Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 or DS-2019)

After you are admitted to Louisiana State University by the admissions office, the admissions office will notify LSU’s International Services (IS) of your admission. International Services staff will contact you via e-mail, requesting the necessary information that we need to produce the appropriate Certificate of Eligibility for you. 

The Certificate of Eligibility is very important as it is what you will use to apply for your U.S. student visa.  There are two kinds of Certificates of Eligibility:

1. The DS-2019 is for exchange students to apply for the J-1 student visa. Some students who are required to apply for a J-1 visa as part of their government/company sponsorship also will receive the DS-2019.
   • International Services will produce the DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility for those individuals whose sponsors required the J-1 visa.
   • If you are an exchange student participating in a bilateral exchange between your home university and LSU, International Services will issue your DS-2019 for you to apply for J-1 visa. 
   • If you are participating in an exchange through an international organization (for example, ISEP, Fulbright, etc.), your DS-2019 will be issued by that organization.
2. The I-20 is for all other students who need to apply for the F-1 student visa. International Services will produce the I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 student visa applicants.

For information on how to get an I-20/DS-2019 from LSU, click here.

IMPORTANT: The spelling and the order of your name on the I-20 or DS-2019 must match the spelling and the order of your name in your passport. If the “Surname” field of your passport is blank (no name listed), we advise that you obtain a new passport where your surname is listed in that field of your passport. It is in your best interest to have a Surname in your passport; otherwise, you could have problems when applying for a visa, being admitted at the U.S. port of entry or while in the U.S. (obtaining a driver’s license, getting a Social Security number for employment, etc.).

Due to the high number of international students admitted to LSU, please allow 5-7 business days to process your Certificate of Eligibility after IS receives all the documents and/or information that we require from you.  NOTE: If you make a visa appointment before you receive your Certificate of Eligibility, please be advised that you may have to reschedule the appointment if your documents do not arrive to you in time for the appointment. 

If you wish to bring your husband, wife or children as your dependents, please let us know. They also will need to have their own I-20 or DS-2019 from LSU (if your DS-2019 was issued by LSU). We will need their first and last name (as appears on passport), date of birth, country of birth, gender and relation. You must provide proof of financial resources for their support ($4,000 for spouse per year; $3,000 for each child per year) in addition to the amount needed for yourself. NOTE: This does not apply to dependents who are U.S. citizens. U.S. citizens must use U.S. passports to enter the United States.

After you receive your Certificate of Eligibility, make sure that all the information on it is correct and that your name is spelled exactly as it appears in your passport. If you detect any mistake and your Certificate of Eligibility was issued by International Services at LSU, please contact us immediately. Only this office can correct this kind of mistake. The best way to notify us of the error is by e-mail at isodoc@lsu.edu. You may also call IS at +1-225-578-3191.  Our office hours are 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. U.S. Central Time, Mondays through Fridays.

If you are already in the United States in F-1 student status and are studying at another U.S. institution or have OPT authorization on another school’s I-20, please let us know immediately. You would be considered a SEVIS immigration transfer, and it is essential that you are not issued multiple I-20s. For more information on SEVIS immigration transfers, click here.

This page was last updated , August 29, 2011