International Students: Transfer Students (F-1)

If you are a F-1 international student coming to Pomona College after graduating from a U.S. high school or transferring from another U.S. higher education institution, you may ask your current school to transfer your SEVIS record to Pomona College.

Eligibility for a Transfer

To be eligible to transfer your SEVIS record to Pomona College, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must be maintaining status at your current school.
• You must have been admitted by Pomona College.
• Your first semester at Pomona College must begin no later than 5 months after you transfer your record from your previous school.
• You must be eligible for an I-20 at Pomona College.
• The transfer procedures must be completed within the required deadlines.
  • Graduating students have 60 days after their program end date to complete the transfer process to Pomona.
  • Mid-program transfers do not have a 60-day restriction to transfer.

If you are not eligible or fail to request a transfer in time, Pomona College must create a new SEVIS record for you. See The Immigration Process regarding the steps for that process.

Step #1: Communicate with Current School

Speak with your current school’s international student and scholar services office about their transfer-out process.

Step #2: Submit Required Documents to Pomona College

On the day your current school transfers your F-1 record to Pomona College, your F-1 record will be visible to the Pomona ISSS Office in SEVIS. However, the ISSS Office will not be able to issue your I-20 until you provide several documents requested of all new international students.

For more information on what these documents entail, see Step #1 on The Immigration Process. You will be given instructions via email on where to download and upload your forms.

Step #3: Receive Pomona College I-20

When you receive your Pomona College I-20, you will see that your Form Issue Reason will be listed as “Transfer Pending – Pomona College.” With a Transfer Pending I-20, you may:

• Remain in the U.S. between your programs
• Leave the U.S. to renew an expired visa, if necessary
  • If you hold a valid F-1 visa, you may still use that visa to re-enter the country with Pomona’s I-20 until the visa’s expiration date.
  • If you need to apply for a new F-1 visa, follow Steps #3 and #4 on The Immigration Process.
• Re-enter the U.S. from travel abroad
  • There is no limit to how early you can re-enter, as you are allowed to be in the U.S. between programs.

Once you complete check-in procedures at Pomona, the ISSS Office will issue you a new I-20 showing that the transfer was successfully completed.