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International Services and Engagement Office ISEO
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International Student Services
Training and Workshops

This page provides information for UC San Diego Campus Partners that advise international students. If you are an international student and would like to learn more about your visa status, please visit our Student Services page.

Current International Student Advising

It is important that F-1 and J-1 students work with their colleges and/or departments to ensure they are correctly maintaining their status in the United States. Failure to do so could have a negative impact on their status.

Common Topics:

Newly Admitted International Student Advising

Fall admit international students can generally begin requesting their Form I-20 (F-1 visa) or Form DS-2019 (J-1 visa) documents from ISEO in early March. Winter admit international students can generally begin requesting these documents in early November.

Please see our F-1 or J-1 Visa Eligibility chart for more information regarding these two visa types.

Summer Start Programs:

In order to issue our newly admitted international students their immigration documents, ISEO is required to verify program start information from every program across campus. Departments that require their students to attend mandatory, in-person activities prior to the end of Summer Session II may be eligible to have their international students issued a “Summer Start” Form I-20 or DS-2019, which will allow students to enter the US in time for their program’s summer start. If your department has a program that will require in-person full-time participation prior to the official start of fall classes, please notify ISEO by reporting your program start information via the button below.

Report Program Start Information to ISEO

Your summer start program must meet the requirements outlined by one of the options below in order for your incoming international students to be issued an earlier start date on their Form I-20 or DS-2019:


OPTION 1: Full Time Study – 18 clock hours per week leading to Fall full-time matriculation.
If the program meets the below requirements for full-time study, ISEO can issue the Form I-20/DS-2019 with the program’s summer start date. A letter from the department with the following information is required to be submitted to ISEO:

  • Student Name(s)
  • Student PID(s)
  • Description of the early arrival program
  • Start/End Dates of Program
  • Date student is required to report on campus (may include orientation/on-boarding to begin research activities)
  • Confirmation student will be engaged in a minimum of 18 clock hours per week of classroom/lab hours or other associated activities during the duration of program
  • Explanation of how activities during the summer are a required component of program
  • Explanation of how activities during the summer are required in order to make normal progress towards completion of degree or program
  • Confirmation that classroom hours, research, or other components of the program are required to be conducted within the U.S.
  • Confirmation that the student is required to matriculate in the upcoming fall quarter.


OPTION 2: Full Time Study – Full-time enrollment/registration in Summer Session
If the program meets the below requirements of enrollment in Summer Session, ISEO can issue the Form I-20/DS-2019 with the requested summer session start date. The department must verify that the student will show full-time enrollment on their Academic History in accordance with the following:

  • When Summer Session I is the starting term: Student must be enrolled full-time for both Summer Session I and Summer Session II. Full-time enrollment is considered 6 units for SS1 AND 6 units for SSII.
  • When Summer Session II is the starting term: Student must be enrolled in 6 units for SSII.
  • When Summer Session III (Special Summer Session) is the starting term: Student must be enrolled in 6 units for SSIII.

Student Instructions - Request Form I-20 or Form DS-2019:

Log into iportal.ucsd.edu using your UC San Diego Personal ID (PID). Note, you must wait 24 hours after you’ve submitted your Offer of Acceptance to access iPortal. Under the Services Tab, start the NEW ADMIT: I-20 or DS-2019 Special Start Programs.

Visa Processing: Delays and Support Documents

Every international student who applies for an F-1 or J-1 visa at a U.S. Consulate or Embassy in their home country must present supporting documentation at the visa interview. These document requirements are outlined at the Applying for U.S. Visa webpage.

Visa Delays:

Due to recent changes in the visa application process, some students seeking U.S. visas may encounter lengthy processing delays due to additional security and background clearances related to the U.S. Department of State’s Technology Alert List (TAL).

When we become aware of students that are undergoing Administrative Processing, we will make sure departments are aware of the visa delay. Our office then works with the student and department in case a support letter is needed, or to help them navigate making inquiries to the US consulate per the below:

In general:

  1. Students can check the status of their visa application at the Consular Electronic Application Center. 
  2. If the process is taking more than 60 days, then ISEO can provide a visa application support letter that the student can give to the consular officer.
  3. In some extreme cases, we can contact the US embassy or consulate in the student’s home country to request a status update and expedited processing.

In those cases where the visa delay impacts the student’s arrival for the start of the fall term, we then work with the department and student to determine if the student is eligible to defer their admissions/return and update the I-20 accordingly. 

Departmental Support Documents:

As part of the review process, international students applying for F-1 or J-1 visas may be asked to submit additional supporting documentation from their academic department at UC San Diego. This request usually includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Copy of departmental description of the degree program
  • Support letter (on letterhead) from an academic advisor/department describing: the student’s program of study, goals of the student’s research and any practical applications, sources and amounts of any U.S. government money to be used to support that research; and description of any export-controlled technology and/or information that will be shared with the applicant.
  • CV/resume of the student’s faculty advisor*

*If the student does not have a faculty advisor, please indicate this in the department support letter.

ISEO appreciates your assistance in supporting our international students so that they can begin their programs of study successfully at UC San Diego. If you have any questions regarding these requirements or this updated process, please do not hesitate to contact ISEO at icontact.ucsd.edu.

Information compiled from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Carnegie Mellon University.

Sponsored Students

ISEO is proud to provide services for sponsored students and their sponsors. A sponsored student is a student whose tuition and fees are paid directly to UC San Diego by an outside private or public agency, such as a corporation, government, educational institution or embassy.

Integral to sponsored student success, participation in campus and community activities allows sponsored students to share their unique perspectives and diverse cultural heritages. Sponsored students also enrich our vibrant campus by creating educational exchanges with their fellow Tritons.

Learn more about the specialized services ISEO provides to its sponsored students by visiting our Sponsored Student Services page.

Intercultural Communication

ISEO Workshops

UAAC Meeting Guest Presentation: F-1 Practical Training, CPT and OPT | February 7, 2023

Pauline Airla Deguzman, Assistant Director of Student Services, ISPO
Argiria Williams, International Student Advisor, ISPO