overview and definition
F-1 students who are maintaining their F-1 status may transfer from one DHS-approved school to another by following the transfer procedure. Students must submit a request to the International Student & Scholar Services office to transfer their SEVIS immigration record to the new institution to begin studies at the new school.
When to transfer Out
If the student is a current student at the University of Utah, ISSS needs to maintain
the SEVIS record until the last day of the semester. Students will need to discuss
with the new school to find out when they need their SEVIS record transferred to receive
an I-20 from the new school.
Students must transfer before the start of the next semester or they will be expected
to be enrolled at the University of Utah.
If the student is graduating, ISSS must release the student's SEVIS record within 60 days from the program end date on the I-20 or the record will auto-complete ending the student's F-1 status. If the record auto-completes, the student must either travel and re-enter the U.S. on the new school's initial I-20 or reinstate (if the new school is willing to support reinstatement).
If the student is on OPT, they must understand that the OPT will automatically end on the release date the student provided to ISSS. Students are no longer eligible to continue work on OPT after the transfer-out is processsed.
Students who have an OPT that has ended and are currently in their grace period, must have ISSS release the SEVIS record within 60 days from the last day of OPT or the record will auto-complete ending the student's F-1 status. If the record auto-completes, the student must either travel and re-enter the U.S. on the new school's initial I-20 or reinstate (if the new school is willing to support reinstatement). .
If the student is planning to travel after transferring their SEVIS record, students must re-enter the U.S. on the new school's I-20.
- the initial start date on your new I-20 from the new institution must be within 5 months of the end of the course of study at the University of Utah, or within 5 months of the release date set by University of Utah, whichever is earlier.
- For students on OPT, the course of study must begin within 5 months of the end of OPT, or within 5 months of the release date set by the University of Utah, which is earlier.
Transfer Out Application steps
- Login to UAtlas and Go to "F-1 Update Your SEVIS Record"
Submit the "Transfer Out Request" e-form.The student must submit the acceptance letter from the new school that states the start date of the program. If the new school provides a Transfer-In Eligiblity form in pdf file, students will need to upload it to the e-form. If the new school has an online transfer-in form, students must use the international@utah.edu email address.
Students will need to choose their SEVIS record release date. The date can only be in the future. If students need to change the date after ISSS has approved the request, they must contact ISSS as soon as possible.
- A Designated School Official (DSO) from ISSS will review the request.
Processing time is within 10 business days.
- Receiving the Approval Email
Once the Transfer Out Request is approved, the DSO will confirm with the student the date the SEVIS Record will be released.
transferring back to the university of utah
Once the record is transferred out to another institution, but the student wishes to transfer back to the University of Utah, they will need to speak with ISSS.