Transfer F-1 International Student Admissions

To complete your application, you'll need to create an account in our online system. You can start your application today and finish it in the future.

Start Your Application

After you submit your application, you'll receive an email with your conditional acceptance letter. Remember, the conditional approval letter cannot be used in place of the acceptance verification letter that will be issued by your designated HCC school official once you complete all F-1 transfer requirements. And you won't be officially admitted to HCC until after you submit your additional required materials, which include:

1. SEVIS Form I-20 Application: Fill out the PDF and sign it (an electronic signature is acceptable). Add an additional page if more you have more than one dependent. Note: This document may not show on your To-Do list if we have received it via email.
2. F-1 International Student Transfer In PDF Form: Fill out and sign the top portion of the form, then request the DSO at your current school to complete the second part and email the form as instructed.
3. Passport: Photocopy of the biometric page only.
4. Copy of visa or Change of Status approval notice. To upload, please save all pages into one PDF file*
5. I-94 Departure Record: Print out your I-94 > click on Get most recent I-94; or provide the I-94 on the Change of Status approval notice I-797; I-94 should show class F-1 and admitted until date D/S.*
6. Financial Documentation: To upload, please save all bank statement pages into one PDF file. Prepare affidavits and employment letters as separate PDF files.
7. Copies of previous SEVIS I-20s* -- To upload, please save all pages into one PDF file.
8. Receipts for application and orientation Fees (NON-refundable). You can pay the fee online using a credit card or funds transfer from your local bank (via Flywire). Refer to How do I make an international payment with Flywire? for instructions. Please enable pop-ups on your internet browser for online payment. Ater payment, the receipt will be sent to your email address. Save the receipt as a PDF. Note: The payment term and entrance term may vary when paying the fee online. This is not a problem as the payment can be tracked by date.

Submit your documents in the student system under your F-1 Student Checklist. Log into the student system using your HCC W number and password. Follow this tutorial for more detailed instructions. Note: New applicants should wait about two hours after submission of the online application to access their F-1 Student Checklist.

If you do not see an F-1 Student Checklist, please send an email to oiss.international@hccs.edu with your HCC student ID, "CONCURRENT," and the semester you're applying for, written in the subject line. Check your account again within 3 business days, and the F-1 Student Checklist should now be available.

Also, make sure to monitor your F-1 Student Checklist for additional documents that may be required.

*Provide this document for all dependents (spouse/ children under 21) who will accompany you with I-94 status F-2, as well as marriage and birth certificates.

Access the Student System

Log into the HCC Student System and view your To-Do list (click on Checklists>F1 Student Checklist).  If the only item in your To-Do list is “I-20 In Process," your application is under review by one of the Designated School Officials (DSO). If you see any other items in your F-1 Student Checklist, you must upload the required documents so that your application can be reviewed. 

After uploading all the required documents, it usually takes approximately 10 business days for the review of the application. The duration of this process may vary depending on when the application is submitted and the number of applicants in the queue at that time.

If you haven't heard from us within 10 business days (weekends and holidays are not included), please email oiss.international@hccs.edu to check the status of your application. Make sure to include your HCC ID in the email subject line.

Student System

When your application is complete, you will receive an email from your assigned DSO at HCC with an official approval letter as an F-1 student. This letter will verify that you have been officially accepted as an F-1 Transfer Student and are eligible to enroll and transfer your I-20 to HCC.

Please confer with your current school to complete the process of releasing your SEVIS record as all schools have their preferred method of doing this. Remember that you do not need to wait for the HCC SEVIS Form I-20 to start the enrollment process at HCC. You should start that process as soon as registration opens to ensure the selection you need is available.

 After the I-20  is transferred to the SEVIS system, the HCC DSO will process and email you the electronically signed I-20.

Note: The HCC Conditional approval letter cannot be used for F-1 transfer purposes.

F-1 transfer students must receive an official transfer acceptance verification letter issued by HCC DSO to be considered officially accepted and eligible for F-1 transfer. Transfer students DO NOT need to report for virtual Check-in, but should continue with the steps listed below. 

You don't need the HCC  Form I-20 or to wait for the Mandatory International Orientation to enroll. However, if you haven't received your new I-20 within the first 3 weeks of the semester, please follow up with your previous school DSO and your HCC DSO.

HCC Form I-20

You are responsible for requesting and completing all transfer-out steps required by your school.

Please confer with your current school to complete the process of releasing your SEVIS record as all schools have their preferred method of doing this. Your Form I-20 should be transferred to SEVIS Houston City College School code: HOU214F00354000.  Remember that you do not need to wait for the HCC SEVIS Form I-20 to start the enrollment process at HCC. You should start that process as soon as registration opens to ensure the selection you need is available.

After the I-20  is transferred to the SEVIS system, the HCC DSO will process your "Transfer Pending I-20" and email you the electronically signed I-20.  Later, upon registering your I-20 in SEVIS  you will receive your "Continuing Attendance I-20".

Submit proof of the meningitis vaccine if you are under 22 years old at a campus or email it to vaccine@hccs.edu. The system will not allow you to enroll in classes until your proof of vaccination has been processed.

To learn more about the vaccination, as well as exemptions, click the button below.

Meningitis

Log onto your student Homepage via myeagle.hccs.edu and complete the Checklist items that prevent enrollment: Financial Responsibility; Residency Re-affirmation; Meningitis (if under 22 years of age); Complete the On-boarding Checklist: Eagle Launch (web orientation), Testing. Negative holds like Int’l Student Advisement, Bursar's office, and ESL should be cleared before enrollment with the relevant department (read details of the hold). Positive holds like “F-1 student” do not affect enrollment.

Please note that the DSO/International Student Advisors in the International Office are not able to assist with testing authorization or class enrollment. For assistance with testing authorization, testing fee payment, test scores, transcripts, class enrollment, or change of major, connect with the HCC Enrollment & Advising Services teams. You can access these services either at your local HCC campus or through the HCC Virtual Enrollment & Advising Services.

Get testing authorization. Pay the testing fee at the cashier’s office on campus or via your HCC portal, and bring the receipt to the testing center on campus to take the exam. Make sure to have a photo ID to present before taking the test.

You can find more information about Testing and English proficiency on the foreign credentials page. Documents with passing English proficiency scores should be sent to HCC as instructed. Evaluated foreign credentials or U.S transcripts should be sent as per the instructions on our transcripts page.

Foreign Credentials

To start adding classes to your schedule, log in to the Student Center. For help, check out our Enrollment Video Tutorials or visit our our Virtual Lobby to chat online with us.

Students placed in ESL/Intensive English levels 0,1 and 2 should contact the CEU ESL department on campus or their virtual lobby for enrollment/registration. 

Students placed in ESL/Intensive English levels 3 and 4 and all academic-ready students should meet with an Enrollment Services/Academic Advisor on campus or in our Virtual Lobby about the classes they need to take. For help with enrollment, please watch the Class Search and Enroll Video or download our PDF tutorial. Students in the Intensive English program will be enrolled in cohort-based courses that do not allow mix-and-match of the classes.

• Spring and Fall semesters: F-1 students must enroll in 12 credit hours, of which only ONE (1) class can be 100% online. The remaining classes must be in-person or hybrid classes.
• If Summer is the first semester of attendance, F-1 students should enroll in 9 credit hours, of which only ONE (1) class can be 100% online, and the rest must be in-person or hybrid classes. 

Note for transfer students: If you have not received your HCC I-20 form yet, you do not need to wait for it to register for classes. You should receive the Continued Attendance I-20 form within 30 days of the start of the classes.

Paying for Classes

After you've added all your classes to your schedule, you will need to pay your account balance.

Your sponsors can also pay for your classes from their home countries: International Payment Tutorial.

For government- or third-party sponsored students, go to Payment and Scholarship Information portion of the International Students FAQs.

You can also learn more about our payment plan.

Enroll Now

Attendance at the International Student Orientation is mandatory. Please visit our International Students Orientation webpage for more information and to sign up for a session.

Don't wait for the orientation session or for the HCC I-20 to enroll in classes! Classes fill up quickly.

Student Orientation

Congratulations!

You have already enrolled and paid for your classes (or made a partial payment if you are on a payment plan).  

After the semester begins, your Designated School Official (DSO) will register your record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and issue you a "Continued Attendance" Form I-20. This "Continued Attendance" I-20 will reflect your active status and include updates such as your major, address, or program dates. You can expect to receive the "Continued Attendance" I-20 via email within 15 days of the start of classes.

Please note that the "Continued Attendance" I-20 is required for applying for a driver's license, state ID, or Social Security Number (SSN) in the event of employment.