Withdrawing from the Graduate School

If you wish withdraw from your program in good standing, you must submit a change of status form, indicating your intent to withdraw and return your ID card to the University Registrar’s Office.

If you were enrolled as a PhD student prior to withdrawing and have met the requirements for an en route MA/MS or MPhil degree, you must also submit a degree petition form to receive the degree.

Important information for students on a visa:

• PhD students withdrawing from the program may be eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT) upon completion of a terminal master’s degree, if they have not previously used OPT at the master’s level. OPT can only be granted immediately following a semester where degree requirements, either courses or other requirements necessary for the conferral of the degree, are fulfilled.
• Petitioning for a master’s degree whose requirements were not completed in the same semester does not meet the eligibility requirements for OPT.
• The I-20 and F-1 record of a doctoral student who withdraws from their program to complete a master's degree will be adjusted to reflect the commencement date or the end of the final semester during which the master's degree requirements were fulfilled, whichever comes first. For example: a student that completes master’s degree requirement in the fall will have the I-20 shortened to the December commencement date (even if the degree will be conferred in May). In this scenario, the student may apply for OPT to USCIS as early as 90 days before the December completion date, or up to 60 days after the December completion date.
• Withdrawing from the doctoral program and being reclassified as Master’s student requires approval from GSAS and extensive coordination with your department and the registrar. Please consult with your OISS adviser as soon as possible if you are considering this option.