Can I Transfer to Another University on F-1

Yes. An F-1 student may transfer to another university or change to a different program of study if the transfer requirements are met.

The process follows a set order:

1. Get admitted to the new university.
2. Tell your current Designated School Official, or DSO, that you want to transfer.
3. Ask the current DSO to release your SEVIS record.
4. Work with the new school's DSO to receive a new I-20.
5. Enroll in the required course load at the new school.

The key is to treat this as a coordinated move between two international student offices. Don't leave your current program, choose a SEVIS release date, or assume your documents are complete before speaking with both DSOs.

Eligibility requirements before starting a school transfer

Before you begin, make sure your situation fits the basic transfer conditions described in the available guidance.

You generally need to:

• Be maintaining valid F-1 status.
• Have an admission offer from the new school.
• Choose an SEVP-approved university.
• Tell your current school's DSO that you want to transfer.
• Meet the timing conditions tied to enrollment or your 60-day grace period.

SEVP-approved means the university is approved to enroll students in the F-1 program. The new university's international student office can confirm its status and explain its own transfer process.

Your current F-1 record also matters. The transfer process is built around an active SEVIS record and communication between DSOs. If you have stopped attending, fallen out of status, or are in reinstatement proceedings, don't assume the normal transfer steps apply. Ask the current and prospective DSOs what process applies to you before taking action.

Keep studying while the transfer is arranged

Maintaining F-1 status includes following the enrollment rules for your current program. The research guidance highlights full-time study as part of maintaining status.

That means you shouldn't treat an admission offer as permission to stop attending your current university. Until the transfer is properly arranged, continue following your current school's instructions about enrollment and status.

One piece of guidance also addresses a new initial F-1 student who is transferring schools. It says the student must enroll in a full course of study at the transfer-out school. Because this situation can differ from a student already settled in an ongoing F-1 program, ask your DSO to explain exactly how the rule applies to your record.

Get admitted to the new SEVP-approved university

The first practical step is admission. You need an offer from the university you want to attend before your current DSO can begin the school-transfer process.

Contact the new university's international student office once you have been admitted. Ask what documents it needs to issue your new I-20 and process your transfer. The university may also have its own deadlines, forms, or instructions. Those school-specific details are not the same for every student.

At this stage, confirm:

• Your admission is for the program and term you plan to attend.
• The university can accept your SEVIS record.
• The new DSO knows you are currently in F-1 status.
• The new school has told you how to submit transfer information.
• You understand when the new school expects you to begin enrollment.

Don't wait until the last day to contact the new DSO. Your admission office and international student office may be separate, and the transfer cannot be based on an admission letter alone. The new university must also handle the SEVIS and I-20 part of the move.

Ask your current DSO to release your SEVIS record

After you are admitted, tell your current DSO that you want a SEVIS transfer from one university to another.

Your DSO is the school official who manages F-1 records and works with SEVIS, the government system that holds your student information. The current DSO handles the release of your record. The new DSO then uses that record to prepare your transfer I-20.

Your request should give the current DSO enough information to identify the new school and your intended program. Follow the current school's instructions rather than sending informal messages to several offices and assuming the request is complete.

Ask the current DSO:

• What transfer request form or documents are required?
• What release date should be entered?
• What must you do before that date?
• What happens to your current I-20?
• When should you contact the new DSO again?
• What enrollment steps must you complete at the current school?

The SEVIS release date needs careful attention. It affects when the new school can take over the record and when the current school stops managing it. Don't select a date based only on your travel plans or a guess about your final day of class.

Your current DSO and new DSO should coordinate the timing. If the release date is wrong, too early, or too late for your plans, fixing the problem may become harder.

How the SEVIS transfer and new I-20 work

The transfer is more than moving from one campus to another. Your electronic SEVIS record must move from the current university to the new one.

The basic sequence looks like this:

1. You receive admission from the new university.
2. You request the transfer through your current DSO.
3. Your current DSO releases the SEVIS record to the new university.
4. The new DSO receives the record and completes the new school's part of the process.
5. The new school issues a transfer I-20.
6. You follow the new school's enrollment instructions and begin the new program.

The new document is often called a transfer I-20. It shows that your F-1 record is connected with the new university and program.

Check the new I-20 as soon as you receive it. Look at your name, school, program, and other key information. If something appears wrong, contact the new DSO right away instead of waiting until registration or the first day of class.

Keep copies of your old and new immigration documents and your emails with both DSOs. The schools' records are the main part of the process, but your own copies make it easier to explain what happened if a question comes up later.

When to transfer: enrollment, grace-period, and timing considerations

Timing is one of the easiest parts of an F-1 transfer to get wrong.

The guidance refers to students being within the 60-day grace period as one eligibility condition. That period comes after the end of an approved program or authorized practical training period. It is not a general extra period that lets you ignore enrollment or stop following your school's instructions whenever you choose.

The exact timing of your transfer depends on your situation. It may involve:

• Your current program's end date.
• The term when the new university expects you to start.
• The SEVIS release date.
• Your enrollment status at the current school.
• The instructions from both DSOs.

How much time does it take to transfer SEVIS?

There is no single processing time established by the supplied guidance. The time can depend on how quickly you provide documents, how fast the current DSO releases the record, and when the new DSO can issue the transfer I-20.

Because the research does not give a fixed number of days, don't plan around a guessed timeline. Start with both international student offices as soon as you have the admission offer. Ask each office what date it needs from you and when you should expect the next step.

A useful personal timeline is:

• Before admission: Continue maintaining your current F-1 requirements.
• After admission: Contact the new DSO and collect its instructions.
• Before the release date: Submit the transfer request to the current DSO.
• After release: Watch for instructions from the new DSO and review the transfer I-20.
• Before the new term: Complete the new school's enrollment and check-in steps.

Do not leave your current program simply because you have been admitted somewhere else. Until the transfer is properly handled, keep communicating with your current DSO.

Does changing schools mean you need another visa interview?

A school transfer changes your SEVIS record and I-20 process. The supplied guidance does not establish a general answer about whether you need a new F-1 visa after changing schools.

This is a point you must confirm with your DSO and the appropriate authority for your case. Ask about your situation before making travel plans or assuming that your current visa will, or will not, be enough.

The answer may depend on details that are not provided in the available research, such as your current documents and travel plans. Don't replace a visa question with a SEVIS answer. They are connected, but they are not the same document or process.

What the research does not answer

The available guidance does not give firm answers to several common questions:

• It does not state a universal GPA requirement for an F-1 transfer.
• It does not give a specific rule for every first-year student who wants to transfer.
• It does not provide one standard SEVIS processing time.
• It does not establish whether every student changing schools needs a new F-1 visa.
• It does not explain how every reinstatement situation should be handled.

Use the information here to understand the order of the transfer process. Use the current and new DSOs to decide how that process applies to your record.

GPA, first-year transfers, and special cases to verify

Is there a minimum GPA for an F-1 transfer?

The supplied research does not state a general minimum GPA for F-1 students.

That usually makes GPA a question for the university's admissions office, not something you should assume is set by the F-1 transfer process. The new university may have its own academic requirements for transfer admission. Ask the admissions team for the requirement that applies to your intended program.

Also ask the new DSO whether any academic or enrollment issue affects the SEVIS transfer. Keep those two conversations separate but connected:

• Admissions decides whether the university will accept you.
• The DSO handles the immigration record and I-20 process.

Can a first-year student transfer?

The available guidance includes a situation involving an initial F-1 student transferring from one school to another. It does not provide one complete rule for every first-year student.

If you are in your first year, ask both offices:

1. Does the new university accept students at your stage of study?
2. What academic records does it need?
3. Must you complete a full course of study at the current school before the transfer?
4. What SEVIS release and enrollment dates apply?
5. What should you do if your current term has already started?

The full-course requirement mentioned in the guidance is especially worth checking if you entered the United States as a new initial F-1 student. Don't assume that being accepted by the new university answers the immigration part of the question.

What if you are in a special status situation?

If you are in reinstatement proceedings or believe you may not be maintaining F-1 status, pause before submitting a transfer request. The normal sequence may not describe your case.

Tell both DSOs about the issue in plain terms. Ask what status you hold now, what transfer path is available, and what documents they need. Don't guess based on another student's experience.

How to check your SEVIS transfer status and avoid gaps in status

There may not be a public status page that gives you every step of your individual transfer. The most reliable way to check your SEVIS transfer status is to ask the offices managing the record.

Start with the current DSO and ask:

• Has my transfer request been entered?
• What release date is listed?
• Has the record been released to the new university?

Then ask the new DSO:

• Has the school received my SEVIS record?
• Is anything missing from my file?
• When will the transfer I-20 be available?
• What do I need to do before enrollment?

Keep a simple record of:

• The admission offer.
• Your transfer request.
• The agreed release date.
• Messages from both DSOs.
• Your old I-20 and new transfer I-20.
• The new school's enrollment instructions.

To avoid a gap in status, keep following your current school's F-1 instructions until the transfer is ready. Don't stop attending, drop below the required course load, or leave the program based only on an informal promise that the transfer is being handled.

If the new I-20 does not arrive when expected, contact the new DSO immediately. If your plans change, tell both DSOs before the release date is reached.

The safest next step is simple: contact your current and prospective university DSOs before selecting a SEVIS release date or leaving your current program.