Leaving OU
1. Pay your bursar bill
You must pay your bursar bill in full before you leave. If any portion of your bill is unpaid, a "hold" will be placed on your account, and the Office of Academic Records will not print a transcript with your grades. Keep your home country address updated in One throughout your duration at OU. It is important for your address to be accurate at the completion of your term as well.
Some charges, like additional print costs or fees for a damaged apartment, may be added to your bursar account after you depart the university. You are still responsible for these charges.
If you are having problems and need help, contact the Exchange Student Coordinator.
2. Check out of your apartment
For students living in campus housing, you will schedule a check-out time with your apartment manager at the end of your term. Once your check-out is complete, you will no longer have access to your apartment. Your check-out time must be scheduled within the 24 hours after your last final exam.
The procedure for scheduling and completing the check-out inspection varies by the apartment complex, so please consult the information emailed to you a few weeks prior to the end of the term.
You must move out by the end of your contract. If you are requesting an extension of your check-out date, you must email the Housing & Food Services Office at housinginfo@ou.edu. Approval of extension requests is not guaranteed, so please be mindful of your contract dates when scheduling travel plans.
3. End your legal stay in the US
After you have completed your program, you have a 30-day grace period within which to depart the US. If you remain in the US after the end of your grace period following the end of your program, you will be unlawfully present in the US. Being unlawfully present in the US could make you subject to removal and future bars from entering the US, even if you qualify later for a new US visa through study, work, or marriage.
Exchange students departing the US after the expiration date on the Form DS-2019 cannot use the form to return to the US in J-1 visa status. If you depart the US even for a short visit to Canada or Mexico, you cannot return on an expired Form DS-2019, even if you only want to catch a plane to your home country.
Some students are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which allows entry into the US as a tourist without having an actual tourist visa in your passport. Check your eligibility and the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) requirements before you leave the US! Students not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program will not be allowed to return to the US.
Additional travel or immigration questions? Email iss@ou.edu.
4. Receive your OU transcript
Approximately 6 to 8 weeks after the end of the exchange period, the Office of International Student Services will automatically send one copy of each student's official OU transcript to the international office at the student's home institution via courier mail. Please remember that transcripts will not be printed if the student owes money to the university.
Any other copies desired by the individual student will be sent via regular mail at their request only. Grades can be viewed online 2 weeks after final exams by logging into One.
