F-1 SEVIS Transfer From WKU

If you are planning to leave WKU to study at a different institution in the United States, you will need to transfer your SEVIS record to your new school. This will allow you to keep your SEVIS ID number, which is important for maintaining your legal status in the U.S.

How to transfer your SEVIS Record from WKU to another institution:

Step 1:

Apply and be admitted to the new institution.

Step 2:

Step 3:

In the F-1 Student Services menu, select “Transfer Out Request” and complete this e-form.

- Pay special attention to the date you are requesting that ISSS release your SEVIS record to your new school. As of that date, your SEVIS record will belong to your new school. We will not be able to modify or cancel your transfer out request and you will no longer have work authorization granted by WKU.
- You will need to provide your new school’s SEVIS code.
- Before you can submit the e-form, you will also be asked to upload a copy of your admission letter to your new school.

Step 4:

Once you submit the form, ISSS will process it and you will be notified via email if the request is approved or if any further information is required.

Step 5:

If you receive the confirmation email stating that your SEVIS record has been transferred on the requested release date, you can now contact your new school for the new I-20. The SEVIS transfer out process is electronic and occurs immediately once initiated. Your school should now have access to your record'

ISSS can only transfer your SEVIS record to one institution even though you may be applying to many. Complete the “Transfer Out Request” only after you are certain you will attend the new school.

Things to know about transferring your SEVIS record:

A SEVIS transfer applies only to your immigration documentation and I-20. Academic records are not part of the process completed by ISSS. If you have any questions regarding the transfer of academic records, you need to contact your academic advisor, your department, or the Registrar’s office.

Please review the timing information below carefully. Your SEVIS transfer release date will be the day you complete your program, the final day of your last semester at WKU or a date you specify in your Transfer Out Request—whichever is later.

If you decide to cancel your transfer, you must notify us in writing before your transfer release date. After that date, we will no longer have access to your SEVIS record. In addition, all travel and employment benefits authorized through WKU will end on your transfer release date.

For assistance or more detailed information, contact isss@wku.edu.

Transfer Guidelines for Specific Situations

You have completed or will complete your program at WKU and will begin a new program of study at a new institution.

Your SEVIS transfer request must be approved and the release granted within your 60 day grace period after the completion of your program at WKU. You must also begin the new program within 5 months of the program end date of your WKU program.  

You have completed or will complete your program at WKU and are currently on OPT. You will begin a new program of study at the conclusion of your OPT.

Your OPT authorization will end on the date that your SEVIS record is transferred out to the new institution. OPT is not transferable.

If you want to transfer your SEVIS record AFTER your OPT ends, you need to request and receive the SEVIS transfer during the 60 day grace period after the OPT end date. You must also begin the new program within 5 months of completion of your OPT.

You are currently attending WKU and have not or will not yet complete a degree program, and you wish to transfer your SEVIS record to another school.

You should request that your SEVIS record be transferred after your last day of study at WKU but before the beginning of the term at your new school.

Please note that SEVIS records cannot be transferred in the middle of the semester, after the add/drop date. You will be able to transfer after the last date of final exams and classes for the term, whichever is later.

Also, please be aware that if you are working on-campus at WKU, you will no longer be authorized to do so on the day that your SEVIS record is released to the new school.

You have attended or completed a program at WKU and are currently outside the United States, but plan on re-entering to attend another institution.

To be eligible to transfer your SEVIS record, you must be outside the country for no more than 5 months.

If you are outside the country for more than 5 months, you are not eligible for a SEVIS transfer. Your new school will need to issue you a new I-20 with a new SEVIS number for your return. You will have to pay the SEVIS fee again and you should apply for a new F-1 visa.

You will begin at a new school more than 5 months after the end of your OPT or last day of study at WKU.

If the time between your studies is more than 5 months, you are not eligible to transfer your SEVIS record. Your new school will need to issue you a new I-20 and you will need to leave the United States, pay the SEVIS fee again, and apply for a new F-1 visa.

Getting Your New I-20

Once you have completed the Transfer Out process and your SEVIS record has been transferred to your new school, they will be able to make a new I-20 for you. Be sure to contact your new school to find out what their policy is on issuing new I-20s and to discuss your travel plans and options.

Remember, if you are traveling outside the United States after your record has been transferred to your new school, you must use your new I-20 to re-enter the U.S. No matter what your travel plans are, you must report to your new school within 15 days of your new I-20 program start date.