About the Form I-20
A Form I-20 is issued to admitted students who want to study in-person in the United States on an F-1 visa. The student uses information on the Form I-20 to schedule an F-1 visa interview at a US embassy or consulate in their home country. The Form I-20 provides biographical information about the student and information about the student's intended Program of Study. If there are any errors, alert your DSO immediately. Click through the tabs below for a personal tour of the information on your I-20.
Students on a J-1 visa will receive a DS-2019, which also has a SEVIS ID.
SEVIS is the online database in which the U.S. government keeps information on all non-immigrant F-1 and J-1 students. Your DSO uses SEVIS to create a unique I-20 for you and to update the U.S. government on your progress in your Program of Study. Your SEVIS ID is the number assigned to you and information about you. It begins with the letter N and is at the top of your I-20. This will be listed on your F-1 visa when it is issued.
The Program of Study is what you are in the U.S. to do, what you are studying. If you are learning English, your Education Level will say "Language Training". If you are studying for a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, it will say your Education Level is Bachelor and your major is Chemistry. If you change your program, you receive an updated I-20. If you change your major, you receive an updated I-20.
Also in this section is the Program Start Date and the Program End Date. The Program Start Date is the date that you are expected to be on-campus for the first time. You are allowed to enter the country up to 30 days before the Program Start Date but you should report to your school that you have arrived in the U.S. even if you plan to travel first. Check-in and Orientation happen before the start of classes and both are required. You should not arrive after Program Start Date or you may be denied entry by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
The Program End Date is the date that you are expected to be finished with all courses and when study in the US is expected to end. If a student is not finished with all in-person coursework by the Program End Date, the student should request an extension to the Form I-20.
The Form I-20 is a contract between you and the United States of America. Page 3 of your Form I-20 contains some of the more important rules that the U.S. government wants you to know and follow. Read through.