Office of International Services
  • Maintaining Status
  • Students
  • Attending Another Institution

Attending Another Institution

Students who would like to enroll in courses at another institution while maintaining their student visa status at USC, also known as “concurrent enrollment,” must receive prior permission from OIS through the Permission to Attend Another Institution (PTAAI) letter.

  • To get a PTAAI letter, USC students must: 

    • Be registered full-time at USC for the same term (except for summer semesters)
    • Consult their academic advisor and the USC Office of Academic Records and Registrar before registering for the courses
    • Submit the PTAAI Request

    The PTAAI letter is only a verification of a student’s full-time student status at USC under the USC I-20 or DS-2019 authorization. It is not an approval to transfer unit credit, subject credit or for major substitution.

    There is a three- to five-business-day processing time for PTAAI letters.

    Submit PTAAI Request

F-1 and J-1 students who apply and are admitted to another institution may be eligible to transfer their USC SEVIS record to their new school. The SEVIS transfer must be completed within a specific timeframe in order to maintain valid F-1/J-1 status.

  • Upon acceptance to a new school, students must request their record be released by submitting a F-1 SEVIS Transfer Out Request or a J-1 SEVIS Transfer Out Request to OIS.

    Allow four business days of processing time for F-1 requests and 10 business days for J-1 requests. Students will receive an initial email confirmation when their request is submitted and another after their SEVIS transfer has been processed. OIS will email the student if additional information is needed to process the request.

    After the SEVIS record is transferred, the new school will be able to access the student’s SEVIS record to create and issue a transfer Form I-20 or DS-2019. All SEVIS transfer requests are final, and USC cannot make changes to the SEVIS record after the SEVIS record release date. 

    Submit F-1 SEVIS Transfer Out Request
    Submit J-1 SEVIS Transfer Out Request

  • Work authorization for students on Optional Practical Training (OPT) or the STEM OPT Extension will expire on the SEVIS transfer release date, regardless of the EAD expiration date. 

    Work authorization for students on Academic Training Extension will expire on the SEVIS transfer release date.

  • Students must meet the following requirements to be eligible to transfer their USC SEVIS record to a new school:

    • The start date at the transfer-in school must be within five months of the last date of enrollment at USC.
      • If on OPT or STEM OPT Extension, the student must resume classes at the transfer-in school within five months of transferring out of USC or the date the OPT/STEM OPT Extension authorization ends — whichever is earlier.
    • The student must be in valid F-1/J-1 status with an “active” SEVIS record.
      • Currently enrolled or continuing students must have maintained their F-1 or J-1 status.
      • F-1 students on approved OPT must have completed all reporting requirements and not accrued more than 90 days of unemployment.
      • F-1 students on approved STEM OPT Extension must have completed all reporting requirements — including submission of Form I-983 Final Self-Evaluation — and not accrued more than 150 days of unemployment.
    • The student must meet the transfer-out deadlines specified below.

  • Currently enrolled/continuing students who plan to attend another school the following semester may have their SEVIS record transferred to the new school any time after the current semester end date and before the start of the next semester at USC.

    Students in the final semester of their USC program who plan to attend a new school must have their SEVIS records transferred to the new school during their 60-day grace period.

    Students who requested an OPT or STEM OPT Extension I-20 from OIS but never submitted an application to USCIS:

    • Must meet the SEVIS transfer deadlines indicated above for graduating students.

    • Must transfer out within 60 days of the end date of their OPT EAD.
    Students with an OPT or STEM OPT Extension application pending with USCIS:

    • May transfer in “active” status any time within the 60-day grace period after their program end date. If the grace period has passed, the student will be eligible to transfer at any time while the application is in “pending” status with USCIS. If the application is denied by USCIS prior to the SEVIS transfer out date, the student will be ineligible to transfer in “active” status, since the SEVIS record will auto-complete upon denial.

    • Should not transfer their SEVIS record while an OPT or STEM OPT Extension application is pending. Doing so is an automatic forfeiture of OPT or STEM OPT Extension work authorization, meaning the application is likely to be denied by USCIS.

    • Cannot withdraw or cancel their application once it is approved, even if the OPT or STEM OPT Extension is approved. OPT is granted once per higher degree level; if the student is approved for OPT, they will be eligible to apply for OPT again only if they complete a higher-level degree.
    Students on approved OPT or STEM OPT Extension:

    • Must have completed all OPT and STEM OPT Extension reporting requirements and not accrued more than the allowed unemployment days.

    • May transfer in “active” status any time either (1) between their approved OPT or STEM OPT Extension EAD start and end dates, or (2) within the 60-day grace period after their OPT or STEM OPT Extension EAD end date.
    Students on approved Academic Training Extension

    • Must transfer out before the DS-2019 end date or sooner.

  • If you plan to travel internationally before beginning your program at the new school, your SEVIS record must be released to your new school before departing the United States.

    Once your SEVIS record has been released to your new school, you:

    • Must reenter the United States using the new school’s Transfer-Pending Form I-20.
    • Cannot use your USC I-20 to reenter the United States after the SEVIS release date.
    • May use your F-1 visa with the new I-20 to reenter the United States if your F-1 visa is still valid.
    • Must apply for a new F-1 visa using your new school’s I-20 before returning if your F-1 visa has expired.
    • May reenter the United States before your new program begins if you have a Transfer-Pending I-20. The 30-day entry limit applies only to students with an Initial I-20, not those with a Transfer-Pending I-20.

    Discuss your travel plans and proposed SEVIS release date with your new school’s international student office to ensure proper timing and issuance of your new I-20.

  • OIS will only complete SEVIS transfer requests for students who have maintained valid F-1 or J-1 status and have an “active” SEVIS record. 

    OIS does not complete transfer or status verification form(s) from other institutions, as they are not a regulatory requirement for completing F-1 transfers (8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(8)(ii)). 

    Upon release, previous program dates, work authorization and any additional information requested on the transfer verification form are accessible to the new school in SEVIS. It is the student’s responsibility to provide proof of prior work authorization, if requested.

    Upon completion of the student’s SEVIS transfer request, the student will receive a confirmation email from OIS. Instead of a transfer verification form, the student may forward this email confirmation from OIS to their new school as evidence that they have met eligibility requirements for a SEVIS transfer in “active” status.

Guidelines for Maintaining Status

Post-Completion OPT

STEM OPT Extension