Unlike some other countries, you don’t automatically qualify to stay on and settle in the US after graduation.
You can get an “OPT” extension on you student visa after you graduate (either for 1 year, or (if STEM) 3 years). After that you must find an employer who’s willing to sponsor you for an H1B and green card. This is not easy to find, especially for an Econ major, and even if you do an H1B is not guaranteed (there’s a lottery system run by the government over which neither you nor your employer has control). And it doesn’t matter if you have a graduate degree - the process for H1B will be the same.
In short - it’s not up to you to decide if you’ll stay on (legally) in the US or not after graduation. So make sure you go into this process knowing facts.
I think you may be underestimating the complexities of getting sponsorship and the possibility of things getting tougher post the Presidential election if there is a change in administration.
IIRC, you can get a 1-3 year OPT visa extension for certain stem majors, but ultimately you will still need to find a sponsor for your visa. There are no guarantees.
CIP code 45.0601 “economics, general” is not STEM, while CIP code 45.0603 “econometrics and quantitative economics” is STEM, in that list. Some economics majors are 45.0601 while others are 45.0603. See https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/stem-list.pdf .
University of Iowa CIP codes do not appear to be easy to find on the web. So you may have to ask the departments directly what they are for your majors.
Undergraduate Economics at Iowa uses the 45.0601 CIP Code (not DHS STEM). Their doctoral program uses 45.0603 (DHS STEM). Data Science at Iowa also uses the 30.7001 (not DHS STEM).
I.e. looks like the DHS (not) STEM designation is the same as both schools.
If the OP really wants the DHS STEM designation, then perhaps change the second major to something on the DHS STEM list (statistics being a likely candidate).
Is the answer then - to give OP hope - to find a new transfer list for next year? If so, how can OP identify programs in their chosen majors with the right code?
@ucbalumnus’ suggestion of Statistics would be a good option. If staying at Iowa, another option would be to switch Data Science for Business Analytics & Information Systems (CIP 52.1399 in the College of Business). I don’t know the specifics of each major but they sound similar. You should first talk to your academic advisor.
Just want to confirm if I’m mistaken here but I can see a match between the 30.7001 Data Science in the Wisconsin link and my link for DHS (its slightly different from the one you provided). Unfortunately, I’m unable to share this link for some reason
Iowa’s website has many good resources for learning about OPT. It would be helpful for you to read this and talk to someone in the dept. Optional Practical Training (OPT)
If you do transfer, here are the rules for transferring from Iowa as an international student, make sure you follow these steps exactly: Transferring Away
As an international student you are paying a lot to attend college in the US. You are already paying 50k/year at Iowa. If your family can afford, why not pay an additional 10k/year for your remaining 2–3 years to go to Wisconsin, for the benefits you cited in the first post?
Another factor that hasn’t been mentioned so far is the student body. While both are great schools, Iowa’s 75th percentile SAT and ACT scores are Wisconsin’s 25th. As controversial as standardized tests are, this is one data point about your peers, which may affect the amount of material covered in some of the classes you take, and the amount of effort you need to put in to achieve the same grade.
As for the friendships you built at Iowa, leaving them behind can be hard. I found lifelong friends in college that, had I transferred out, I might have lost. That said, Madison is only 3 hours away from Iowa City, so you could still see them from time to time.
Just saying that^ at your visa interview would get your visa denied. It’s a student visa, therefore your goal must be to study then return to your country where you’ll apply what you learned. Whether you hope to stay is immaterial, hope is not an administrative visa category: the student visa is meant for people who just want to study and is not an immigrant visa. If you say you wish to stay the visa officer will be required to note you wanted to circumvent the immigration visa process and don’t aim to study but to stay (2 different categories) therefore you will be denied entry.
I know that’s not what you meant but it’s either/or for them.
STEM degree that’s in demand + STEM OPT + grad degree + advanced degree STEM OPT is a very solid path but in the US it doesn’t mead to any sort of pathway to residency. At that point you may have to move to Canada (which is very eager to poach US educated internationals who didn’t get an H1B through the lottery).
Wrt your situation, you need to contact both universities ’ international student services and ask for data wrt STEM OPT placements (%who manage to find one, especially). Dont assume, say, that Wisconsin does bettee than Iowa. Get numbers and data. Make sure your degrees are STEM designated ofc.
The US economy is currently the envy of the world - stabilized inflation, booming infrastructure and related projects, extremely low unemployment and supercharged salaries. And still that doesn’t change the H1B lottery or the non pathway to residency. It’s really important to factor that into your decisions.
That’s what you want to hear - and it’s fine but I go back to advice myself and @MYOS1634 gave.
A superior rank doesn’t mean superior outcomes - and being international is another twist.
You must be into data. Use the data !!
From previous post - Wrt your situation, you need to contact both universities ’ international student services and ask for data wrt STEM OPT placements (%who manage to find one, especially). Dont assume, say, that Wisconsin does better than Iowa. Get numbers and data.