Program Completion and Your F-1 Status
Your completion date will be the last day of the term in which you complete your degree requirements.
- For students who will finish their degrees at the end of SPRING semester, the completion date is the date of graduation, which often falls on a Saturday.
- For students who will finish their degrees at the end of FALL semester, the completion date is the last day of Comprehensive Exams in early January.
Please note: your eligibility to work on Wabash’s campus ends upon the completion of your program of study. So please do not plan to work on campus after graduation (students who finish in May) or after Comps (students who finish in January).
Your Post-Completion Grace Period
Federal regulations provide you with a 60-day grace period that starts the day after you complete your program of study.
For example, if you complete your program of study on May 12, your grace period ends on July 11, regardless of the expiration date on your I-20.
If you have not made other plans, you must depart the country by the end of your grace period.
Travel After Completing your Program
If you plan to travel outside of the United States during your grace period, Amy Weir and other DSOs on campus will not be able to sign your I-20 for travel. If you travel outside of the country, you will NOT be able to re-enter the United States as an F-1 student, because you have completed your program.
However, after you depart the US, you may be able to re-enter as a tourist. Discuss your plans before you travel; see Amy Weir for assistance.
- Complete the Senior Checkout process in a timely manner! This checklist helps to ensure that you’ve taken all the necessary steps with the school to prepare to depart.
- If you received any wages (payment) from Wabash College or any company during the previous year, be sure to inform the human resources administrator of your plans for departure. You will likely have to provide your new address so important financial information can be forwarded to you at the new address.
- Continue to update the alumni directory with any changes in your mailing address, phone number, and email address. Of course, you should update employer information into the future as well.
- Organize a file with copies of all visa and immigration documents pertaining to your stay in the U.S. so that you can access them again in the future. Examples of visa documents to include:
- passport
- visa
- printout of most recent I-94
- ALL I-20 forms
- I-797 approval notices from USCIS
- EAD card/s
- Wabash College does not archive copies of documents for more than 5 years beyond your departure.
- If you received wages from Wabash College or another employer during this calendar year, you will need to file a tax return the following spring. You will need to obtain your W-2 form from your employer. This form contains the data that you will use to complete a U.S. tax return. Please remember that even though you are not in the US, you are required to file a tax return on all US-based income. This becomes especially important if you owe the U.S. government taxes. This debt will keep accruing interest until it is addressed. Contact Amy Weir with an questions or concerns.
- Notify your bank of your departure plans. If you have been working or have scheduled automatic bill payments from your bank account, determine if you will need to leave your account open beyond your departure date from campus to allow for pending transactions. Work with the bank to determine the best way to handle the closure of your account or options for maintaining a U.S. account indefinitely after you relocate abroad. Be sure to give the bank your new address!
- Determine if you have any outstanding bills with credit card companies; auto, health, or renter's insurance companies; or other organizations. If you are unable to pay the bills before departing, contact the organization to make arrangements for payment.
- Notify your RA of your intended departure date. Ask if there are any procedures you must follow.
- Notify your utility and/or subscription companies (phone, journals, delivery of goods, etc.) of your departure date. If you paid any deposits when you set up the service, ask if you can get that money returned. Make arrangements for paying your final bills. Be sure give these providers your new address!
- Consider donating or selling your household goods. You can donate items to organizations such as Trinity Mission Thrift Store (located near campus) or Goodwill. You can try to sell them via the Classified ads on My Bash. Also consider giving the items to other international students who’ll be returning next year. You can donate any textbooks you no longer need to the ISA's textbook library--we'd love to make these books available to other students!
- Learn how to request an official transcript from the Registrar’s Office. In the years after graduation, you may have to provide transcripts for graduate school or job applications. Know how to do this!
- Learn about alumni email accounts.
- If you have obtained a Social Security Number (SSN), keep your card! Your SSN will remain valid for the rest of your life. If you return to the U.S. at some point in the future, you will continue to use the same number. If you lose your card, you can only apply for a new one during a future visit if you are in a visa status that permits employment in the U.S.
- If you will remain in the U.S. for graduate school or OPT, fill out a "change of address" form at the post office. (The online form does not accommodate international addresses.) Please note any U.S. immigration document will not be forwarded. You will have to inform immigration by a separate process of a reliable U.S. address if you have a case pending. Ask Amy Weir for details. Be sure to get your address changed--don't make extra work for the Mail Room by neglecting to do this.
