You're Terminated: Withdrawing Early from School
Foreign students should carefully follow the rules for early program withdrawal, and understand implications. If you are a student on an F-1 visa, there is no penalty to withdraw from your program of study, as long a certain requirements are met. A designated school official (DSO) has the authority to permit "authorized early withdrawals" to a foreign student's F visa status in extenuating circumstances. This includes a temporary absence or withdrawal from school due to a family emergency, personal matter or another circumstance that calls for the student to leave the United States prior to their program’s completion. If an F student is granted authorized early withdrawal, or a permitted temporary absence from their course of study, they are permitted a 15-day grace period to depart the United States. F students who are granted an authorized early withdrawal, but do not depart the country within the 15-day grace period, are in violation of their student vis...