Body
Introduction
To receive an LSU I-20 or DS-2019, U.S. Immigration regulations state that applicants must
- Be admitted to an on-campus degree/exchange program.
- This means being officially and unconditionally admitted based on university standards for admission.
- The admission must show in Workday Student, LSU's student information system.
- Have sufficient funds to cover all estimated expenses for at least one academic year.
- "Sufficient Funds" can be in the form of LSU financial assistance, personal/family funding, government/company sponsorships, etc or any combination thereof.
Conditional Admission & English Proficiency Requirement for F-1 Students
In October 2016, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued policy guidance for Conditional Admission. This guidance instructs that "[Designated School Officials] can only issue a Form I-20 when students have met all standards for admission for the program of study listed on the Form I-20. These standards for admission include any English proficiency requirements."
- International Student Services must follow SEVP's policy guidance as SEVP Designated School Officials. All schools across the United States must comply with this SEVP guidance per their standards for admission.
- A departmental petition to the Graduate School to waive the English proficiency requirement for academic admission purposes does not waive the English proficiency requirement for I-20 purposes based on General Catalog admission standards.
- The Graduate School admissions staff members are the experts to evaluate admission materials, considering the departmental committee's acceptance decisions and the current LSU General Catalog when determining the final admission decisions for graduate applicants.
I-20/DS-2019 Issuance Process
In Summer 2025, ISS transitioned to new software called sunapsis, a robust and comprehensive system for F-1 and J-1 students. (The student facing portal is called iTiger, for "international Tiger.") At present, International Student Services (ISS) has the capacity to reach out only to admits for the "current intake cycle." This means that if a student is admitted for a spring semester, ISS will outreach to that student starting around mid-September. If a student is admitted for summer or fall, ISS will start outreach around mid-February.
In general, there are two avenues for a prospective student to receive their I-20 or DS-2019. The processes are essentially the same; however, there is an additional step if an individual is already in the United States in the F-1 student status.
Overview of Process
|
Steps
|
Outside USA/Needs to apply for a student visa
|
In USA in the F-1 student status
|
| Applicant is admitted |
When applicants are admitted to LSU, their admission information shows in Workday Student.
|
Same |
| Applicant accepts admission, if applicable |
Students' admission information will feed from Workday Student to sunapsis approximately 2-3 business days after ​they either
- accept their admission (graduate students).
- pay the enrollment deposit (undergraduate students).
|
Same |
| Student's information appears in sunapsis |
ISS emails the prospective student within 2-3 business days for the current intake cycle. The email contains
- a link to the Intake I-20/DS-2019 application in the iTiger Portal.
- information and instructions on what needs to be uploaded to the request form, including their proof of funding, as well as a link to a Help Guide.
- a deadline by when they must submit the application.
|
Same |
| Online application submitted in iTiger |
The student receives an automatic email which indicates receipt of the submission.
ISS reviews the request for completeness. If any further documentation is needed, ISS will follow up with the student.
|
Same
|
| SEVIS transfer |
N/A |
Individuals who are in the U.S. with an active F-1 SEVIS record need to have their record electronically transferred to LSU by their current/previous U.S. school before we can issue their LSU I-20.
In general, LSU would not receive or be able to access the transferred SEVIS record until the semester would end at the student's current/previous U.S. school.
|
| Issue and send I-20 or DS-2019 |
Once ISS has all information, we will issue the form and email the student with instructions on how to access their form in the iTiger Portal. This can occur within 10-15 business days of the receipt of a full and complete online request submitted to ISS.
|
Same |
How to tell if your student's I-20 or DS-2019 has been issued
Once the I-20/DS-2019 has been issued, ISS staff are entering information on the "International" tab in Workday. SEVIS is the name of the U.S. Immigration database we use to process the I-20s/DS-2019s. If the I-20/DS-2019 has been issued, the Immigration information would be populated.
