The International & Off-Campus Programs Office provides support to students who are getting ready to graduate and also to those who have graduated and are remaining in the USA to do Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Importantly there is our Senior Transitions program, which is offered every year. Senior Transitions guides students in their Junior year through the steps they need to take to move on to graduate school, to their OPT experience or to a job back home or in another country.
Students should seek the assistance of the Career Connection Office, which has resources for international students and offers advising and leads for OPT experiences.
Program Extension for F-1 Students
A student who needs to extend their I-20 (move the program end date to the next semester), must contact the IOCP Office. This should normally be done after the Application for Graduation has been submitted to the Registrar's Office in the students Junior year. Extensions are only given for compelling academic or medical reasons.
In order to be eligible for a program extension, students must: (1) have maintained their F-1 status, (2) start the extension process well in advance of the program end date on their I-20 form, (3) have a documented qualifying reason for the extension (such as the addition of / change to a major program), (4) provide updated and current financial documentation, including proof of extension of OWU institutional fiancial aid, OWU Affidavit of Financial Resources with evidence of financial support (bank statements), and (5) complete the I-20 Issuance Form.
Please note that academic suspension or failure to make academic progress does not qualify for an extension. Extensions will not be granted to allow for CPT.
Normally students do the following in preparation for their extension request: (1) meet with IOCP to discuss the process and their eligibility, (2) meet with their Academic Advisor or the Academic Advising Office to discuss their extension, (3) compile the required documentation and submit it to the IOCP Office for review, and then (4) meet with the IOCP again to discuss the extension request and eigibilty for approval.