Choosing a transfer school should not be based only on location. The right decision depends on your SEVIS transfer timing, academic fit, credits, budget, work authorization plans and whether the school can support your long-term outcome.
Check transfer timing, credits, visa/status, work options, budget and up to $1,000 cashback eligibility before you apply.
How an F‑1 transfer works
- Get admitted to the new school.
- Tell your current DSO. They mark your SEVIS record as transferring out, name the new school and set a release date: the end of your current term, or earlier. SEVIS will not accept a release date more than six months ahead (ICE).
- After the release date, the new school issues a transfer-pending I‑20. Before it, the new school can only draft one.
- Contact the new school's DSO within 15 days of the programme start date on the new I‑20 (8 CFR 214.2(f)(8), Study in the States).
- Start classes within five months of leaving your old school, or of the programme completion date on your current I‑20, whichever comes first.
One answer in ICE's transfer FAQ says "no later than 15 days before" the start date; the regulation and Study in the States say within 15 days of it. CPT does not carry over: the new DSO must authorise it again, and any OPT authorisation ends on the release date.
SEVP-certified schools in San Diego
All six are on SEVP's list of certified schools dated 23 September 2026 (SEVP). Costs are the schools' own 2026-27 figures.
| School | What it publishes |
|---|---|
| San Diego State University | Nonresident undergraduate budget of $53,562 a year in university housing, or $53,366 off campus (SDSU); nonresident tuition of $471 a unit from Fall 2026 (SDSU bursar). It is not taking international transfer applications for spring 2027; the Fall 2027 filing period is 1 October to 30 November 2026 (SDSU admissions). |
| UC San Diego (La Jolla) | I‑20 funding estimate of $82,662 for a new undergraduate and $73,507 for a new graduate student (UCSD). It accepts a SEVIS transfer only if your current enrolment or OPT ends less than 5 months (150 days) before UCSD instruction starts (UCSD). |
| University of San Diego | Undergraduate tuition of $64,100 a year, or $88,397 with fees, health insurance, housing and a meal plan (USD). |
| Point Loma Nazarene University | Undergraduate tuition of $49,500 a year, or $66,010 with fees, room and board (PLNU). |
| San Diego Mesa College | $377 a unit nonresident fee plus the $46 enrolment fee, from Fall 2026 (San Diego Community College District) (Mesa's own page still says $415 a unit). It asks international applicants to show at least $47,000 for one school year, and transfer students to have studied full-time with at least a 2.0 GPA (Mesa). |
| Grossmont College (El Cajon) | Estimated cost for F‑1 students of $32,937 a year, including $10,212 in tuition and fees; students transferring from US schools can apply for fall between 1 February and 15 June (Grossmont). |
San Diego City and Miramar colleges, Southwestern College, Cuyamaca College, MiraCosta College, Palomar College and CSU San Marcos are also on SEVP's list. National University does not appear on it, so it cannot issue an I‑20.
What to check before choosing a school
- SEVP certification and how quickly its DSO answers.
- Your release date and when the new I‑20 can be issued.
- How many of your credits transfer, and whether you lose a semester.
- Tuition, living costs and any payment plan, from the school's own cost page.
- Whether your CPT, OPT or STEM OPT plans change.
- Attendance format, commute and workload.
The 2026 rule on hold
On 17 July 2026 the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule that would replace duration of status with fixed admission periods of up to 4 years, cut the 60-day period after you finish to 30 days, stop students below graduate level from transferring or changing major in their first academic year, and stop graduate students from transferring, except with SEVP approval (Federal Register, 91 FR 44976). It was due to take effect on 15 September 2026.
On 14 September 2026 the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts postponed the rule nationwide and barred DHS from implementing it while the case continues, in Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration v. DHS (court order, docket). USCIS says it will "proceed under the previous regulatory provisions" (USCIS), and the court has set a status conference for 2 October 2026. For transfers, that rule would stop graduate students transferring and undergraduates transferring in their first academic year, except with SEVP approval; the steps above are the rules in force today. Neither version is settled: check the current position before you plan around it (as of 24 September 2026).
Best next step
Before applying, compare at least three schools by cost, credit transfer, CPT and OPT impact, location, start date and credibility. We can help you build that shortlist for free.
Official sources to verify
- ICE SEVIS: Transfers for F‑1 students
- Study in the States: transferring to another school
- SEVP: certified school list, 23 September 2026
Rules checked on 24 September 2026 against the official pages linked. They change: confirm on the linked page before you act.
