Transfer to NYU

Just got accepted to a US-based NYU site? Congratulations! If you are already in the US as an F-1 or J-1 student at another institution, you must transfer your immigration sponsorship to NYU. Follow these steps to learn how. Please note that undergraduate students admitted to NYU Abu Dhabi or NYU Shanghai, or Global Liberal Studies students starting the first year of their program at an NYU site outside the US should not have their SEVIS record transferred to NYU.

If you miss this deadline, you will fall out of legal status in the US, requiring you to either

travel outside of the US with a new I-20 before returning to begin your program, or
apply for reinstatement of your legal status within the US.

Both options are costly, time-consuming, and stressful and require you to work closely with OGS advisors.

The information contained on this page is for general information purposes only. Due to frequent government updates, NYU OGS may make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents on this page at any time without prior notice.

Please note, these directions are meant to help you in completing your application but should not be considered legal advice. The US Department of State ultimately provides the decision on your visa application.

Step 1

Receive your admission letter (or electronic version) from NYU.

To be eligible for NYU sponsorship of F-1 or J-1 student status, you need to be accepted to a full-time academic program at a US-based NYU site and have an official admission notice from NYU along with an NYU University ID number. If you are not yet admitted to NYU and have questions about how to apply, or you need to obtain a copy of your NYU admission letter, please visit NYU admissions.

Step 2

Activate your NYU NetID and NYU Email.

If you don’t already know your NetID, learn your NYU NetID.
If you already know your NetID, go to start.nyu.edu to activate it.
Enter your NetID and click the “Start!” button.

Step 3

Are you a F-1 or J-1 Student?

F-1 Students Only:

Discuss your eligibility to transfer to NYU’s sponsorship with your current school. Remember that there must not be more than a five-month gap between the end of your previous program (or post-completion OPT/STEM OPT) and the start of your program at NYU. If you are on post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, your employment ends when your F-1 SEVIS record is released to NYU.

You will need to request that your SEVIS record be transferred from your previous school to NYU. Note, NYU OGS can only issue an I-20 for you once your current school releases your F-1 record to us in SEVIS and your SEVIS release date has passed.

NYU SEVIS codes:

For students transferring to Washington Square campus including the School of Professional Studies: NYC214F00169000
For students attending the School of Engineering Brooklyn Campus and CUSP: NYC214F00169003

J-1 Students Only:

Discuss your eligibility to transfer to NYU’s sponsorship with your current program sponsor.

If your current international student advisor determines that you are eligible to transfer to NYU, when completing the application for a DS-2019 (below), you will need to provide the name and email address of an international student advisor at your current school. We will email you when your advisor has completed the transfer of your J-1 record. NYU can only issue a DS-2019 for you once your current school transfers your J-1 record to us. Be sure that the mailing address you provide to us in your application will continue to be valid until you receive your DS-2019.
If your current international student advisor determines that you are NOT eligible to transfer to NYU, you will have to either depart and reenter the US or apply to change your status to F-1 prior to beginning your program at NYU.

Step 4

Complete your I-20 or DS-2019 Application.

Fill out the I-20/DS-2019 Application for Newly Admitted Students online. To access the application you will need to have your NYU ID number. This is the number you received from NYU that starts with "N" and is followed by 8 numbers, for example, N12345678. You will also need your NYUHome/email address and password. Review the application checklist to ensure you have all you need to successfully complete the online application.

Application Checklist

In order to complete your application, you will need to have

The name and email address of an international student advisor at your current school
A clear copy of your NYU admission letter (an electronic version is fine)
A copy of the photo page of your passport
Financial documents that prove you can pay for the estimated expenses at NYU. To see the amount of money you will need to show for one year of your academic program visit this estimated expenses page. You must be able to pay for your tuition, fees, health insurance, and living expenses while at NYU.
- You need to show proof that you can pay for the first year’s expenses. If your academic program is for less than a year, then provide proof that you can pay for all expenses for the duration of your program.
- The kinds of financial documentation we accept at the OGS include:
  - Personal funds: a bank statement dated within the last six months.
  - A personal loan: a pre-approval letter confirming amount for which the loan is approved. A loan application is not sufficient.
  - An individual sponsor: the OGS Affidavit of Support plus a bank statement and/or letter from employer confirming annual salary and sponsor's position. We will apply up to 1/3 of your sponsor's yearly salary toward your funding.
  - If you will be staying somewhere where you will receive free room and board: you need to provide a letter from who you are staying with indicating the amount of support they will provide for you and the duration of time you will stay with them. The value of room and board is estimated to be $12,000 per year. Include your sponsor's utility bill, deed or rental agreement.
  - An organizational sponsor: a copy of an award letter from a sponsoring organization specifying the amount of the award, its duration, and the terms of renewal, or NYU funding: a copy of an NYU award letter for an NYU scholarship, assistantship, or fellowship.
Your I-94 record
If you are transferring to NYU after OPT, a copy of your EAD card.

*You must be logged into your NYU email account in order to access the application. If you're logged into your NYU account and you still have problems, please:

Make sure you have paid your tuition deposit to the NYU school you were admitted to.
If you have paid the deposit, wait 2 business days and try to access the application again at that time.
If you are still unable to access the application, please email newinternationalstudents@nyu.edu. Be sure to include your NYU ID number, NYU school of admission, and country of citizenship in your email message.

Attend a Transfer I-20 Application Process Information Session

Get tips on successfully applying for an I-20 from NYU and transferring your SEVIS record from your previous school to NYU. If no live workshop is listed, view a previously recorded Tips on the I-20 Transfer Application Process.

To access the recording link above, you must log into Zoom with your NYU ID and password using the SSO option at nyu.zoom.us in the same web browser. You cannot use an external email.

Upcoming Information Sessions:

Step 5

Save your application and supporting documents for your records.

Keep a photocopy of your I-20/DS-2019 Application and all attached documents for your records.

Step 6

Receive your I-20/DS-2019.

Once we receive your application we will start working on your I-20 or DS-2019. We’ll email you if your application is missing anything so make sure to check your NYU email while you’re waiting for your document.

Approximately 2 weeks after submitting a complete application, you should receive your I-20 or DS-2019. You will receive your I-20 or DS-2019 to your NYU email account. Upon receiving your document, print and sign it on page 1. This should be considered the original I-20 or DS-2019.

Step 7

Provide a copy of your visa to OGS.

Once you receive your visa, upload a copy to OGS online by submitting Form 1: Visa Information of the Report Your Arrival eforms.

Students with an unexpired F-1/J-1 visa from a previous institution may upload it for review by OGS.

Step 8

Learn More About Arriving at NYU.

Within a month after your first semester begins (once you've registered for a full-time course load and you have a US address on file at NYU), you'll automatically get another I-20 that indicates your transfer process is complete. Once your SEVIS record is transferred, you begin your studies at NYU. If you plan to travel outside of the US before you begin your program at NYU, you can reenter the US with your new transfer I-20 from NYU and a valid visa.

Review what to do when you arrive to find out what you will need to do to successfully begin your program at NYU as an international student.