Form I-20: What It Is, How to Get One, and Keeping It Valid

The Form I-20, formally the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, is the document a U.S. school issues to prove you have been accepted into a full-time program and can pay for it. You need it to apply for an F-1 or M-1 student visa, to enter the country, and to keep legal status once you arrive. Only schools certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) can issue one, and the form ties your identity, school, program dates, and finances into a single federal record that follows you throughout your stay.

Who Qualifies and Which School Can Issue One

Two things have to be true before an I-20 is possible: the school must be SEVP-certified, and you must be admitted to a full-time program there. Schools earn certification by filing a Form I-17 petition, undergoing a site visit, and meeting federal requirements for hosting international students. If a school is not SEVP-certified, it cannot generate a Form I-20 no matter how qualified you are.¹

The visa class depends on your program. Academic degree and language students receive F-1 status; vocational and other non-academic students receive M-1.² You also need to meet the school’s own admission standards.

There is no single federal English test. SEVP requires the Designated School Official (DSO) to note on the I-20 whether you have met the school’s English standard, whether the school will test after arrival, or whether the program does not require English proficiency at all.³ Each school sets its own policy and the form reflects that policy.

What You Have to Submit Before Issuance

Once you are admitted, the DSO needs a set of documents before generating the I-20. A copy of your passport confirms your identity and the exact legal name that will appear on the form and on your visa.

Financial documentation is where most delays happen. You have to show you can cover tuition and living costs for your program using liquid funds: money you can actually reach. Bank statements, certificates of deposit, scholarship award letters, and loan confirmations with specific dollar amounts all count. Pay stubs, salary statements, tax returns, and retirement accounts you cannot withdraw from generally do not. If a sponsor is paying, expect to provide a notarized affidavit of support along with the sponsor’s bank statements. Foreign-currency amounts usually need to be converted to U.S. dollars.

The funding standard differs by visa type, and the difference matters. F-1 students must show sufficient funds to study without resorting to unauthorized work. M-1 students face a stricter test: immediately available funds for all tuition and living costs for the entire period of intended stay, not just the first year.⁴

You will also give a permanent address in your home country. That address supports your nonimmigrant intent — evidence that you have a residence abroad and plan to return after your studies.

What the Form I-20 Contains

Every field on the form has a job.

The SEVIS ID is a unique number starting with the letter “N” followed by digits, in the upper-left area of the form. It tracks your record in the federal database and you will use it on the DS-160 visa application, when paying the I-901 fee, and at your embassy interview.⁵

The School Code identifies the specific campus authorized to host you. The program section lists your major, degree level, and the start and end dates that define your authorized period of study. Going past the end date without an extension puts your status at risk.

A cost section shows one academic year of estimated expenses — tuition, fees, and health insurance — set against the funding sources you documented. Both you and the DSO sign the form. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian signs on your behalf.⁶

SEVP now allows DSOs to sign and send the form electronically, either with signature software or a reproduced signature, and to transmit it by email or through a school portal. You do not need a physically mailed original for your visa application, entry, or any other purpose.⁷

What to Do After You Get Your Form I-20

Receiving the form starts a sequence that has to happen in order.

Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee first. It is $350 for both F-1 and M-1 students, payable online by card, by mailed check or international money order, or through Western Union Quick Pay.⁸ Allow at least three business days for the payment to process before your visa interview.⁹

Then complete the DS-160 online nonimmigrant visa application. You will need your SEVIS ID and your school’s address from the I-20 while filling it out.⁵ Once the DS-160 is submitted, schedule your embassy or consulate interview.

Bring the original Form I-20 to the visa interview. The consular officer uses it as evidence you have been accepted and can pay. If your visa is approved, carry the I-20 with you when you travel; a Customs and Border Protection officer will inspect it at the port of entry.⁶

One timing rule surprises people: you cannot enter the United States on a student visa more than 30 days before the program start date on your I-20. If you need to arrive earlier, you would need a visitor (B) visa and then change status to F or M before classes begin.¹⁰

Forms for Spouses and Children

If a spouse or unmarried child under 21 will join you, each dependent needs their own Form I-20. Your DSO issues a separate form in each dependent’s name. Spouses and children of F-1 students receive F-2 status; dependents of M-1 students receive M-2 status.⁴

Dependents can arrive later if they show you have been admitted and are enrolled, will enroll within 30 days, or are engaged in approved practical training after finishing. Whenever your own information changes substantively, such as a new school or program, new dependent I-20s have to be issued too.⁴

Your financial evidence also has to cover the dependents. Schools factor dependent living costs into the expense estimates on your I-20, and your funding needs to reach the higher total.

Keeping the Form Valid While You Study

The I-20 stays valid through the program end date unless you complete studies early, transfer, or fall out of status. Keeping it valid depends on staying enrolled full-time and looping in your DSO before any change.

Full-Time Enrollment

For F-1 undergraduates at colleges and universities, full-time means at least 12 semester or quarter hours per term.¹¹ Graduate and postdoctoral students follow whatever the school’s DSO certifies as full-time. Language programs have their own clock-hour minimums.

Dropping below full-time without authorization is a status violation. Your DSO can approve a reduced course load in specific situations while keeping the I-20 valid:

Documented medical condition, verified by a licensed doctor or psychologist. F-1 students may use this for up to 12 months per degree level; M-1 students are limited to five months for the entire program.
Initial academic difficulty, for F-1 students only, such as improper course placement or early struggles with English. Available only in the first term, and you must take at least six credit hours.
Final semester, for F-1 students, when fewer courses are needed to graduate. You must still be enrolled in at least one required class.
Border commuter status for F-1 and M-1 students attending school within 75 miles of the U.S. border, with a six-credit-hour minimum.

Your DSO records the authorization in SEVIS. Taking a lighter load without going through this process is one of the fastest ways to fall out of status.¹²

Travel Endorsements

If you travel abroad and want to re-enter, you need a current travel endorsement signature from your DSO on page two of the form. For F-1 students, that signature is valid for one year; for M-1 students, six months.¹³ Check the date before booking a return flight.

Program Changes

Any major change — switching majors, moving to a different degree level, or transferring schools — requires a new Form I-20 reflecting the update. Your DSO handles this in SEVIS.⁶

Work Authorization Noted on the Form

Two kinds of employment authorization appear directly on your I-20: Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT). Both require your DSO to update SEVIS and issue a new copy of the form before you can start.

Curricular Practical Training

CPT is for work that is an integral part of your curriculum, such as a required internship or co-op. Your DSO can authorize it after you have been enrolled full-time for at least one full academic year (graduate programs that require immediate training can be an exception), if you are not studying English as a second language and you already have the training position lined up. Authorization is tied to one employer and a set time period, and it must be in place before you start work.¹⁴ Part-time CPT is 20 hours or fewer per week; full-time is more than 20. While classes are in session, you still have to maintain a full course of study. The updated I-20 shows the CPT details on page two and serves as your proof of work authorization.

Optional Practical Training

OPT lets F-1 students work in a field directly related to their major, either after finishing the program (post-completion OPT) or, in limited cases, before finishing (pre-completion OPT). You ask your DSO to recommend OPT by endorsing the I-20 and entering the recommendation in SEVIS, then file with USCIS within 30 days of that SEVIS entry for standard post-completion OPT.¹⁵

Timing is tight. Post-completion OPT can be filed as early as 90 days before finishing your degree, no later than 60 days after. STEM degree holders with qualifying employment may apply for a 24-month extension, with a 60-day window after the DSO’s SEVIS recommendation.¹⁵ Missing the deadline means losing the opportunity, so start the conversation with your DSO well before graduation.

Transferring Schools and Extending Your Program

SEVIS Transfers

Changing schools does not restart your immigration record. F-1 students can transfer their SEVIS record to a new SEVP-certified school if the record is in Active or Completed status. Transferring a Terminated record requires USCIS reinstatement supported by the new school. You tell your current DSO you plan to transfer and together you set a Transfer Release Date in SEVIS.¹⁶

On that date, SEVIS deactivates your record at the old school and unlocks it for the new one. You must begin classes at the new school within five months of whichever comes first: the Transfer Release Date or your current program’s completion date. After arriving, report to the new DSO within 15 days of the program start date and enroll full-time. The new DSO then registers your record and changes your status from Initial to Active.¹⁶

Program Extensions

If you cannot finish by the end date on your I-20, your DSO can extend it in SEVIS, but only before that date passes. Once it passes without an extension, you are out of status. Talk to your DSO as soon as you realize you will not graduate on time. Academic setbacks, changed research timelines, and documented medical leaves are common reasons.¹⁷

If You Fall Out of Status

Dropping below full-time without authorization, failing to enroll, or letting your end date pass without an extension can get your SEVIS record terminated. A terminated record means you are no longer in lawful status and can face bars on future entry.

USCIS can reinstate you to F-1 or M-1 status. You file Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, together with a new Form I-20 from your school carrying the DSO’s reinstatement recommendation. You generally have to file within five months of falling out of status (or explain exceptional circumstances), show no pattern of willful violations, be pursuing or about to pursue a full course of study, have no unauthorized employment, and show the violation was beyond your control or involved a course-load reduction the DSO could have approved, with denial causing extreme hardship. Reinstatement is discretionary — USCIS can deny it even when the technical requirements are met, and violations from your own conduct, such as criminal conduct, are not treated as beyond your control.¹⁸ Staying in close contact with your DSO whenever your circumstances change is the best way to avoid needing this process at all.

Grace Periods When You Finish

After you complete your studies and any authorized practical training, the window to stay is shorter than most people expect. F-1 students get 60 days to prepare for departure, transfer to another SEVP-certified school, or change to another status. M-1 students get 30 days, limited to preparing for departure.¹⁸

You cannot work during the grace period unless separate OPT or other employment authorization is still in effect. Overstaying starts an unlawful presence clock, which can lead to three-year or ten-year bars on returning. Put the date on your calendar and treat it as firm.

1
Study in the States. Form I-17 – Initial Certification
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 7.4.2 F-1 and M-1 Nonimmigrant Students
3
Study in the States. Questions from DSOs: Is English Proficiency Testing Required to Issue the Form I-20?
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2 Part F Chapter 9 – Dependents
5
U.S. Department of State. DS-160 Frequently Asked Questions
6
Study in the States. Students and the Form I-20
7
Study in the States. Read New Policy Guidance for the Use of Electronic Signatures and Transmission of the Form I-20
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I-901 SEVIS Fee
9
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions
10
U.S. Department of State. Student Visa
11
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2
12
Study in the States. Reduced Course Load
13
Study in the States. Top 10 Questions from Designated School Officials (DSOs) about the Form I-20
14
Study in the States. F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students
16
Study in the States. Manage Transfer of F-1 SEVIS Record
17
Study in the States. Extending the F-1 Form I-20
18
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2 Part F Chapter 8 – Change of Status, Extension of Stay, and Length of Stay