return advisories.