well... the only option i can see for him right now is to join a community college just so he can get a new I-20 that'll keep his status right. coz the way i see it, he will hear from the grad school around april but his I-20 will be for fall 2011(august 2011). so technically he has a layover period of 6 months. (feb - august). I mean there might be other options but i am saying it from my own experience.