The proposed new rule will cap student admissions at four years. If a student needs additional time to complete their program, they will either need to depart the United States and re-enter, or seek an extension of stay through the USCIS. Although most undergraduate programs are four years in length, the framework does not permit any deviations from this cap for graduate, professional, or doctoral students, whose programs can easily take longer than four years to complete. An accelerated Pharmacy program, for example, allows a student to complete an undergraduate program in a relevant field like biochemistry or chemistry and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in six to seven years rather than eight. A PhD in Physics easily takes five years, if not longer. This policy will force those students to depart the U.S. and face a potential visa denial at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy abroad or seek an extension through the USCIS. Both open up the student to a potential denial of their student visa and an early departure from their programs.
The US Risks Losing Its Scientific Edge With New Student Visa Rules
- Post author:loknad
- Post published:August 14, 2026
- Post category:Uncategorized
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