Who Will You Find in OIS?

1. Office of International ServicesMoving On: International Graduate Students and Program CompletionApril 8th, 2010This and other OIS presentations are available at: http://www.ncsu.edu/ois/faculty/training.php

2. Who Will You Find in OIS?

3. Program Completionhttp://www.ncsu.edu/ois/faculty/enrollment.php For non-thesis Master’s students, program completion is defined as the last day of the final semester (or summer term) of required enrollment. For thesis Master’s or PhD students, program completion can be the last day of the final semester (or summer term) of required enrollment OR the scheduled defense date (with subsequent draft thesis submission).

4. Program Completion Continued From an immigration standpoint, students can make changes to their degree program in their final semester (e.g. change from non-thesis to thesis, change their curriculum) which might result in further enrollment / degree requirements. Students cannot intentionally delay their program completion by taking courses / credits not needed to complete their current curriculum. (If OIS receives an approved request for a change to the student’s degree program in their final semester, we will grant the student additional time to complete their program if necessary).

5. Program Completion (guiding principle) Regulations related to student visa requirements and benefits have little to nothing to say about when the ETD is actually submitted, or when the degree is ultimately conferred – consequently, neither does OIS. Instead, program completion (for visa purposes) and eligibility for post-completion OPT are largely defined by when the enrollment and degree requirements are met and/or when the student successfully defends with an unconditional pass -- even if deadlines for the next degree conferral date have passed.

6. Options after program completion…http://www.ncsu.edu/ois/current/completion.php Any of the options below need to be initiated within the 60 grace period, which starts on the program completion date. • Post-Completion OPT • Change in Degree Level • Transfer to another University • Departure from U.S. • Change in immigration status

7. Program completion: Application for Optional Practical Training (OPT) for T/D students:http://www.ncsu.edu/ois/current/opt.php • Post-completion OPT start date must be date after program end date • Program completion can be the last day of the final semester of enrollment OR the scheduled defense date (with subsequent draft thesis submission) • Requires student to chooseone or the other

8. Program completion: on-campus employment eligibility • http://www.ncsu.edu/ois/current/oncamp.php • If T/D student uses defense date during semester for program completion for OPT they lose on-campus work eligibility effective on date of defense. • Student cannot continue on-campus student employment activities after program completion. In some cases, the student’s appointment and payment might continue after program completion.

9. Reduced Course Load (RCL) – when does it apply? International students are required to maintain full time enrollment throughout their degree program http://www.ncsu.edu/ois/current/enrollment.php The Graduate School sets the standards and policy for full-time enrollment for all graduate students – including internationals: http://www.ncsu.edu/grad/handbook/sections/3.15-registration-and-residence.html Only if a student is considered to be less than full-time by Graduate School standards, must the student submit a completed RCL form.

10. Case Study – Reduced Course Load Situation: A Master’s thesis student will defend during the first summer session and enrolls for only 1 credit during that semester. Should the student apply for an RCL? Response:According to Graduate School policy, a student is considered to be enrolled full time if they register for 1 credit during the summer semester (if enrollment is necessary). Please note: if the student is registered only for summer I, their program completion date will be the final day of summer I, not the final day of the entire summer semester.

11. Case Study – Enrollment Requirement Situation: A non-thesis Master’s student has completed all enrollment requirements for their degree, but has an incomplete on their transcript. Can this student continue to enroll to make up for the incomplete grade? Response:International students cannot continue to enroll once they have met all enrollment requirements for their degree program.

12. Case Study – Enrollment Situation: A thesis Master’s student successfully defended with an unconditional pass on April 26th; he subsequently submitted his thesis draft. Can this student enroll for the summer and/or fall semester to complete the ETD? Response:Since the student has met the enrollment requirements for their degree, they can no longer enroll for subsequent semesters. ETD deadlines and the degree conferral are secondary in this determination.

13. Case Study – Degree Completion Situation: A student successfully defends during the intercession period. Are they required or permitted to enroll for subsequent semesters (summer or regular academic semesters)? Response:If the student meets the Graduate School’s no-registration deadline, they will neither be required nor permitted to enroll for subsequent semesters. If they do not meet the no-registration deadline, they will be required to enroll in accordance with Graduate School policy.

14. Case Study – on-campus employment Situation: A student successfully defends on April 26th and when applying for his post-completion OPT decides to use the defense date as the program completion date. The student has an RA with the Department – can they continue to work to finish out the contract? Response:Students are not authorized to work beyond their program completion date, which in this will have been established as the defense date and the I-20 will have been updated accordingly.