Students may need to extend their F-1 status for an academic reason, a medical reason, or a designated school official (DSO) error. In these cases, DSOs can extend a student’s program of study prior to the program end date in SEVIS. For F-1 students, this update does not require the Student and Exchange Visitor Program’s (SEVP) adjudication. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) allows for an extension period of up to one year.

Regulations and Policy

Best Practices

To extend the student’s F-1 status:

1. Search for the student in SEVIS and go to the Student Information page.

2. Click Extend Program under the Actions column. The Extend Program page opens. The Extend Program page allows users to view and enter required information on a student’s program extension.

• Enter the New Program End Date.
  • This date must be after the current date.
  • This is a required field.
• Enter the reason for the Medical or Academic Circumstances that Necessitate the Extension. This field is required.
•  Click Extend Program to submit the new information. If the program extension is successful, an Update Successful page opens.

• Select either Return to View Record or Print I-20.
  • Return to View Record: Returns to Student Information page.
  • Print I-20: Prints a new Form I-20 for the student.

To view the newly made program extension:

1. Go to the Student Information page.

2. Select Event History under the View tab. The Event History page opens.

3. Click the Plus icon on the Program Extension row to display the extension data.