CHANGES TO PERSONAL, ACADEMIC, FINANCIAL INFO IN THE SEVIS RECORD

Each F-1 or J-1 student has a SEVIS record and has the responsibility to maintain accurate information there at all times. First review the I-20 carefully and ask the UIS if you have any questions about what you see, especially if your name or citizenship information does not match your passport. The UIS can update the information in your SEVIS record and reprint the I-20. The SEVIS record in real-time takes precedence over previous I-20s, but you should save all your I-20s because you may be asked to show copies when applying for future benefits. The UIS recommends you save scans of everything on a USB drive. 

Here is the information that could change during your student journey. Keep the UIS informed.

1. Program Dates –  At the time of your admission to the University, a program start date and a program end date was entered into your SEVIS Record based on the average time need to complete a Bachelors, Masters, or Doctoral degree programs. These appear on the I-20 in the Program of Study Block.  You may be able to complete your program requirements in less time or you may need more time. It is your responsibility to communicate with the UIS if your program end date needs to be changed. 

2. Personal Information –  An F-1/J-1 student must report changes to their name (as per the official passport), address, phone, and email. The name, birthdate, and country of citizenship must match the passport. If the passport has all names in one field, federal regulations require all names be entered into the Surname field on the I-20.  Students should report any changes to their address and contact information within 10 days of the change. Please use the Personal Information Update Form to submit the new information to the UIS, and the UIS will report these in SEVIS.

3. Academic Information – If a student changes their major, adds a second major or a minor, these changes must be updated in SEVIS. Complete the appropriate process with the Registrar and the Graduate Admissions Office (if applicable) first, Then upload the approved change of major form to the I-20/DS-2019 Update Request Form and submit to the UIS.

Understanding the CIP Code on your I-20: Each academic program or major is assigned a CIP Code that is listed on your I-20. Please note that occasionally the exact wording varies, but the CIP Code is determined based on the curricular content of the academic program as determined by the Department of Education. The CIP code determines eligibility for the STEM extension to OPT.

4.  Financial Information – The financial information on your I-20 is entered into SEVIS at the time of admissions. The costs figures are based on the minimum full-time courseload of credits for one academic year and estimated fees, and thus may not be exact. The funding resources are based on the financial certification documents the student provided during admissions. The financial information in the SEVIS record rarely changes unless the student adds an F-2 dependent. The student must certify an additional $6000 per year for one dependent, and $5000 more for each subsequent dependent. The financial information will change if the student changes education level (eg. finishes a bachelors degree and enters a masters degree program).

Advisors Approval Form

Shorten Program Form

Extension Request Form

Personal Information Update Form

I-20/DS-2019 Update Request Form

If after reviewing this information, you still have questions, submit your inquiry to UIS via the General Inquiry Form. UIS will answer inquiries in the order they are received.