An I-20 is an official document, issued by a U.S. college or university, to show that you have been admitted to an academic program and demonstrated adequate financial support for your time in the United States. When you are admitted to Saint Louis University, the University’s Office of International Services will provide you with an I-20. Also called a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, the I-20 is required for you to apply for an F-1 student visa.
A Saint Louis University-issued I-20 should only be used to apply for the F-1 visa if you plan to enroll at Saint Louis University.
If you have already completed your I-20, review your next steps for obtaining an F-1 visa.
Sections of the I-20
The information below is intended to help you complete the sections of your I-20 form.
Page 1 of Your I-20 Form
SEVIS ID and Identifying Information
SEVIS ID: The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System assigns international students an ID number. Most students will have the same SEVIS number throughout the entirety of their time as an international student. Even if you change your course level or transfer schools, your SEVIS ID will stay the same. A SEVIS ID only changes if your record has previously been terminated or your studies have been halted by a leave of absence longer than five months.
Surname/Primary name: Your surname is what is considered to be your “family name.” Names on an I-20 cannot include hyphens, accents, or any other forms of punctuation according to the federal government. This may seem alarming at first, as it seems like your name has been misspelled. Consular officials are aware that names cannot have punctuation on an I-20.
If you do not have a surname, your given name, or first name, will be listed in the “primary name” section. This is not a mistake. The federal government does not allow for this section to be blank. This is a required field.
Given name: Your given name is what is considered to be your “first name.” If you only have one name, this section will be blank. This is a required field, only if you have both a given name and a surname. This is not a required field if you only have one name.
Preferred name: A preferred name is the name you want to be called. This section can be blank. If you listed a preferred name in your application, it may be listed here. This is not a required field.
Passport name: A passport name is the name listed on your passport. This section is usually left blank. This is not a required field.
Country of birth: The country you were born in should be listed here. This is a required field.
Country of citizenship: The country you are a citizen of should be listed here. This is a required field.
Date of birth: The date of your birth should be listed here. The number of the day you were born is listed first, followed by the month in words, and the year last. Check this carefully, as sometimes the day and month are reversed by mistake. This is a required field.
Admission number: This field is left blank on an initial I-20. You will be assigned an 11-digit admission number after you first enter the US. Your admission number will be listed on the Arrival-Departure Record. This is not a required field.
City of birth: This field will only be filled if you submitted your city of birth in your application. Oftentimes, this is left blank. This is not a required field.
Form issue reason: On an initial I-20, the I-20 you receive to first enter the US, this section will say “initial attendance.” Over the course of your study, you will receive many updated I-20’s. Your updated I-20’s may have other terms listed here, such as: continued attendance, transfer pending, and initial attendance - change of status requested. This is a required field.
Legacy name: Legacy names are the names as they appear in SEVIS before the new name standards take effect. Legacy names will print together with the standardized name on the Form I-20 to show that the government changed the name. This is not a required field.
Class of admission: Most students studying at SLU are F-1 visa holders. This section will most likely say “F-1 Academic and Language.” If a student brings a dependent, this section of the dependent I-20 will say “F-2 Dependent.” This is a required field.
Make sure all names are spelled correctly in this section. The name on your I-20 and country of citizenship must match your passport.
School Information
School name: Saint Louis University should be listed twice in this section. The proper way to write the university name is by spelling out the word “Saint,” rather than abbreviating it to “St.”
School address: The address listed in this section should be: One Grand Boulevard, DuBourg Hall, St. Louis, MO 63103
School official to contact upon arrival: The name and title of the Designated School Official (DSO) who signed your I-20 should be listed in this section. The DSO who signed your I-20 may not be your alphabetically assigned International Services Advisor. You should visit slu.edu/international-services/contact-us.php to find the name and contact information of your International Services Advisor who can help you if you have questions about F-1 immigration rules and processes.
School code and approval date: The Saint Louis University school code is KAN214F10192000. The approval date should be listed as 17 January 2003.
Program of Study
Education level: Depending on what degree you are pursuing, this section will say: bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, academic English or other. If you change your education level, you need to notify your International Services Advisor.
Program English proficiency: SLU required students to be proficient in English when not in a Pathway or academic English program. This section should say “required.”
Start of classes: This is the date you began/will begin taking courses at SLU. The correct format for this section is: day, month, year. (Example: 17 January 2023)
Major 1: The major listed in this section is accompanied by a numeric code, called a CIP code. A US university assigns the numeric code to each major offered by that University. The numeric code comes from a list determined and maintained by the US Department of Education. The list from the US Department of Education also has a description in words of that numeric code. The "major" that appears on the I-20 is the major from the US Department of Education list. This may differ from the major as described by the university.
- Example:
SLU major - Supply Chain Management
US Department of Education major equivalent - Management Science
Major required to be on I-20 - Management Science
This is not an error. It is okay if the major and CIP code on your I-20 does not match the name of your SLU program.
*If you change your major, you should notify your International Services Advisor.
English proficiency notes: This section should say “student is proficient.”
Program start/end date: This section should list the start date of your program and the end date, or date you graduate.
Major 2: Most students do not have a second major. If you do not, this section should say “none 00.0000”
Earliest admission date: Students can arrive in the US with an initial I-20 up to 30 days before the start date listed on their I-20. This section should have the date that is 30 days before your start date.
- Example:
Start date: 13 august 2024 - 30 days = Earliest admission date: 14 July 2024
Financials
Estimated average costs for 9 months: This is an estimated cost of attendance for one academic year. The estimate includes tuition and fees, living expenses and health insurance.
If you are bringing a dependent(s), this section will include an estimate for them as well. The estimated cost for a spouse dependent is $6,000. The estimated cost for a child dependent is $5,000. If you are bringing more than one dependent, the number shown will be the total estimate for all dependents combined.
Student’s funding for 9 months: This section shows your funding from the following areas: personal funds, school funding, funds from another source, and on-campus employment.
- Personal funds: when you have submitted a bank statement in your name. The bank statement must be less than 6 months old.
- Scholarships: Reflects one academic of your total scholarship
- Example:
Total Global Graduate Scholarship amount: $11,000
Amount shown on I-20: $5,500
- Example:
- Funds from another source: May be listed by a different title such as “student loan,” “family funds,” or the name of the person listed on your affidavit of support.
- Affidavit of support: If the bank statement provided is not in your name, you will need to provide an affidavit
of support
- Affidavit of support link: ______
Department of Homeland Security regulations state that a student only has to show proof of funding for the length of a single academic year. The “estimated average costs for 9 months” and the “Student Funding for 9 months” should be equal amounts.
The estimated average costs listed on your I-20 are estimates for 9 months, based on tuition and fees, living expenses, health insurance, and other university necessities (books, transportation, etc.). You may end up paying more than the estimate on your I-20 due to fee increases, the housing on/off campus you choose and other factors.
Remarks
Remarks: This section may include important notes about the I-20. In the remarks, some universities specify that their I-20 may only be used if the student plans on attending that university. Others may include a date by which the I-20 will be void if the student does not arrive on campus. This is not a required field.
School Attestation
Signature of: A signature from a DSO is required to be on your I-20. Sometimes, mistakes happen and a DSO forgets to sign this section. If you receive an unsigned I-20, you should contact your International Services Advisor immediately, as they will add a signature and send you back a signed I-20. Below the signature, in print, should be the typed name of the DSO who signed your I-20 and their title.
Date issued: The date in this section will be the date the DSO signs the I-20. The date should be listed as the day, month, then year.
Place issued: On an I-20 from Saint Louis University, the place issued should be listed as St. Louis, MO.
Student Attestation
Signature of: Your signature is required to be on your I-20. Upon receiving your I-20, you should sign (in cursive) and date it immediately. Below the signature, in print, should be your name typed.
Date: The date should be the date you received and signed your I-20. The date should be listed the American way— Month, day, year.
- Example:
10/02/2024
This date would be October 2, 2024.
Name of parent or guardian: The name of your parent or guardian should be written in print here. This is only for students who are under the age of 18. This is not a required field.
Signature (of parent or guardian): The signature of your parent or guardian should be written in cursive here. This is only for students who are under the age of 18. This is not a required field.
Address (of parent or guardian): The address of your parent or guardian should be written in print here. The address should be listed as the city and state, or province and country. Street address is not needed. This is only for students who are under the age of 18. This is not a required field.
Date (from signature of parent or guardian): The date your parent or guardian signed the I-20 should be written here. The date should be listed the American way - Month, day, year. This is only for students who are under the age of 18. This is not a required field.
Page 2 of Your I-20 Form
This page should be left blank. It will not be filled-in until you arrive in the United States.
Page 3 of Your I-20 Form
Important laws and regulations are listed on this page. You agree to abide by these when you sign your I-20. You should read this page thoroughly before signing your I-20.
Additional Tips for Students
It is suggested to have both virtual and paper copies of your signed I-20 (and other documents, such as visa, SLU acceptance letter, proof of finances, etc.) available when entering the United States.
You should keep all versions of your I-20 you receive. Keeping the I-20s and other important immigration documents is important. You may need to present these documents in the future.
After you complete your I-20, complete the next steps to apply for your F-1 visa.