A Student Status Extension is an option for degree-seeking students who are currently in their last semester of study (i.e., completing their last credit-bearing courses or internships at AUP) and who want to register an optional zero-credit internship in the following semester, or possibly two, before receiving their diploma.
Graduate students, please consider that a zero-credit thesis extension is NOT a credit-bearing registration. Bachelor's students, please note that a zero-credit internship does NOT replace a four-credit internship degree requirement, even if you have already earned 128 (or more) credits for graduation.
Students must submit a request to extend their student status before a set deadline, which is announced each semester:
Your last credit-bearing semester | Fall 2022 | Spring 2023 | Summer 2023 |
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Request deadline* | December 9, 2022 | May 12, 2023 | July 14, 2023 |
Internship possible between** | January 1, 2023 – August 25, 2023 | June 1, 2023 – December 31, 2023 | September 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024 |
* Exact deadlines vary each year. For exact dates, contact the internshipaup.edu (Internship Program Manager).
**Internships registered through AUP may not exceed the legal maximum duration of six months (where one month = 22 days) full time (35 hours per week).
Please note that specific conditions apply to Student Status Extension requests and zero-credit internships.
Submit a request through the Student Status Extension Request Webform.
When looking for jobs – especially in France – candidates are often offered an internship that precedes employment. According to French law, when students officially graduate, they cease to be eligible for an internship. Therefore, it may be advantageous for students to postpone their official graduation by one or two semesters and register a final internship with AUP to improve their chances of finding employment just before or directly following graduation.
Extending student status with AUP ensures student status for one or two additional semesters and registering a final, zero-credit internship during this time allows the student to obtain the required convention de stage to intern in France. Please note that it may also be necessary to register a zero-credit internship for an internship taking place abroad (i.e., visa application, request of the hosting organization, legislation of the country where the internship is taking place, etc.).
Please consider visa requirements, future career development, and budget concerns before making your decision. Additionally, please also be aware that students are not eligible for US federal loans during a semester in which only a zero-credit internship is registered (due to the minimum 6-credit barrier). Postponing graduation in order to do a zero-credit internship once degree requirements have been completed does not entitle students to defer their loan repayment. Most loan students have a grace period of six months that begins when a student drops down to less-than-half-time status. Repayment begins at the end of the grace period.
An internship does not need to be secured in order for a student to submit a Student Status Extension request. In the event that the student does not find an internship, or if plans change, requests are reversible.
NOTE: Participation in the Commencement Ceremony in May and being officially graduated are not the same thing. You can request a student status extension, and still participate in the Commencement Ceremony. Read more below.
EXCEPTION: Students who need to renew their titre de sejour in France will be asked to provide a convention de stage for their renewal application/extension dossier, therefore they need to find and register an internship before they need to send their renewal application (typically at least 2 months before their current immigration documents expire).
In some cases, students will be required to renew their health insurance coverage (ensuring their full coverage for the entire duration of their internship), which may involve additional fees.
Students who rely on US federal loans to cover their living expenses will not be able to collect such living expenses in the context of a Student Status Extension due to the fact that they will not be registered for the minimum 6-credits (in a given semester) required to qualify to receive such loans and living expenses.
NOTE: Students that have extended their status are eligible to register one or more zero-credit internships in the two semesters directly following their final credit-bearing semester. So the later this internship begins, the shorter it may be. More information below.
INTERNSHIP DURATION DURING A STUDENT STATUS EXTENSION: TWO ZERO-CREDIT SEMESTER MAXIMUM
Following the semester where students have registered final credits to complete a degree, a maximum of two subsequent semesters comprising exclusively a zero-credit registration is possible under the following conditions:
If students are registered in an internship (for credit or no credit) during their final credit-bearing semester, the internship spills into the following semester, so a zero-credit internship extension is registered in the following semester (i.e., the internship spans two semesters). Students can do a final zero-credit internship if they have extended their student status, but students still have a maximum of two semesters comprising exclusively a zero-credit registration – see example 2 below.
Final Credit-Bearing Semester | 1st Zero-Credit Semester | 2nd Zero-Credit Semester |
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Final Courses | Zero-credit internship | Zero-credit extension |
No Registration (and student submits Student Status Extension request a 2nd time by stipulated deadline) | Zero-credit internship | |
Final Courses – including a credit-bearing internship (1/2/3/4/8 credits) | Zero-credit internship extension (from credit-bearing internship in previous semester) | Zero-credit internship |
Zero-credit internship extension (from credit-bearing internship in previous semester) AND Zero-credit internship | Zero-credit extension |
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the internshipaup.edu (Internship Program Manager).