Transferring from H4 to F1 - Impact on tuition fees, CPT/OPT eligibility

[darklord1984]

Hello,

 

Please shed some light on the following situation.

 

If an H4 visa holder is enrolled in a Master's degree program paying in-state tuition fees at a public university, and wishes to transfer his/her status to F1 in order to become eligible for CPT and/or OPT, does he/she have to retroactively pay out-of-state tuition fees for the time spent paying in-state tuition fees? When is he/she required to start paying out-of-state tuition fees?

 

Also, is the student eligible to apply for CPT and/or OPT as soon as F1 status is granted? In theory, can the candidate transfer his/her status from H4 to F1 close to his/her graduation date and immediately become eligible to apply for OPT, thus having successfully avoided having to pay out-of-state tuition fees?

 

Thanks.

[JoeF]

First, forget CPT. Legitimate CPT is very rare. It would have to be an integral part of the curriculum. Cut that CPT acronmy out of your vocabulary.

 

For tuition, the university will generally require out-of-state tuition from the quarter after changing to F1. You can check with the registrar's office at your university.

For OPT, a person needs to have been in good standing for the previous academic year. Not all of that needs to have been in F1 status, but some universities may have the additional requirement to be in F1 for the previous year.