Graduate International Student Support for Federal Duration of Status Rule Change

While the International Student Services website shares updated, important information with our international students, scholars, faculty and staff, this KB specifically includes information for those who support graduate international students.

Many of the resources on this page will include links to other websites, but this document will focus on questions and concerns of graduate programs. It will also include minutes from the Graduate Program Duration of Status work group. This sub-group includes representation from all schools/colleges focused on prioritizing questions, contemplating implications, and planning for the future of international student support. Note that this document focuses on F-1 and J-1 students. J-1 scholars and postdocs are supported by the ISS website.

Preliminary injunction halts rule change

A federal judge paused the Duration of Status rule change on September 14, 2026. As the new rule is not effective, current operations and processes for your graduate students should proceed as usual.

Graduate Student Support Resources

• International Student Services website for the New "Duration of Status" Rule
• Graduate School/ISS Presentation on Duration of Status Rule Change
• Final Rule Quick Facts
• Final Rule FAQ

FAQ in Development

The following are examples of questions the Graduate School has already received from campus partners. When we have answers, clarified by ISS and the Office of Legal Affairs, they will be included on the ISS webpage and updated here.

• If a student earned a master's degree outside the U.S., are they prohibited from earning one at a U.S. institution?
  • A degree earned before September 15, 2026, is not subject to the restriction. A degree earned outside the U.S., or in another immigration status while in the U.S., does not mean that an F-1 student is prohibited from pursuing or earning another degree at the same education level. The prohibition applies to F-1 students who earned a degree while in F-1 status on or after September 15, 2026.
• What ideas can be explored for accelerating student time to degree?
  • Programs may wish to explore course offerings, including offering more robust summer course options, encouraging PhD students to begin research sooner, and providing students a course progression map for timely degree completion.
• Can programs continue to offer more than four-year funding commitments to international students?
  • Funding commitments should be made independent of immigration status; there is no change in Graduate School guidance.
• Can UW-Madison offer asynchronous online courses only to international students abroad while courses for domestic students remain face-to-face?
  • Course modality cannot be offered or limited to specific student populations. If courses are offered online, all students must be given the opportunity to enroll.
• Should we consider restructuring our program to accommodate students taking either first-year coursework outside of the U.S. or completing research and dissertations outside of the U.S.?
  • A campus Graduate-focused work group with representation from each school/college will be discussing these options. More information will be shared when available.
• Can a student work as a graduate assistant (TA, RA or PA) while outside the U.S.?
  • International remote work is prohibited in most circumstances, including when requested by an employee for personal reasons inclusive of visa or immigration issues. International Remote Work may only be approved as explicitly permitted in the Remote Work Policy.
• Can students complete degree requirements from abroad?
  • Yes, if the required courses are available online. There may be Export Control factors for review before final approval can be granted. Students who are employed by the university cannot generally perform their work duties from abroad, except as explicitly permitted under the Remote Work Policy. The student must inform ISS by completing the F-1 Out of Country notification or J-1 Out of Country notification.
• Should we increase recruitment and marketing efforts toward domestic students in the coming years? 
  • Programs should continue to recruit top applicants for their programs, but should understand how the applicant funnel may be shifting due to immigration factors. Programs can refer to the Graduate School Explorer to view applicant to admit data, as well as admit to enroll data. Further analysis can be done by using the visualization filters to differentiate yield by demographic data. Programs may not consider immigration status when evaluating applications from prospective students.
• Should we adjust how many F-1 students versus domestic students we admit in future years?
  • Programs should continue to practice holistic admissions and admit the best applicants to their programs as usual. They can refer to the Graduate School Explorer to track applicant, admit, and enrollment data each year by demographic data to aid in projecting yield by population. Programs may not consider immigration status when evaluating applications from prospective students.
• Can a doctoral student not continuing on with the degree be awarded the master’s degree if those requirements have been met?
  • On or after 15 September 2026, an F-1 doctoral student may be awarded a master's degree from the university, but the Form I-20 cannot be updated to reflect this change. The Form I-20 cannot be changed to reflect a lower degree level (doctorate to master's). The I-20 SEVIS record will need to be terminated for "authorized early withdrawal". The student would not be eligible for practical training authorization, such as post-completion OPT.
• Can a doctoral student receive the master’s degree on the way to completing the doctoral degree?
  • On or after 15 September 2026, an F-1 doctoral student may be awarded a master's degree while continuing to progress toward the completion of the doctorate program. The Form I-20 must list an education level of "doctorate" and the major field of study for the doctoral program. This means that any practical training authorization can only be granted for the doctorate program. Students should add the master's degree in the Graduate Student Portal.

• Can a current student in a master’s degree program add a PhD program?
• Can a student who is enrolled in a Capstone Certificate apply for and remain in the country for a master’s degree?
• Can an international graduate student complete a double degree (two same-level graduate degrees), a joint degree (one degree comprised of two academic programs/majors), or a special committee degree (uniquely approved academic program/major for an individual)?
• Can an international graduate student complete dual degree programs (defined as completing a graduate degree and a professional degree simultaneously)?

Contacts

Academic planning and curricular questions: 

Graduate School Assistant Dean Jenna Alsteen
jenna.alsteen@wisc.edu

F-1/J-1 student questions:

ISS Advising
iss@iss.wisc.edu
608-262-2044

J-1 scholar/postdoc questions:

International Faculty and Staff Services
IFSS International
ifss@wisc.edu

Graduate Program Duration of Status Work Group Minutes

August 21, 2026 - Coming soon.