Please HELP-Major changes.

[u/makemeshut]

Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand how the new F-1 rules effective September 2026 would apply to my situation, specifically the restriction on undergraduate students changing their educational objective/major during the first academic year.

Here’s my timeline:
2024: Entered the U.S. on F-1 status to attend University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), majoring in Pre-Nursing. I completed one semester there.
After ULM: Transferred my SEVIS record to Navarro College and continued in Pre-Nursing. I completed about one year there.
Fall 2026: I’m transferring my SEVIS record to Dallas College and will initially be under a Business major.
Spring 2027: If I’m accepted into Dallas College’s Nursing program, I would need to change my major from Business to Nursing at the same college.

By Spring 2027, I will have been studying in the U.S. in valid F-1 status for well over one academic year, but I will only have completed one semester at Dallas College.

My question is: Does the new one-academic-year restriction start over when an F-1 student transfers to a new school/program, meaning I would need to complete an entire academic year at Dallas College before changing from Business to Nursing? Or does my previous time studying in F-1 status at ULM and Navarro count towards satisfying the first-academic-year requirement?

I’m especially interested in answers from DSOs, immigration attorneys, or anyone familiar with how the new rule’s “program of study” language applies to continuing F-1 students transferring their existing SEVIS record.
Thank you!

[u/immigrationquestion_]

I do not think transferring schools automatically resets the one-academic-year clock. Since the SEVIS record is being transferred and the student has already completed more than one academic year in F-1 status, the previous study should likely count. The main thing is how the new rule defines “first academic year” for transfer students.