The Trump administration finalized a rule that limits how long international students can stay in the U.S., capping authorized time at four years for students on F and related pathways and requiring additional DHS approval for extensions. The change is scheduled to take effect mid-September. The rule also tightens conditions for certain international students, including limits tied to changing educational objectives or transferring schools without an exemption for “extenuating circumstances.” Higher education advocates and organizations such as NAFSA criticized the approach as shifting major academic choices into an overburdened immigration process. Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration officials said the policy would add burdens for students, scholars, campuses, employers, and federal agencies—potentially affecting enrollment planning and degree-completion timelines for graduate students in particular.