Transfer Timeline for International Students: Application, Decision, and Deposit Deadlines
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026
Your transfer runs on two clocks at once: the college's application and deposit deadlines, and the SEVIS rules for moving your F-1 record between schools. Start requesting transcripts and your Transfer Eligibility Form as soon as you accept an offer.
🎓 Apply through Common App for transfer or the school's own portal, since not every school uses the same platform.
📩 Ask your current DSO for a Transfer Eligibility Form once you accept an offer.
🛂 Your SEVIS release date must fall no later than 60 days after your current program ends, or after your OPT ends if you are on OPT.
⏱️ You must start your new program within 5 months of finishing your last one.
🏠 Register for classes and check in with your new DSO within 15 days of the start date on your new I-20.
How the international transfer timeline works
Transferring between US colleges as an international student runs on two schedules at once. One is the admissions calendar: application deadline, decision date, deposit deadline.
The other is your SEVIS record, the government database that tracks your F-1 status. Both need to line up before you start classes at the new school.
Miss the admissions deadline and you lose a term. Mismanage the SEVIS transfer and you risk falling out of status even after you get in. Build your plan around both from the start.
Step 1: Research deadlines and transfer credit policies
Transfer deadlines vary by school and by term, so check each admissions page directly rather than assuming a standard date. Review the transfer credit policy at the same time. Ask how many credits transfer, whether a minimum GPA applies, and whether the school caps credits by subject.
Contact the international student office, often called ISSS or OIS, alongside admissions at each school on your list. This office handles your F-1 paperwork separately and sometimes adds its own document requirements on top of the general application.
Step 2: Apply through Common App for transfer or the school's own portal
More than 700 colleges accept applications through Common App for transfer , a separate platform from the first-year Common App. Some schools run their own transfer application instead, so confirm the correct portal for each school before you start.
International transfer applicants submit the same core file as first-year international applicants: official transcripts from every college attended, English proficiency scores where required, and financial documentation demonstrating enough funds to cover tuition and living costs. Add a copy of your current I-20 and visa, since the new international office reviews your immigration history alongside your academic record.
Step 3: Request your Transfer Eligibility Form
Once you accept an offer, or when a school asks for it during review, request a Transfer Eligibility Form from the DSO at your current school. Your DSO confirms your F-1 status is in good standing and sends the form to your new school's international office. Ask early, since some offices need a week or more to process the request during busy periods.
Stay enrolled while your transfer is pending
Keep a full course load and stay enrolled at your current school while your application, decision, and deposit process plays out. Your F-1 status depends on your current school's SEVIS record until the release date, so dropping below a full course load or leaving early before that date risks your status even after you have an offer elsewhere.
Step 4: Decision, deposit, and your new I-20
Pay your deposit by the school's stated deadline to hold your seat. The new school issues your transfer Form I-20 only after your deposit and any remaining international-student paperwork are complete. You need this document, signed by you and the new DSO, before your SEVIS record moves.
Step 5: Set the SEVIS transfer release date
Your current and new DSOs agree on a transfer release date, the day your SEVIS record moves from one school's control to the other's.
Under Study in the States guidance current as of August 2026, this date must fall no later than 60 days after your current program ends, or no later than the end of your Optional Practical Training period if you are on OPT.
You also need to start your new program within 5 months of completing the last one.
Do not request an early release date while you are still finishing exams or OPT. Once the release happens, your former school's DSO loses access to your record and stops being able to help with status questions.
Step 6: What to do after the release date
After the release date passes, your new DSO issues a new Form I-20 for your transfer program. Register for classes and check in with your new international office within 15 days of the program start date listed on that I-20, a rule SEVP's transfer guidance sets to keep your status active. Missing that 15-day window puts you out of status even when the rest of your paperwork was correct.
Sample timeline for a fall transfer
| Milestone | Typical window |
|---|---|
| Research schools and deadlines | 6-9 months before the fall term |
| Submit application | Check each school directly, often February-April |
| Request Transfer Eligibility Form | At or soon after admission |
| Pay deposit | Per school deadline, often 1-4 weeks after the offer |
| Set SEVIS release date | With both DSOs, no later than 60 days after your current program ends |
| Register and report to new DSO | Within 15 days of the new I-20 start date |
Common timeline mistakes
Requesting the SEVIS release date before finishing exams or completing OPT, which can strand your legal status at the wrong school.
Waiting for the deposit deadline to start the international-office paperwork, when many offices need weeks to process it.
Assuming spring transfer deadlines mirror fall ones. Many schools post separate, earlier deadlines for spring transfer.
Delaying the request for a new I-20 after the release date, which pushes back registration and status maintenance.