Receiving a new nonimmigrant status

There are two ways of gaining a new nonimmigrant status: 

1. Leave the U.S., apply for a new visa at a U.S. consulate, and reenter the U.S. with the new visa and required documents. It is typically faster than changing status from within the U.S. You will obtain the new visa AND the status. You may face the possibility of visa processing delay and expense of travel. 
2. Change status from within the U.S. filing Form I-539, Application to Change Nonimmigrant Status. You get to stay in the U.S. during processing and avoid the visa application process. However, processing can be very slow which may affect your ability to begin a new activity such as full-time study, accepting a graduate assistantship or other on-campus employment. You cannot exit the U.S. until the processing is complete, otherwise you abandon the change of status application. Once approved, you may obtain a visa stamp to match your status once exit the U.S. Please note that the application could be denied which will require you to leave the U.S. quickly. Be sure to make an appointment with your immigration advisor if you wish to discuss a change of status.