Updated November 6, 2026

What Is Form I-20 for F-1 and M-1 Student Visas?

Form I-20, officially titled the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, is the paper record of your admission in the US government's SEVIS database. A Designated School Official (DSO) at an SEVP-certified school issues the form after you are accepted and show proof of funding.

Every F-1 academic and M-1 vocational student needs a signed Form I-20 to pay the mandatory $350 I-901 SEVIS fee (per U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), apply for a student visa, and enter the United States up to 30 days before the program start date.

What is the difference between Form I-20, a student visa and F-1 or M-1 status?

Study in the States, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website, separates the Form I-20, your student visa, and your legal status by what each one does and who issues it. When you arrive at a US air or sea port of entry, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer reviews your documents and creates an electronic Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, which documents your lawful admission and status.

Only a Designated School Official (DSO) at a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) can issue a Form I-20, and they must send it directly to you or your legal guardian. Education recruiters have no role in issuing or handling Forms I-20 and cannot hold on to the form for any reason.

DSOs issue two versions of the form depending on your program. Except for the title at the top, the information on both versions is identical, and the version you receive dictates the visa category you must obtain and the status you must maintain:

• Form I-20 for F-1 Academic and Language Students: for students enrolling in a university, college, high school, private elementary school, seminary, conservatory, or an accredited English language training program.
• Form I-20 for M-1 Vocational Students: for students enrolling in technical or recognized nonacademic institutions (such as culinary, cosmetology, or flight training schools) other than language training programs.

What information is on Form I-20, and what should you check when it arrives?

When a DSO creates your initial Form I-20 in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), they enter information across four SEVIS pages: Class of Admission and Personal Information, Contact and Program Information, Dependents, and Financial Information. As of July 1, 2016, the redesigned Form I-20 without a barcode is required for all F and M visa applications, US entry, travel, and benefit applications, and any pre-July 2016 version with a barcode is invalid.

Under SEVP Policy Guidance issued on November 1, 2021, DSOs may electronically sign and transmit the Form I-20 to initial and continuing students and their dependents. You must print the electronic form, sign it in ink yourself, and bring the printed copy to your visa interview and the US port of entry.

Before you pay any fees or book your interview, use this 8-point checklist from SEVP's Form I-20 creation rules to verify every section on Page 1:

• SEVIS ID number and School Code: your unique identifier starting with the letter N is printed in the top center of newer versions of the Form I-20 (older versions placed it in the top right under Student's Copy). Confirm your school's name, address, and SEVIS School Code.
• Class of Admission and Issue Reason (Block 3): academic and language students must see F-1, and vocational students must see M-1. Initial Attendance is for students entering the US from abroad to start a new program. Initial Attendance - Change of Status Requested is for students already in the US filing Form I-539 with USCIS.
• Personal details and Passport Name (MRZ match): SEVIS holds your surname/primary name (up to 80 characters), given name (up to 80 characters), and passport name as written in the Machine-Readable Zone (MRZ) at the bottom of your passport bio page (up to 39 characters). Verify that your name, birth date, city and country of birth, country of citizenship, and sex match your passport.
• Program of study and CIP codes: check your Education Level (Primary K-8, Secondary 9-12, Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate, Language Training, or Other) and your primary major, second major, or minor listed with U.S. Department of Education Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes.
• Program and session dates: verify your Program Start Date (which may include required orientation), your Initial Session Start Date (when classes begin, no more than 30 days after the Program Start Date), and your expected Program End Date. If you cannot arrive by your Program Start Date, contact your DSO immediately to defer your start date in SEVIS.
• English proficiency: confirms that you meet your school's English proficiency requirement, or explains why the school does not require it. If a school requires English proficiency and the DSO selects No in SEVIS, the system prevents the DSO from completing the Form I-20.
• Financial information (Expenses vs. Funding): side-by-side boxes show estimated costs (Tuition and Fees, Living Expenses, Expenses for Dependents, and Other Costs) and your funding (Student's Personal Funds, Funds from this School, Funds from Other Sources, and On-Campus Employment) for up to 12 months (an academic year or the program length, whichever is shorter). Total Funding must meet or exceed Total Expenses before SEVIS allows the DSO to issue the form.
• Remarks (Block 9) and Signatures (Block 10 and Student Attestation): Block 9 holds up to 1,000 characters of DSO notes. Verify that your DSO's signature and Date of Issuance appear in Block 10, then print the form and sign the Student Attestation section. If you are under age 18, your parents must sign the Form I-20 for you.

How to use your Form I-20 step by step: from SEVIS fee to US entry

Once your Form I-20 is checked, printed, and signed, you use it at five stages of the international student lifecycle, based on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Study in the States rules:

• Step 1: Choose one Form I-20 if admitted to multiple schools. Every SEVP-certified school that accepts you sends its own Form I-20 with a different SEVIS ID number. Select the one school you will attend and use only that Form I-20 to pay the SEVIS fee, apply for your visa, and enter the US.
• Step 2: Pay the mandatory $350 I-901 SEVIS fee. File Form I-901 and pay the $350 fee (effective June 24, 2019 for F-1, F-3, M-1, and M-3 students) at FMJfee.com using your SEVIS ID number and School Code. You can schedule your visa interview before paying, but the fee must be paid before you appear at the interview. Allow at least 3 business days for online payment verification to post to SEVIS and the Department of State consular database, and print your receipt. Prospective F or M students whose country of citizenship or birth is Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, or Gambia cannot pay by credit card on FMJfee.com (even through a third party) and must pay by money order, Western Union Quick Pay, or certified check drawn from a US bank.
• Step 3: Apply for your F-1 or M-1 student visa. Bring your printed, signed Form I-20 and I-901 fee receipt to your visa interview. Per Department of State guidance updated February 21, 2023, consular officers can issue an F-1 or M-1 visa up to 365 days in advance of the Program Start Date on your Form I-20. Citizens of Canada and Bermuda (plus qualifying Bahamian nationals and British subject residents in the Bahamas, Cayman, or Turks and Caicos Islands under 8 CFR 212.1a) are exempt from obtaining a visa at a consulate, and instead present their signed Form I-20 and I-901 fee receipt directly at the US port of entry.
• Step 4: Enter the United States within 30 days of your start date. You may enter the US up to 30 days before the Program Start Date on your Form I-20. Hand-carry your signed Form I-20, passport, valid visa, and I-901 receipt in your carry-on bag, never in checked luggage. If you arrive at a port of entry without required documents, a CBP officer may deny admission or issue a Form I-515A (Notice to Student or Exchange Visitor), which grants temporary admission for 30 days. You must send the required documents to the SEVP Form I-515A processing team within 30 days, or your nonimmigrant status will be terminated and you must depart immediately.
• Step 5: Report to your school and apply for student benefits. Report to your school by your Program Start Date so your DSO can register your Initial SEVIS record as Active within 30 days of your Initial Session Start Date (no later than 30 days after the Program Start Date). Bring your Form I-20 when applying for a driver's license, a Social Security number (if granted employment authorization), or work authorization (Form I-765 with USCIS).

How consular officers check your Form I-20 at the visa interview

Study in the States states that you are expected to have your original, printed, signed Form I-20 at your visa interview (a consular officer may accept a copy only in limited circumstances). At the window, the officer checks that your I-901 SEVIS fee receipt matches the SEVIS ID on your Form I-20, that your visa category and school match the form, that you have credible financial support for the 12-month Expenses figure on Page 1, and that you meet the English proficiency requirement shown on the form. For the full question list across every topic, see our guide to F-1 student visa interview questions and our breakdown of F-1 visa proof of funds.

Below are the main interview questions tied directly to the fields on your Form I-20, what each one checks, and how to prepare:

• "How much will your first year cost, and how will you pay for it?" Checks the Expenses and Funding boxes on Page 1. Know your exact 12-month Total Expenses figure, how much comes from school aid versus personal or sponsor funds, and have your bank statements, sponsor income proof, or loan letters ready.
• "Did you receive a scholarship or assistantship from this university?" Checks the Funds from this School line in the Funding box on Page 1. Be ready to state the exact dollar amount printed on your I-20 and the type of award.
• "How many universities admitted you, and did you receive more than one I-20?" Checks why you chose this program and confirms that your I-901 receipt matches the SEVIS ID on the Form I-20 you brought. If you switched schools after paying the fee, transfer the I-901 fee to your new SEVIS ID on FMJfee.com before the interview and bring the updated receipt.
• "When does your program start, and when do you plan to travel?" Checks the Program Start Date on Page 1 and confirms your planned arrival is no more than 30 days before that date.
• "Your I-20 says your program does not require English proficiency. Why?" Checks the English Proficiency box on Page 1. If you are enrolling in language training or a conditional pathway, explain the structure plainly.
• "Why does your I-20 say 'Initial attendance at this school' if you are already studying in the US?" Checks Block 3 and Block 9 (Remarks) for transfer or change-of-level students renewing a visa. ICE advises asking your DSO to put Continuing student - transfer or Continuing student change of education level in Block 9 to show you maintained status under the same SEVIS ID and do not owe a new SEVIS fee.

Do F-2 and M-2 dependents need their own Form I-20? (With worked example)

Yes. F-1 and M-1 students may bring only one spouse and unmarried children under age 21 as F-2 or M-2 dependents. When your DSO adds dependents on the Dependents page in SEVIS, the system generates a separate Form I-20 for each dependent and adds their costs to the Expenses for Dependents line on your record.

F-2 and M-2 dependents do not pay an I-901 SEVIS fee (unless they later apply to change status to F-1, M-1, or J-1), but each dependent must have their own printed, signed Form I-20 to apply for a visa and enter the US. Dependents are not allowed to work in the United States. Minor F-2 and M-2 children may attend school at the appropriate grade level without becoming F-1 or M-1 students or attending an SEVP-certified school, and adult dependents may enroll part-time in school under certain circumstances.

Worked example using SEVP's Form I-20 financial rules and ICE's I-901 fee schedule: Suppose you are admitted to a Master's program (F-1) and bring your spouse and one 4-year-old child on F-2 visas. Your DSO enters $28,000 for Tuition and Fees, $14,000 for your Living Expenses, $8,000 for Expenses for Dependents (2 dependents), and $1,500 for Other Costs, bringing your Total 12-Month Expenses on Form I-20 to $51,500.

Because Total Funding must meet or exceed Total Expenses before the DSO can issue the forms, your combined 12-month funding must equal at least $51,500. If your university offers a $15,000 assistantship (Funds from this School) and you show $10,000 in personal savings (Student's Personal Funds), your family sponsor or loan (Funds from Other Sources) must cover at least $26,500. Your DSO then issues three Forms I-20 (one F-1 and two F-2s), and your total I-901 SEVIS fee at FMJfee.com is $350 (with no fee required for your two F-2 dependents).

When do you need a new Form I-20, when do you pay the SEVIS fee again, and what happens at graduation?

Study in the States notes that your DSO will issue a new Form I-20 if your physical copy is destroyed or misplaced, for travel endorsement (request travel signatures from your DSO at least two to four weeks before traveling outside the US), when your SEVIS status changes (such as from Initial to Active), or for any substantive change to your personal details, program of study, or optional practical training (OPT). Keep every Form I-20 and your I-901 receipt until you complete your final degree.

If you are already in the US in another nonimmigrant status and applying to change status to F-1 or M-1, you need a Form I-20 marked Initial Attendance - Change of Status Requested, must pay the $350 I-901 fee, and must file Form I-539 with USCIS. If USCIS has not approved your change of status before the Program Start Date, your DSO must defer the Program Start Date in SEVIS to keep the record in Initial status while pending. For continuing and reapplying students, ICE's I-901 FAQ sets these rules:

Once you complete your program of study (or training end date) and do not transfer, change status, or start practical training, F-1 students and F-2 dependents have 60 days to depart the United States, while M-1 students and M-2 dependents have 30 days. Note that on July 17, 2026, DHS published a final rule establishing a fixed time period of admission and an extension of stay procedure for F and J nonimmigrants, so check with your DSO for the current rules affecting your program end date.

Getting ready for your embassy appointment? Read our US visa interview tips for what to bring, or see how to handle a 214(b) visa refusal or 221(g) administrative processing.

Visaful is an AI mock interview app for US visa interviews: an AI officer asks your visa's questions out loud and shows what to fix.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or any government agency.