California State University, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
At Cal State LA, international education drives cultural connections and student opportunities. The university supports over 450 F-1 students and 300 on OPT/STEM OPT annually, while advancing study abroad and global partnerships. Rising demand and reduced staffing pushed Cal State LA’s ISSS office to rethink its approach with Terra Dotta’s ISSS platform and SEVIS Coordinator as a Service.
A 7.9% budget cut—$397 million for 2025–26—hit international programs particularly hard. Staff departures and a hiring freeze left Cal State LA’s ISSS with just one DSO supporting hundreds of F-1 students and OPT graduates.
“It’s not just the volume—it’s the complexity,” says James Fukaye, International Student Advisor. “I’ve had to take on everything from document processing to tech troubleshooting to student support.”
Processing times doubled as the team struggled to keep up. “Our office has had to adapt to changing resources while responding to increasing demand,” adds Matthew Walters, Director of International Programs. “Our priority remains giving students the time, attention, and support they need.”
new I-20 invitations in a single semester
SIS changes cleared in under 3 weeks
reduced lag time from admission to I-20 issuance
Cal State LA adopted Terra Dotta’s ISSS platform in 2020 to modernize student services with mobile-friendly, self-service tools. By 2024, growing compliance demands and limited staffing led the team to add SEVIS Coordinator as a Service, easing administrative workloads and speeding document processing.
“Without Terra Dotta, balancing compliance and student engagement would be far more challenging,” says Walters.
When SEVIS Coordinator as a Service launched, more than 400 SIS changes were cleared in just three weeks, and 160 I-20 records were created with 100% accuracy. “It’s a big win for morale and helps us think beyond compliance and toward what else we can accomplish,” says Fukaye.
Daily operations also improved: batch processing now takes just a few clicks, I-20 invitations are sent daily instead of twice a week, and over 775 were issued in one semester. “Terra Dotta enables us to issue more I-20s in less time,” Fukaye adds.
The system has strengthened collaboration across departments and filled the gap left by an unstaffed SEVIS coordinator role. “This support is crucial in helping us maintain compliance and prioritize student engagement,” says Walters.