Trojan International Checklist

Trojan International

Welcome! Trojan International (TI) is the immigration services portal for international students who need an I-20 to study at USC. Newly admitted students who have committed to enroll at USC and current students who are beginning a new program of study can use this checklist to prepare their documents.

Note: If you are a current USC student in need of other immigration services, please visit the Office of International Services.

This checklist is only for students who have been admitted to the upcoming academic year and require an I-20 from Admission to study at USC.

Do not request an I-20 if you:

1. Already have an existing non-immigrant, non-F1 visa (H-1B, H4, L2, etc.) that permits study in the United States, and you plan on remaining on that visa at USC.
2. Are a student in a fully online degree program, a new International Academy admit, a progressive degree student, or a visiting student.
3. Need to request a DS-2019 to attend USC on a J-1 student visa. Please submit your request to the Office of Admission and select “DS-2019” under “Immigration Matters (I-20s, Visas, etc.).”

Note: Students who receiving funding as part of the Fulbright Program should not request a DS-2019 from USC.

Newly admitted students: Make sure you have submitted your Intent to Enroll before requesting an I-20. You will submit your I-20 request together with your financial documents and passport copy to Trojan International.

Trojan International is available to students who meet the following requirements:

You have been newly admitted to a USC degree program in the current admission cycle and:

1. Have submitted a Statement of Intent certifying your intent to enroll at USC. (Some programs may also require a deposit.)
2. Have activated your USC NetID.

Your Net ID can be activated one to three days after certifying your intent to enroll and is required to log in to TI. You should be able to log in to TI one day after activating your NetID.

Note: Certified students who have withdrawn their admission application from USC will not have access to TI.

To request an I-20, you will need to complete and submit a group of electronic forms (e-forms) in Trojan International, as well as upload copies of your financial statement, passport and any other necessary documents. Some e-form questions will include:

1. What type of I-20 do you need? Most students will need Initial I-20s.
2. Enter your name as shown on your passport.
3. Enter your date of birth, city of birth, country of citizenship, birth country, international address.
4. Are you currently in the U.S. on a visa? What is your immigration status? Do you have a U.S. address?
5. Are you bringing dependents? You will need to provide their passport name, and date and city of birth.
6. Enter your financial sources (Personal, Other, USC Scholarship) and how much funding you will receive from each.
7. Upload copies of your financial statements. 

We recommend logging in to Trojan International using a desktop computer.

• After logging in, select the “Admission” menu to the left.
• On the following page, click on “New F-1 Student Request.”

Submit all the e-forms requested in the “New F-1 Student Request” section. Please read all instructions carefully.

1. Your passport copy:

• Confirm that your passport is valid for at least six (6) months after your arrival in the U.S.
• Make a copy of your passport’s biographical page. No other page is required. Do not provide photos of the passport cover or your other visa stamps.
• Save it as a single file (PDF, PNG, JPG) no larger than 10 MB. Compressed files or download links will not be accepted.
• SEVIS transfers only: Be prepared to provide a copy of your current school’s I-20.

2. Your financial documents:

• Ensure your financial documents meet the necessary requirements, show sufficient funds and are separated correctly.
• Determine the cost of attendance for your program from the financial guidelines page.
• Add any dependent costs, if applicable.
• Ensure that the total of all funds meets or exceeds the amount required for your I-20. Use xe.com to convert any currency to U.S. dollars.
• Separate all your financial document(s) into four (4) categories. Not every category will be applicable to you.
  1. Personal Funds (such as bank accounts under your name only).
  2. Other Funds (such as parent bank accounts, support letters from your job, government scholarships, etc.).
  3. USC Sponsored Studies form (graduate students) or Financial Statement of Personal or Family Support (for undergraduate students) One of these forms is required if you are submitting “Other” funds such as bank statements from your family. It is not required for government scholarships or funding by major companies, in which case a formal letter is enough

3. USC Merit Scholarship documentation, if any (such as award letters).

• Combine each category of documents into one digital file (PDF, PNG, JPG only, 10MB max) for each category. For example, one file for Personal funds, another file for Other funds. Each category should be uploaded separately.

Important: If more than one category shows sufficient funds to meet all your costs, submit only the category you want to appear on the I-20. If you are receiving a full scholarship that will cover your costs, submit only the scholarship documentation. This cannot be changed later.

PLEASE NOTE: Do not provide an excessive number of financial statements from the same account, as it can lead to confusion. Only the final balance of an account is necessary—not a history of transactions. A one-page letter is ideal. If USC cannot determine your total funds, your I-20 application may be delayed or denied.

USC may adjust submitted amounts to correct errors, categories, or to reflect new exchange rates. If your documents are insufficient or unacceptable, you will be contacted and your I-20 will be delayed.

Your documents will be reviewed within 10 business days. If they are approved, your I-20 will be issued and emailed to you as an attachment.

If you are bringing a legal spouse and/or children to the U.S., Trojan International will also require the following documents. Be sure to submit them as separate files.

1. Copies of the biographical pages of their passports. Follow the same guidelines as above. Separate each dependent’s passport digital file. They must be uploaded separately.
2. Submit a copy of your marriage certificate for your legal spouse.
3. Birth certificates for any children.
4. Financial statements that show sufficient funds to cover their costs: $14,253 for your spouse and $7,127 for each child. Any official scholarship from a government, university, or organization must either show sufficient funds to cover your dependents or explicitly state that your dependents’ expenses will be funded.

Please submit scholarship and funding information to the Office of Graduate Admission via the standard process. It will be used to validate any scholarship that your students report on the Trojan International E-form. Students who report scholarships that are not confirmed by the respective department will experience delays in I-20 processing.