J-1 Overview

A J-1 student who is currently maintaining status and making normal progress toward completing his or her education objective, but is unable to complete his or her course of study by the program end date on the DS-2019, may be eligible for a program extension if the student applies before the program end date on the DS-2019 and meets all eligibility requirements.

J-1 exchange visitors in the university student (undergraduate or graduate level) category are required to be engaged in a full course of study. A full course of study is defined as 12 credits per semester for undergraduate students and 9 credits per semester for graduate students.  There are exceptions to the full course of study requirement if certain conditions are met.

Students currently in J-1 status studying in the U.S. who plan to transfer to Montana State University must complete the transfer procedure through SEVIS. This form must be completed and returned to an advisor in International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).

Students will use this form to request a transfer of their SEVIS record to another U.S. institution. Students must maintain an active and valid status until the time of transfer.  If you are pre-registered for a future semester or are transferring after the start of the semester, you must withdraw from Montana State University to ensure that you are not billed for classes that may be on a current or future semester registration.