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Withdraw or Transfer


Withdraw

Students who wish to leave SAU need to follow the correct withdrawal process to ensure they are not billed or penalized for leaving without notice.

So, if you know you will not return to SAU, or need to take a leave of absence, make sure you follow the proper withdrawal procedures:

  • First, talk to your DSO about your decision.
  • To withdraw from the university, students need to go to Student Life and complete the university withdrawal process.  This may take some time, so don’t wait until your last day.
  • Upon withdrawing from the university students have 15 days to leave the US.

 

Transfer

Transferring to another school as an F1 student must follow certain regulations for students to remain in status.  The start of the process is getting accepted to another program, but it is important to follow the proper SEVIS transfer process in a timely manner.

Transferring while attending SAU

To be eligible for a SEVIS transfer, you must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Be accepted into a SEVIS-approved institution for a full-time program.
  2. Begin your courses at the new school within 5 months of your last SAU enrollment.
  3. Must transfer before the start of the next semester’s start date.

Before you transfer, you need to ensure you follow the proper process to withdraw from the University.  This is to ensure they are not billed or penalized for leaving without notice.  Contact the Office of Student Life if you have questions.

Transferring after graduating

To be eligible for a SEVIS transfer, you must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Be accepted into a SEVIS-approved institution for a full-time program.
  2. Begin your courses at the new school within 5 months of your last SAU enrollment.
  3. MUST have your record transferred within 60 days of your graduation date.
    • Failure to do this will result in your SEVIS record automatically “completing” which means you will be out of status.

Transferring during or after OPT/STEM OPT

To be eligible for a SEVIS transfer, you must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Be accepted into a SEVIS-approved institution for a full-time program.
  2. Begin your courses at the new school within 5 months of your OPT/STEM OPT EAD End Date.
  3. MUST have your record transferred within 60 days of your OPT/STEM OPT EAD End Date
    • Failure to do this will result in your SEVIS record automatically “completing” which means you will be out of status.

Students can transfer while on OPT (before their end date), but once the student’s record has been transferred the OPT is invalid and can no longer be used.  The time left on the EAD card is lost forever.

It is advised to transfer after student’s end date so not to lose the authorized employment period.  If a student finds a program they wish to attend and the program start date is before the end of the student’s OPT then it is recommended to not transfer the SEVIS record until the day before the start of the new program.  This would allow the student to continue working even though the student has been accepted to another program.  It is best to speak with the DSO at the student’s future school to determine the best course of action for the student because every school has different transfer requirements.

Transfer Process

All transferring students will follow this process:
  1. Obtain your admission letter from the school you wish to attend(On University letter head and include program start date).
    • Ensure the start of your program is within 5 months from when you last attended SAU.
  2. Complete the Transfer Request form below.
    • Attach your admission letter to this form.
    • Make sure to request a transfer date that is within 60 days of when you last attended SAU.
  3. ISS will review your transfer to ensure you will remain in status.
  4. ISS will process your transfer request on the date you put on your form and email you to inform you that the transfer is complete.
  5. You will need to contact your new school to ensure you follow their transfer in process

Transfer Release

Students may apply to many schools so it is important that students do not submit the Transfer Request form until they know without a doubt that this is the school the wish to attend.  Once your SEVIS record is transferred or “released” SAU no longer has access to it.  It is deactivated in our SEVIS records.  The new school then has control of the record.  So if ISS transfers your record to a school but you change your mind it is a difficult process (and in some cases impossible) process to get it transferred to another school.

Transfer Request form

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