Coterm
If you're an international student in a coterminal degree program, it's essential to manage your immigration status carefully.
- Your I-20 (F-1 visa) or DS-2019 (J-1 visa) reflects only one degree level and includes a program end date
When to Request a Change to Master’s Level I-20/DS-2019
If you are currently on a Bachelor’s level I-20/DS-2019, you must request a change to the Master’s level through Bechtel Connect if any of the following apply:
- Your tuition rate changes to the graduate level
- You drop below 12 units of enrollment
- You complete your Bachelor’s degree requirements and continue immediately into the Master’s program
Note: Once you switch to the Master’s level I-20/DS-2019, you cannot revert back to the Bachelor's level. For F-1 students, this means you are no longer eligible for OPT based on your bachelor’s degree.
Planning for OPT (Optional Practical Training)
If you plan to do OPT based on your Bachelor’s degree, do not:
- Change to the graduate tuition rate
- Drop below 12 units (unless it is your final quarter)
- Request a Master’s-level I-20
Note: Immigration rules prohibit you from taking classes for a new degree while on post-OPT.
Resuming your Coterm studies after Bachelor’s OPT
- Before you resume your Master’s degree, you must obtain a Master’s I-20 by submitting a New Degree Level request using Bechtel Connect
- When to request the new Master’s I-20?
- Immediately after your last day of employment, AND
- No later than 2 weeks before your returning quarter begins
- You must stop working before requesting the new I-20
Additional Considerations
Full-Time Enrollment Requirements
You must maintain full-time enrollment based on the degree level listed on your current I-20 or DS-2019:
- Undergraduate: 12 units minimum
- Graduate: 8 units minimum
I-20/DS-2019 Program End Dates
Your immigration status is tied to your I-20/DS-2019 end date. Remaining in the U.S. past this date without appropriate action can lead to a loss of legal status
Coterm FAQs
Your I-20 at the undergraduate degree level can be extended only if you have undergraduate degree requirements left to complete and remain on undergraduate tuition group.
If you are finishing all your degree requirements for the undergraduate degree in the current quarter, we cannot extend your I-20 under the undergraduate degree.
You must request a new degree level I-20 if you will not work under post-OPT after you graduate this quarter and instead plan to continue with your graduate degree.
If you are Coterm and are graduating with both degrees simultaneously, please see an international student advisor to discuss your options.
Immigration law prohibits the undergraduate-based extension when you have no more required undergraduate coursework to complete to graduate.
If you confer your undergraduate degree this quarter, and a graduate degree in a later quarter, immigration law will not permit you to work (OPT) in the undergraduate degree field that you conferred previously.
If both degrees are conferred at the same time, you are permitted to work (OPT) in both fields upon graduation.
You could work in the other major associated with the other degree level but you run into the risk of being denied a future post-completion OPT work authorization at that same degree level
No, you only qualify for 12 months of post-OPT. If your graduate degree is STEM-based, you are eligible for an additional 24 months based on the STEM-based degree.
Yes! You may do 12 months of post-OPT and if you are in a STEM field, you may also request the two-year STEM extension based on the undergraduate degree. Later, based on the new graduate I-20 you qualify for an additional 12 months of post-OPT and the two-year STEM extension (if you are in a STEM-based program). You must return to complete degree requirements for at least one quarter before conferring the graduate degree.
Yes, in that scenario you qualify to do post-OPT if you had never requested and have never been approved for OPT based on the earlier Master's degree.