If you plan carefully and take more than four course credits during most of your semesters at Pomona, you could complete your entire program including any thesis requirements in 7 semesters. If and when you do this, you will have no further academic purpose to be in the United States. You must provide this information to International Student Services so the program end date on your I-20 can be changed to show the earlier completion date. From the regulatory perspective, you will have finished your program of study and will then be in your 60-day F-1 鈥淕race Period,鈥 the time provided for you to prepare for departure. You are not permitted to remain in the US until May just to attend the graduation ceremony.
BUT by completing your program early, you can also apply for Optional Practical Training early. The OPT application could and should be sent to USCIS during your last term, as early as late September. See Optional Practical Training under the Employment in the United States link on the right.
Concerning the graduation ceremony, if you are on OPT, you will, of course, be able to return to campus to attend the ceremony. If you choose not to apply for OPT and have left the country, you would need to re-enter on a tourist visa (or enter on a visa waiver) to return in May to attend the ceremony.
Please note that your degree won鈥檛 actually be conferred (formally voted on) until a meeting of the Trustees, usually mid-February to early March and will then be posted to your transcript, but that is considered a formality by the government.
FAQs
If I finish all my graduation requirements in December, can I just take whatever additional classes in the spring (my 8th semester) so I can stay in the US until May so I can attend graduation with my classmates?
Unfortunately, no. To stay in the US and take classes in the spring term, you would have to have at least one required class remaining in the spring 鈥 a general ed class, a required elective, a course in your major. (You would not be completing your program in 7 semesters.) You would not need to enroll full-time in your 8th semester because it would be your final term, but if you want to, you could choose to take additional courses of your choice. See International Student: Enrolling During Your 8th Semester.
Could I finish all my 鈥渃ourse鈥 requirements and have only my thesis to finish in the spring? Could I then stay in the US until May?
If you have not completed your thesis in December, you have not actually completed all your program requirements. If your thesis course requires attendance at lectures during the spring term, you would then enroll in that thesis course. You would not need to be enrolled full-time then because it would be your final term, but you could take additional classes if you wanted to. However, if your thesis does not require classroom attendance, then you would have to register for a required class that requires classroom attendance during the spring term . See International Student: Enrolling During Your 8th Semester.
If I finish my program early, when am I able to send in my OPT Application?
Your OPT application can be sent to USCIS up to 90 days before the end of your program.
If I send my OPT application early, does my OPT start early also?
Yes. When applying for OPT, you must choose an OPT start date within your 60-day grace period. For example, If you finish your program December 15, your OPT start date must be no later than February 13. Your period of OPT would be for 12 months and therefore end mid-winter or spring the following year.