TRANSFERRING SEVIS RECORD BACK TO UC SAN DIEGO

F-1 Students:

• An F-1 student is eligible to transfer to UC San Diego if they have been readmitted and are in valid F-1 status at the time of transfer.
  • Undergraduate Readmission: https://students.ucsd.edu/academics/enroll/special-enrollment/readmission-to-ucsd.html
  • Graduate Readmission: https://grad.ucsd.edu/academics/enrolling/readmission.html
• There can be no more than a 5-month gap between schools from the last date of attendance, OR the last day of Optional Practical Training (OPT) whichever is later.
• The deadline for F-1 students to request a transfer is 60 days after the program completion date or OPT end date, whichever is later.

J-1 Students:

• J-1 students who wish to transfer from their current program sponsor to UC San Diego must consult with the International Student Advisors at both schools. Contact ISPO here.
• Students must request a transfer at least 10 business days before their DS-2019 program end date.
• Students CANNOT transfer during their 30-day grace period.
• Students must be matriculating to UC San Diego within the same exchange visitor status (e.g., J-1 student to J-1 student; J-1 non-degree to J-1 non degree)
• Students must begin studies at UC San Diego within thirty (30) days of their transfer date
• Students who have applied to the U.S. Department of State for a waiver of the 2-year home residency requirement and have been approved are NOT eligible to transfer.

Transfer your SEVIS record to UC San Diego:

• When you are ready to transfer from your current school to UC San Diego, please ask an international student advisor at your current school to transfer your SEVIS record to UC San Diego, and give them the following information:
  • F-1 students: Our SEVIS school code is SND214F00088000. Your advisor can find us in SEVIS by entering “*University of California*” in the Search box. Our school name is “University of California” and our campus name is “University of California, San Diego.”
  •  J-1 students: Our SEVIS program number is P-1-02849. Our school name is "University of California, San Diego."
• UC San Diego does not use a transfer-in form for students transferring into our school. If your current school needs verification of your SEVIS transfer, please contact our office via icontact.ucsd.edu.

Verification of eligibility to return to UC San Diego

If your current school requires you to submit proof of your eligibility to return to UC San Diego in order to transfer your SEVIS record back to UC San Diego, then submit one of the following items to your current school.

If you have been absent from UC San Diego for:

• More than 1 academic quarter - you are required to apply for readmission. When your readmission is approved, submit your readmission approval notification to your current school.
  • Undergraduate Readmission instructions
  • Graduate Readmission instructions
• Only 1 academic quarter - formal readmission is not required, so you will not have any readmission approval notification to submit to your current school.
  • If you are returning after being academically disqualified or suspended due to academic integrity or other issues, submit a "Letter Request" in iPortal (instructions on our Verification Documents page) to receive a transfer support letter from ISPO, and make sure to upload to the request one of the following items:
    • A copy of a confirmation email or Virtual Advising Center (VAC) message or letter from your academic advising office (or Academic Integrity Office if applicable) confirming your eligibility to return to UC San Diego in the following academic term.
    • A copy of your TritonLink enrollment page showing class enrollment in your return term.
  • If your absence from UC San Diego is not due to disqualification or suspension, then submit a "Letter Request" in iPortal (instructions on our Verification Documents page) to receive a transfer support letter from ISPO. In this scenario, you will not need to upload any additional document to the request.

Request a new transfer-in I-20/DS-2019 from ISPO:

• Log in to iportal.ucsd.edu .
• Go to "Services" tab.
• Select "Transfer-In I-20/DS-2019 for Returning Students".
• Fill out your request.
• If you were absent from UC San Diego for two quarters or more, upload a PDF copy of proof of your eligibility to return to UC San Diego:
  • UCSD readmission notification OR
  • Email from academic department OR
  • WebReg page showing enrollment.
• Upload a PDF copy of your bank statement(s) or financial support letter(s) to show funding for the first 12 months of your studies (F-1 students) or for the entire duration of your studies (J-1 students).
  • For more information on funding documents requirements, visit our Funding Requirements page.
• Upload a PDF copy of your previous institution I-20.
• Upload a PDF copy of your most recent I-94.
  • Retrieve an electronic I-94 here: Get Most Recent I-94.
  • If you have a paper I-94, submit both front and back pages.
• Upload a PDF copy of your passport bio page.
• "Submit" your request.

• Your new transfer-in I-20/DS-2019 showing your transfer to UC San Diego will be issued within 10 business days from when your current institution has released your SEVIS record to UC San Diego.
  • You will need to enter your "SEVIS Release Date” in your iPortal request. This is the date that your record will be released to UC San Diego. Discuss this date with your advisor at your current institution.
• You can check the status of your request anytime by logging in to iPortal and clicking on "My Requests" tab.
• A notification email will be sent to you when your document is ready.
• Sign your new I-20/DS-2019 when you receive it, and keep your previous I-20/DS-2019 for your records, do NOT throw it away.

In order for international students to comply with Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) regulations, ISPO requires students who have transferred their SEVIS record back to UC San Diego to submit the Check-In for I-20/DS-2019 Activation Form in iPortal. This ensures that we collect the information needed to activate your SEVIS record. 

• Students must submit this form within 10 days of resuming study at UC San Diego.
• Students will only need to do this once upon initially transferring back to UC San Diego.  

Thoroughly review the following guidelines, if you are returning to UC San Diego for Summer Session.

F-1 Students: Option 1 - Transfer-in I-20 for SEVIS record transfer students:

If you are transferring your SEVIS record to UC San Diego from another institution within the U.S., and would like to study at UC San Diego during the Summer Session, incidental study between programs is allowed according to USCIS regulations and your I-20 will reflect a Fall quarter start date.

In order to be eligible to study during the summer session (part-time or full-time) with an I-20 that has a Fall quarter start date, you must fulfill the following requirements:

• Appropriately transfer your SEVIS record to UCSD within the 60-day period from your last school’s program end date.
• The quarter start date of the Fall quarter must be within 5 months of your last date of enrollment at your previous institution.

F-1 Students: Option 2 - Transfer-in I-20 issued with a Summer Session program start date:

If you are issued an I-20 with a Summer Session start date, you are required to enroll in the following to maintain status:

• If your I-20 has been issued with a Summer Session 1 start date, you must remain enrolled in a minimum of 6 units in SS1 and 6 units in SS2.
• If your I-20 has been issued with a Summer Session 2 start date, you must remain enrolled in a minimum of 6 units in SS2.
• If your I-20 has been issued with a Summer Session 3 start date, you must remain enrolled in a minimum of 6 units for SS3.
• In order to be eligible for an authorized reduced course load, meet with an international student advisor prior to dropping below full-time. During the regular academic year, full-time enrollment is 12 units per term.

J-1 Students:

You must begin studies at UC San Diego within thirty (30) days of your transfer date. Whether this is Summer Session I, II, or Special Summer Session, you must remain enrolled full time (minimum 6 units) for the duration of that term.

International travel guidance for returning transfer students:

• Transfer students may travel and re-enter the U.S. any time between school programs.
• However, transfer students must re-enter with their UC San Diego I-20 or DS-2019 and not the previous school's document.
• F-1 and J-1 students must have valid visa stamps to re-enter the U.S.
  • F-1 students: You can use a valid visa stamp issued for your pre-UC San Diego institution as long as the SEVIS ID number remains the same.
  • J-1 students: If you plan to re-enter the U.S. following the transfer, you must apply for a new J-1 visa with the new DS-2019 from UC San Diego. If you remain in the U.S. between transfer institutions and do not leave the country, a new J-1 visa stamp is not required.
  • Note: If you remain in the U.S. between transfer institutions and do not leave the country, a new F-1/J-1 visa stamp is not required.
• For more information on the reentry to the US requirements, review our travel page.