To apply for an extension of your I-20 or DS-2019, you must be approved for DCE (Dissertation Completion Enrollment) status. DCE is the Graduate School status and was instituted to help students finish the Ph.D. by allowing them to remain in an enrolled status while they finish their degree requirements. Students apply for DCE during the annual re-enrollment process in the last year of their program of study.  PLEASE NOTE: A student must be approved for DCE status by both their department and the Graduate School before the Davis IC can extend the I-20 or DS-2019.

The re-enrollment process opens in mid-April of the spring term. For more detailed information about DCE status, please consult the Graduate School website.

In order to apply for the extension of your I-20 (F-1 students) or DS-2019 (J-1 students), you must submit an extension request to the Davis IC after being officially re-enrolled for the next academic year. NOTE: Students who have not yet fully extended to the end of the current academic year (7/31) may submit a current year extension request at any time as needed and can speak to their assigned advisor if they have any questions on the process or required funding to do so. 

The documents you will require in PDF format are:

• Documentation of the approval of your DCE status by the Graduate School in the form of a copy of the Graduate School Financial Support Letter - available in TigerHub under the Financials tile after re-enrollment is approved and accepted.
• Documentation of the amount and source of your funding for the duration of the DCE period (See item 3 for a breakdown of possible funding documents and the required amounts you will need to show based on the extension period). 

APPLICATION PROCESS

All requests must be submitted online via TigerNav. Click “Login.” Use your university netid and password. In the left-hand column, click “Student Services” and then “DCE I-20/DS-2019 Extension”. Click “Start a New Request” if you have not yet started your request (please see the notes below on how to access a request that has already been started) and complete/submit all forms as outlined here: 

• Extension Request Information 
  • Review and confirm your eligibility for an extension. 
• Current Academic Year Extension Information
  • Students will confirm their current program end date on their I-20 or DS-2019. Those who have not yet extended to the end of this academic year (7/31/2023) will be able to request a current year extension within that time frame. Those who do not need a current year extension will proceed to the next form. 
  • Students in their final year of DCE who are automatically granted an extension to 8/31/2023 due to the academic calendar change should use the Current Academic Year Extension form to request this extension and WILL NOT need to re-enroll into the next academic year. 
• Next Academic Year Extension Information
  • Students who have re-enrolled into the next academic year will be able to request an extension beyond 7/31/2023 once re-enrollment occurs in the spring semester. 
  • If you do not plan on extending/re-enrolling into the next academic year, you will indicate that here and proceed to the final confirmation form to submit your current year extension request.
• Extension Request Submission Confirmation
  • Students will review final confirmations and officially submit their entire request for review and processing. 

PLEASE NOTE the following: 

• If you receive an error while submitting your request, please take a screenshot of the error and send to [email protected]. DO NOT initiate multiple submissions as this may contribute to the error. 
• If you are not able to submit your full request at one time, you may return to your initiated request in TigerNav to complete any outstanding forms at a later time. Existing requests can be found at the bottom of your TigerNav homepage under the "Requests" section after logging in. Individual forms cannot be saved as a draft, so it is recommended to have all required materials as listed above in PDF format prior to beginning a form to avoid complications. Your submission will not be reviewed until ALL forms are submitted. 
• Processing may take up to 10 (ten) business days. Incomplete documentation will delay the extension of your I-20/DS-2019. 

Please submit the following documents depending on the source of your funding:

• Funding from Princeton University/Academic Department - Submit your Graduate School Financial Support Letter (available via TigerHub). If you will receive additional funding from the University that is not noted on the Support Letter, you may also include an official letter from your department on letterhead that indicates the total/additional funding amount you expect to receive during the extension period.
• Full or partial personal funding - if you will show personal funding in your own name, please provide an official bank statement. Accounts must be in your name and statements must be dated within 3 months of submission. If financial documents are not in English or do not notate balances in USD, please include an annotated copy or translation with currency conversion.
• Full or partial funding from personal sponsor(s) - if you receive any support from a personal sponsor (ex: family member, etc.), you must provide financial documentation in their name. Accounts must be in the name of your personal sponsor and statements must be dated within 3 months of submission. If financial documents are not in English or do not notate balances in USD, please include an annotated copy or translation with currency conversion. Funds must be liquid assets and available for support. Personal Sponsors will also be required to complete a sponsor statement following the template here. 
• Full or partial funding from an external sponsor (ex: scholarship, fellowship, etc.) - you will be required to upload an official letter on letterhead from the sponsoring organization. The letter must be dated within the past 3 months. Exact funding amount and purpose of funding for the specific length of program should be clear. Please note that travel funds are not eligible for use towards tuition, fees, or living expenses.

All financial documentation must meet the following criteria:

• Be copies of originals or original documents themselves
• Documents must be dated within three (3) months of the date of submission
• Currency must be noted on all financial statements. If not in USD, a currency conversion must be included
• If financial documentation is not in English, a translation must be provided
• Funds must be liquid assets and available for support

PLEASE NOTE: The required amounts are determined by the Graduate School and Davis IC receives them annually. The below reflects the funding requirements for the 2024-2025 academic year and will be updated when re-enrollment opens for the following year.

Funding Required for a Full Academic Year Extension:

Funding Required for an Academic Year (Fall and Spring Semester):

Funding Required for a one semester extension:

• Address: Your local address (not departmental) and permanent (non-U.S.) address must be current in University records to comply with immigration requirements. You must keep your address current in TigerHub.
• Graduate School: Please email Jeanette DeGuire, Finance Coordinator, at the Graduate School at [email protected] to make them aware of your updated program end date on your I-20 or DS-2019 and to receive instruction on updating your I-9 so that you can continue receiving funds during your DCE period.
• Tax Compliance and Reporting: For tax compliance and reporting, please log into Sprintax Calculus to update the ‘expiry date of your current immigration status,’ and any other information that may have changed. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]. 

The Dean's Completion Fellowship/PGRA Program is intended to provide funding opportunities for sixth-year Ph.D. students in humanities and social sciences. The program has two components:

• The first component is the Dean's Completion Fellowship. It will pay the DCE fall-semester tuition fee and provide up to one semester of a stipend.
• The second component is the appointment as a Postdoctoral Research Associate (PGRA) through the Office of the Dean of the Faculty.The PGRA appointment is contingent upon successful completion of the Final Public Oral (FPO) by the end of Fall semester (that is, prior to 12/31). The PGRA appointment is through the end of the sixth year (that is, through the end of July). 

If you do not complete the FPO by the end of the fall semester, and therefore you do not convert to PGRA employment status, you may continue on in DCE status as a student, according to the normal DCE status rules. Funding is not guaranteed from the Graduate School and there will be no further opportunity to convert to a PGRA. For more detailed information about the program, please consult the Graduate School website. 

Impact on your F-1 or J-1 Immigration Status

1. Your current I-20/DS-2019 has been issued for five years and will expire at the end of the fifth year of your program (that is, 7/31 and in some cases 5/31). If you have been approved for DCE status and will be receiving the Dean's Completion Fellowship, you must apply for the I-20/DS-2019 extension. 

2. Your student enrollment at Princeton ends at the end of the month in which you complete the FPO; therefore, your F-1/J-1 immigration record and your I-20/DS-2019 must be shortened to reflect when your student enrollment at the University ends. 

3. In order to start your appointment as a Postdoctoral Research Associate, you must apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT). We recommend that you do so as soon as you are eligible to apply; that is, 90 days prior to your program completion. We advise that you meet with your international student advisor at Davis IC to discuss the OPT application timeline. 

IMPORTANT NOTE! PGRAs have an employment affiliation with the University; therefore, you must have work authorization (Academic Training or Optional Practical Training) approved prior to the first day of employment.