Students Studying in The United States Requesting Your I-20 (F-1)

An I-20 is a U.S. immigration document issued by a university to certify that an F-1 student has met admission requirements and has proof of sufficient financial resources for his/her studies. An I-20 is required to apply for an F-1 student visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad.

Newly admitted international students that have paid a deposit should request an I-20. The Office of Global Services (OGS) encourages you to submit your initial I-20 request as soon as possible because the visa process takes time.

New international students coming from outside the U.S. that are seeking F-1 visa status.

If a student currently has an Active Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS) record with another SEVP-certified institution in the U.S., they may be eligible to transfer their SEVIS record to Northeastern University. Transfer students must:

1. Request to have their SEVIS record transferred out from their current institution to Northeastern University
2. Apply for a Transfer I-20 from Northeastern University

Please see the Requesting your Transfer-In I-20 page for more information.

If you are currently in the U.S. in a non-immigrant status (B-1/B-2, F-1, F-2, H-1b or H-4) and would like to change to a different non-immigrant status (F-1, F-2, J-1 or J-2), you must apply for a Change of Status I-20. Once you’ve received the Change of Status I-20 there are two options: 

• Option 1: You may travel outside of the U.S., apply for a visa at a U.S. Embassy with all required materials, and re-enter the U.S. in the new status. This option is often referred to as Consular Processing. 
• Option 2: You may apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to change your status without leaving the U.S. by completing Form I-539 Application to extend/change your non-immigrant status. This process can take between 6 and 9 months and it is recommended you do not travel while your application is in process. 

Please note: If your change of status application is approved by USCIS (option 2), your new F/J status will be active; however, you will not receive a corresponding visa in your passport that reflects the new status. As a result, you will need to apply for a new visa stamp at an embassy/consulate outside of the U.S. in order to re-enter the U.S. in F/J status.

To learn more about change of status and see which option is best for you, please schedule an appointment with an advisor at the Office of Global Services (OGS) by calling +1-617-373-2310. 

Video: Change to F-1 Student Status 

Video: Change to F-1 Student Status within the U.S. 

TRAVELING WITH A PENDING CHANGE OF STATUS 

We don’t recommend traveling outside of the U.S. while your application with USCIS is still pending. If you can’t avoid traveling, please consult with OGS beforehand as you may need to reach out to USCIS to withdraw your application prior to traveling and submit a new I-20 request with OGS. 

CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING (CPT) AND OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING (OPT) 

In order to be eligible for both CPT and OPT, you must have maintained full time enrollment with appropriate on-ground presence for at least one academic year. One academic year is defined as two semesters or three quarters. It may be possible for you to use your time in another status towards meeting the one academic year. 

If you are a change of status student and have questions about CPT/OPT eligibility, please call OGS to schedule an appointment with an advisor by calling +1-617-373-2310. 

If you are a current, continuing student at Northeastern and you will be starting a new program at Northeastern, you must submit a Change of Degree Level e-form request to myOGS prior to starting the new program.

Please see the Guidelines on Maintaining Status page for more information.

Please note that the I-20 you receive from OGS is created specifically for the campus that you indicated you will be studying. To avoid any issues or delays with your F-1 visa application, OGS encourages students to commit to their campus before requesting their I-20.  

All campus changes must be approved by the admissions department prior to requesting an I-20. 

• If you have already been issued an I-20 and have been approved to change campuses, your I-20 will be cancelled, and you will be issued a new I-20 with a different SEVIS ID. If you have already paid the I-901 fee with your previous SEVIS record, you may request to transfer the payment to the new SEVIS record.   

• If your visa application has already been approved and you wish to transfer to another Northeastern campus, your previous I-20 will be cancelled and we advise you to re-apply for the F-1 visa. 

It may be possible to request a change of campus when you are a current student.  Please speak to your Academic Advisor if you wish to pursue this option.