If you plan to move to another school in the US either before or after completing your studies at Tufts, you must contact the International Center to have your F-1 SEVIS record transferred to your new school. Once your new school receives your SEVIS record, they can produce a transfer Form I-20 for you. The transfer process allows you to maintain your SEVIS record and SEVIS ID number, without having to leave the US and re-enter using a new I-20 and a new SEVIS ID.
In order to be able to transfer your F-1 status to another school, you must meet the conditions listed below:
3. Once the International Center approves your request, your SEVIS record will be transferred to your new school on your transfer release date. Your new school will receive your SEVIS record on the release date, and will be able to produce a Transfer I-20 for you after that date has been reached.
4. Once you receive your new I-20 from your new school, follow their instructions and guidance regarding issues such as travel, arrival, and employment. You will be under your new school's F-1 sponsorship and will need to receive their guidance about maintaining F-1 status.
Even after your F-1 transfer is completed, the International Center recommends that you keep copies of your Tufts I-20s (and any EAD cards issued for OPT or other types of employment) as part of your permanent records.
You must request an F-1 transfer and the transfer must take place no later than sixty (60) days after completing your Tufts program. If you are on post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) or the STEM OPT extension, the transfer must take place no later than sixty (60) days after the expiration of your Employment Authorization (EAD) card. In either case, once the sixty day period has passed, you are no longer eligible for a F-1 transfer.
If you transfer to a new school before completing your Tufts program or completing your Tufts-based OPT / STEM OPT, consult with an international student advisor at the International Center. Usually, for students who are still enrolled in their Tufts program, the transfer will take place immediately after the end of your most recent semester. If you want to transfer your record before the end of your post-completion or STEM OPT period, the transfer date can be of your choosing, but understand that your employment authorization will end once the record is transferred to your new school. You should select a transfer release date that takes place after you have finished any OPT-based employment, but before the start of your new program at your new school.