Transfer to UC Berkeley Summer Sessions from another U.S. school
If you are an F-1 student attending another U.S. institution immediately prior to your UC Berkeley Summer Sessions program and you do not plan to resume your studies at that school, you must complete the following steps to request an F-1 I-20 form from UC Berkeley to "transfer" your record to us.
If you are a J-1 student attending another U.S. institution immediately prior to your UC Berkeley Summer Sessions program, and you do not plan to resume your studies at that school, you will need to obtain an I-20 from International Student Services, depart the U.S., obtain an F-1 visa abroad, and re-enter the United States in F-1 status to attend Berkeley Summer Sessions. For questions about this, contact visiting-intl@berkeley.edu.
Eligibility
F-1 students are only considered "transfer students" for immigration purposes if the following is true:
- You are currently in valid F-1 status or will be in F-1 status prior to attending UC Berkeley Summer Sessions;
- There are no more than five (5) months between the end date at your current U.S. institution (last date of attendance OR your last date on OPT, whichever is later) and the start date at UC Berkeley Summer Sessions;
- The deadline for F-1 students to request a transfer is 60 days after the program completion or OPT end date, whichever is later.
UC Berkeley Summer Sessions transfer steps
J-1 Transfers only:
You must first contact International Student Services at visiting-intl@berkeley.edu to confirm your transfer can be accepted. DO NOT begin the Summer registration process before confirming your transfer. Please note that J-1 transfers are extremely rare. Normally, J-1 students need to exit the US, obtain an F-1 visa, and re-enter the U.S. in F-1 status to attend Berkeley Summer Sessions.
F-1 Transfers:
- Notify the International Student Adviser at your current U.S. school that you intend to transfer to UC Berkeley for Summer Sessions. You will need to provide proof of enrollment in UC Berkeley Summer Sessions. The advisor will advise you about an appropriate Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Release Date. On this date, your SEVIS record will electronically transfer to UC Berkeley. The release date is usually the day after the last day of enrollment at your current school.
- Apply online to Summer Sessions.
- Enroll full-time in Summer Sessions. Full-time enrollment is required to remain in the U.S. legally as an F-1 student.
- Make sure to complete the ISS Portal. It will ask you a series of questions to determine whether you need an I-20.
- Enter your SEVIS Release Date (this is the day that the advisor at your current school will send your SEVIS I-20 or DS-2019 electronically to UC Berkeley) and other transfer information in VSIS.
- Report to UC Berkeley to complete the transfer-in process no later than 15 days after the first day of classes:
- Complete the Online Arrival Confirmation
Traveling between schools
Transfer students may travel and re-enter the U.S. any time between school programs. However, transfer students must re-enter with their UC Berkeley I-20 or DS-2019. A valid visa is necessary to re-enter the U.S. Transfer students may use a valid visa issued for their previous institution as long as the SEVIS ID number remains the same.