An F-1 or J-1 student may be eligible for an extension if they continually maintain status but do not complete their academic program by the end date listed on their I-20/DS-2019 due to compelling academic or medical reasons. 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(7)(iii)-(iv)/ 4.22 C.F.R. § 62.43

Eligibility

A program extension may be available under the following conditions:
1) You have maintained valid F-1/J-1 status and made academic progress every semester.
2) The delay in your program completion is due to a compelling academic or medical reason. Examples include changes of major or research topic, unexpected research problems, or documented illnesses.
3) The delay in your program completion is not due to academic probation or suspension, employment, or coursework and research that are not required for your degree program. In addition, extensions are not available for the completion of a minor.
4) You submit a complete extension request to OISS at least 30 days before your current I-20/DS-2019 expiration date.

How to Apply for an Extension

STEP 1: Identify a need for an extension

As soon as you are aware that you may need additional time to complete your degree requirements, please discuss your options with your major faculty advisor. If you have questions about the I-20/DS-2019 extension process not covered on this webpage, you are welcome to attend the OISS walk-in advising hours: https://oiss.rice.edu/appointment

STEP 2: Work with your faculty advisor to complete the Extension Request Form

Meet with your faculty advisor to complete the Extension Request Form. Your faculty advisor will need to confirm the appropriate compelling academic or medical reason for the extension and your new expected term of degree completion.

Graduate students must also work with their department/graduate coordinator (or faculty advisor) to complete the funding information section of the form.

STEP 3: Prepare proof of funding documentation

OISS is required to verify that you have sufficient funding to cover the estimated cost of tuition, fees, and living expenses for the extension period. The required amount depends on your visa status, your academic program, the length of your requested extension, and your tuition status (for graduate students). Please review the information below to determine the amount you need to show and the accepted documentation.

Required amount

The charts below specify the required amount for a full academic year or for one semester. If you are a graduate student, the funding information section of your form will indicate if you can use the "reduced tuition" line instead of standard tuition.

Additional considerations:

If your new expected term of degree completion is the summer, add $3,000 to your required amount.

If you have dependents, add $2,000 for each dependent per extension term to your required amount (or $4,000 per dependent per year).

If you are on a J-1 visa, you are required to show proof of funding for the full duration of your program. If you are requesting an extension for more than 1 year, you must multiply the amount listed in the chart by the number of years/terms of the extension.

Acceptable funding documents

All funding documentation must be provided in English and should list funds in U.S. dollars. If your financial institution is not able to provide the document in English, please upload an official translation with the original document. If your financial institution is not able to list the funds in U.S. dollars, the currency used must be clearly indicated in the documentation. OISS will use a currency conversion rate of the day when the document is reviewed by our office.

Acceptable Documents for Proof of Funding

Rice Funding	Graduate students: Rice funding should be indicated in the funding information section of the Extension Request form. Undergraduate students: If you are receiving Financial Aid, you can submit a screenshot from your ESTHER account. Please make sure your name and/or student ID is visible.
Personal Funds	Loan or official personal bank statement from a checking or savings account or letter that is less than 6 months old reflects your personal name on the account and states the amount of funds and the liquid funding source. Please note that conditional loan approvals are not acceptable, only fully approved loans may be considered. All funding documentation must be provided in English and should list funds in U.S. dollars.
Family Funds	1) An official bank statement from a checking or savings account or letter that is less than 6 months old reflects the name on the account and states the amount of funds and the liquid funding source. 2) Family letter of support that indicates the name (as shown on the bank statement), relationship, and states the intent to sponsor you during your studies. Click here for a template. All funding documentation must be provided in English and should list funds in U.S. dollars.
Personal Sponsor	1) An official bank statement from a checking or savings account or letter that is less than 6 months old reflects the name on the account and states the amount of funds and the liquid funding source. 2) Sponsor letter of support that indicates the name (as shown on the bank statement), relationship, and state the intent to sponsor you during your studies. Click here for a template. All funding documentation must be provided in English and should list funds in U.S. dollars.
Other Source	Scholarship/Fellowship (Private, Employer, or Government Sponsorship) – Letter from sponsoring institution/agency that is less than 6 months old, indicating your name, amount of scholarship/fellowship/financial award, and duration of funding. All funding documentation must be provided in English and should list funds in U.S. dollars.

NOTE: You may submit more than one bank statement to reach the required amount, but you must include a letter of support from each sponsor.

Funding documentation not accepted includes scholarship/award letters that do not detail the amount of the award, income/salary letters, tax returns, land/property deeds, and other non-liquid funds.

STEP 4: Submit the extension request to OISS

Once you have all the required documentation, you can submit your request to OISS at http://bit.ly/oissdocs.

Make sure to select "Student Extension Request Form" as the document type and indicate your degree level and program accurately. All financial documents, when applicable, should be uploaded in the additional upload fields.

You will receive an automatic email confirmation once your documents have been submitted. If you do not receive this email, please submit your extension request again.

OISS processing time for complete extension requests is 1 week.