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Leaving Carnegie Mellon

Below is information that you must know as you near the end of your academic program. In most cases, you will want to contact OIE at least three months before you graduate to find out your options. Remember that by law you have a limited time to take action from the date you COMPLETE your studies before your presence in the US is no longer legal. Be aware that the date you COMPLETE your studies is the day you finish the last REQUIREMENT for your degree NOT the graduation date; for example, the day of your last final exam or the date you hand in your thesis corrections. This date is important for interpreting the following information.

I.    F-1 STUDENTS:

A. If you are here in F-1 status (I-20), and have completed your course of study, you have 60 days from the day you complete your studies to do ONE of the following four things:

  1. Leave the country
  2. Apply for a change to another immigration status
  3. Transfer to a new school or a new Carnegie Mellon program, get a new I-20 for that program and begin attendance in that program in the next possible semester
  4. Begin Optional Practical Training 

This 60-day deadline is final and non-negotiable. Please check the expiration date on your I-20 located in item 5 of the document. If your I-20 will expire this semester and you plan to continue studying at Carnegie Mellon you must apply for an extension at least one month in advance.

B. If you are here in F-1 status (I-20) and you plan to withdraw from classes and leave Carnegie Mellon before completing your degree program you must get authorization in advance from a Foreign Student Advisor. If you have been pre-authorized by your Foreign Student Advisor to withdraw from classes because you are planning to leave Carnegie Mellon you have 15 days to do one of the following things:

  1. Leave the country
  2. Apply for a change to another immigration status
  3. Transfer to a new school or a new Carnegie Mellon program, get a new I-20 for that program and begin attendance in that program in the next possible semester
C. If you leave Carnegie Mellon without completing your degree program and without pre-authorization from your Foreign Student Advisor then you do not have any additional days to remain in the US. You must leave the US or apply for a change of status immediately.

D. If you are planning to apply for practical training you must apply for the authorization before the end of your 60-day grace period, or you will lose your eligibility for the training! Since it takes anywhere from 1 to 3 months for the authorization approval to arrive from immigration, this means that you should apply 3 to 4 months before you complete your program.

Information about how to apply for practical training is available here (.pdf). Please read the handouts and then call 412-268-5231 to reserve a spot at an OPT work session.

E. Your I-20 cannot be signed once you have graduated unless you have applied for practical training. This means that you should not plan any short trips to Canada after completing your program unless you have either received optional practical training work authorization, or you will return to your home country from Canada, or you will return to the US on a tourist visa from Canada.

II.    J-1 STUDENTS:


A. If you are here in J-1 status (DS-2019), you have 30 days from the day you complete your studies to do ONE of the following 3 things: (once again, that this is the day you finish all requirements for the degree, not the date on the DS-2019 or visa!)

  1. Leave the country
  2. Apply for a change to another immigration status
  3. Begin Academic Training (Note that you must apply for Academic Training BEFORE you complete your degree requirements.)

You must apply for academic training before you complete the degree requirements! This deadline is final and non-negotiable. Please check the expiration date on your DS-2019. If your DS-2019 will expire and you plan to continue studying at CMU, you must apply for an extension one month before it expires.

If you plan to transfer to a new school or a new Carnegie Mellon program, you must work with the Foreign Student Advisor to have your record transferred by the date you finish your program.  You may not transfer after the expiration of the DS-2019. 

B. If you are planning to apply for academic training you must apply for the authorization before you complete your degree program, or you will lose your eligibility for the training! Information about how to apply for academic training is available here (.pdf). Please read the handouts and then call 412-268-5231 to schedule an appointment. You will need the job offer to apply for Academic Training.

C. Your DS-2019 cannot be signed once you have graduated, unless you have applied for academic training. This means that you should not plan any short trips to Canada after completing your program unless you have either received academic training authorization, you will return to your home country from Canada, or you will return to the US on a tourist visa from Canada.

III    ALL: Important tips as you leave CMU

A. OIE

If you will be doing post-graduation Optional Practical Training or Academic Training you must email your address changes to oie@andrew.cmu.edu for the entire period of the Optional/Academic Training. If you terminate your training, change immigration status, or leave the US before your training expires you must notify OIE by emailing oie@andrew.cmu.edu.

B. Taxes/Payroll

If you received payment from the University during your time here, contact the payroll office to give them your new address before you leave so they can send you the appropriate tax documents at the end of the calendar year. Remember that even if you leave the country before tax reporting time (April 15), you are still required to complete US tax forms for your time in the US. You can look on the Internal Revenue Service website (www.irs.gov) , contact the Office of International Education, or go to a US Consulate or Embassy abroad to obtain these forms.

C. HUB

Provide the HUB with a post-graduation address. You may do this on-line.

D. Alumni Relations

Give Alumni Relations your new address. You may do this on-line. Alumni relations can also inform you about alumni groups that exist in your home region so that you can stay in touch with the Carnegie Mellon Community.

Last Updated On: July 28, 2009