Transfer college within the U.S. for international students

Given that an international student who plans to study in the United States needs a student visa, there are two scenarios of college transfer for international students. The first scenario is about a student who is transferring from the college in his/her home country (or outside the U.S.). The second scenario is about a student who transfers from one college to another within the United States.

From the immigration (visa) standpoint, transfer students in the first scenario would go through almost identical processes as new students. Students who are transferring from non-U.S. colleges to U.S. colleges will have to get accepted, schedule the visa interview, and obtain the visa before they fly over to the United States. More details about obtaining F-1 visas can be found below:

Related blog post 1: F1 visa interview wait time and what to bring
Related blog post 2: How to answer for visa interview questions

Now switch over to the second scenario, the unique part of transferring within the United States is that the student’s SEVIS record needs to be transferred over to the new college. This blog post will walk you through the college transfer process to assist international students who are currently studying in the United States to have a better understanding of the transfer college process within the United States. In this blog post, your current school will be called “Transfer-out” college and the school that you intend to transfer will be called “Transfer-in” college.

Transfer college process within the United States

1. Get accepted from the “Transfer-in college”
2. Submit the SEVIS Record Transfer Form to “Transfer-in college”
3. SEVIS record will be released from “Transfer-out college” to “Transfer-in college”
4. Receive the new I-20 from the “Transfer-in college”
5. Traveling and transferred SEVIS record

1. Get accepted from the “Transfer-in college”

When you are accepted by the school that you plan to transfer to, you will receive an acceptance letter. Submit this acceptance letter to your current school as proof to initiate the SEVIS record transfer process. Besides the official acceptance letter, other documents that you received from the “transfer in” school that state you are accepted by the college might work too.

2. Submit the SEVIS Record Transfer Form to “Transfer-in college”

Since international students, who seek to transfer within the United States, already have SEVIS records, they should not be issued the new Form I-20. Instead, their SEVIS records should be transferred from “transfer out” school to “transfer in” school. Again, a SEVIS record of a transfer student should be moved from the current college to the new university.

Now, how you complete the “SEVIS Record Transfer Form” can be different depends on the “transfer out” university that you plan to attend. For example, big universities tend to have an online platform where you can enter your SEVIS information. Then, your DSO (International Student Advisor) at your current (=transfer out) institution will receive the online link where they can authorize your SEVIS information and enter the “SEVIS release date”. Or some colleges may ask you and your DSO to complete the .pdf form of “SEVIS Record Transfer Form.” In this case, the student and DSO can complete the form and put the “SEVIS release date.” In the next paragraph, detailed information about the “SEVIS release date” will be introduced.

If you would like to cancel the transfer process before the “SEVIS release date,” you can do so by letting both colleges know of your decision to cancel the transfer.

3. SEVIS record will be released from “Transfer-out college” to “Transfer-in college”

Transfer students frequently ask when should they complete the transfer process. There are two scenarios based on when the student plans to transfer:

a. The student plans to transfer when the current semester is over

It is important to remember that when your SEVIS record is transferred, you can no longer attend the previous school (=”transfer out” college). Therefore, if you plan to finish the current semester at your “transfer out” college and enroll in “transfer in” college from the next semester, the SEVIS release date should be later than your current session end date. By doing so, you can finish the current term at your current school and safely transfer to the new school.

On the other hand, the latest SEVIS release date will be 15 days prior to the next session start date of the “transfer in” college. Immigration regulations require transfer students to notify the new school of their intention to transfer no later than 15 days before the session start date.

To sum, the earliest SEVIS release date in this scenario will be the next day of your current semester end date. The latest SEVIS release date will be 15 days prior to the new semester start date.

b. The student plans to transfer in the middle of the semester

If you would like to transfer in the middle of the current semester, you should take the “5-month rule” into consideration. The “5-month rule” regulates international students to not have a gap of more than 5months between semesters. To learn more about the 5-month rule, click the related blog post below.

Related blog post: F-1 student visa 5 month rule affected by COVID-19

Also, transfer students must attend classes at their current colleges and universities until the SEVIS record release date. If it is brought to DSO’s attention that a transfer student is not attending classes, his or her SEVIS record can be “terminated” and the student needs to leave the country.

To sum, the SEVIS release date in this scenario should be within 5 months from the next semester start date AND no later than 15 days prior to the next semester start date.

4. Receive the new I-20 from the “Transfer-in college”

On the SEVIS release date, your SEVIS record will be transferred from the “transfer out” college to the “transfer in” college and your new (=transfer in) school will issue you the new Form I-20. A transfer student can use this new Form I-20 to reenter the United States. If you plan to apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), it is recommended not to throw away your previous I-20 as you will need all of the I-20s that were issued to you. Check out the following article to review the list of required documents for your OPT application.

Related blog post: 7 Require documents for OPT Application

5. Traveling and transferred SEVIS record

When the SEVIS record is transferred to the “transfer in” college, BUT the Form I-20 hasn’t been updated yet, the SEVIS record will be in “pending” status. While your SEVIS status is in “Pending” status, it is not encouraged to seek re-entry to the United States. This is because it can be seemed unclear as to which university you belong to. Thus, if you plan to depart the country once the current semester is over, consult with DSOs regarding your travel plan. You can either delay the SEVIS record release date so that you can reenter with the previous I-20, or you can travel back to the United States once you receive your updated I-20 form. A full list of required documents for reentry can be found below.

Related blog post: Student visa reentry required documents