Whenever a student updates their major, ISS must issue a new I-20 if the change results in a new Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code. Similarly, if a program changes the CIP code for a major, ISS will update the I-20s for all students enrolled in that program.
I-20 Updates
ISS processes most updates related to your major or CIP code automatically and tries to complete this by the 7th week of the quarter. You do not need to request an updated I-20 from us. We will email you once your new I-20 is available.
Majors
ISS will generate a new I-20 when the updated major information is submitted to the U.S. government. Note that the major must be officially reflected in the student’s record—ISS cannot issue an I-20 for pending major changes.
Minors
Changes to academic minors do not result in a new I-20. While these changes are updated electronically in the SEVIS database, they are not printed on the I-20.
CIP Code Updates
If a program updates the CIP code for a major, ISS will issue new I-20s once the new CIP code goes into effect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Students do not need to contact ISS to request an update to the I-20 with new major or minor information — it will happen automatically.
A new I-20 is usually available by the 7th week of the quarter that the major takes effect.
I-20s are available for download in MyISSS in section 3 Requests and Documents.
If you enroll for summer, then we will automatically issue you a new I-20 after summer quarter starts.
If you take a vacation quarter in Summer and don’t enroll, then we will automatically issue you a new I-20 after Autumn quarter starts.
The U.S. government has a system where each university major has a government code number (called a CIP code) and a matching standard name. This is because universities can use very different “preferred names” for their programs of study, and the CIP code system helps standardize information from school to school.
The code number and matching standard name for your major or academic program are printed on the I-20 form. The University’s name for your major is not printed on the I-20.
Students do not need to separately request a travel signature. One will be included with their new major I-20 automatically.
Yes, you should use your most recently issued I-20 when traveling. You should not encounter any trouble traveling with a pending major update. Once your major is updated, we will reach out to inform you of your new I-20.
Contact ISS About Major or CIP Code Issue