Before you can come to the United States as a student, you must be
accepted to a school and prove that you have sufficient financial
resources (scholarships, loans, family or personal resources) to pay
your school and living expenses. For information on sources of financial
aid, on applying to schools, and on organizations in your country
that can assist you, see the area of our website called Study
in the U.S.
There are two nonimmigrant
visa categories for persons wishing to study in the United States
(a nonimmigrant is someone admitted to the U.S. temporarily):
"F"
visa
includes academic students in colleges, universities, seminaries,
conservatories, academic high schools, other academic INStitutions,
and in language training.
"M"
visa
is for people wishing to pursue nonacademic or vocational studies.
Am I Eligible?
To be eligible to apply for the F or M visas, you must intend
to stay for a temporary period of time and have proof of compelling
ties (social, family, economic, professional or other) to a residence
outside the United States to which you will return after the visit.
You must also meet the following criteria:
Scholastic
Preparation
You
must have successfully completed a course of study normally required
for enrollment. Unless you are coming to participate exclusively
in an English language training program, you must either be sufficiently
proficient in English to pursue the intended course of study,
or the school must have made special arrangements for English
language courses or teach the course in your native language.
Financial
Resources
You
must prove that sufficient funds are, or will be, available from
an identified and reliable financial source to defray all living
and school expenses during the period of your study in the U.S.
Specifically, you must prove that you have enough readily available
funds to meet all expenses for the first year of study, and that
adequate funds will be available for each subsequent year of study.
If you are applying for an M-1 visa, you must have evidence that
sufficient funds are immediately available to pay all tuition
and living costs for the entire period of your intended stay.
Acceptance
You
must be accepted as a full-time student in a U.S. academic educational
program, language-training program, or vocational program. The
school must be approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS), and the school must send you a Form I-20 (which
it receives from the USCIS).
For
futher details, including application procedures, please click the
appropriate link:
If you are interested in the F visa, see:
Becoming
an Academic Student in the U.S.
If
you are interested in the M visa, see:
Becoming a Vocational Student
in the U.S.
For information on sources of financial aid,
on applying to schools, and on organizations in your country that
can assist you, see:
Study in the U.S.
If you will be participating in an exchange
program, you will need a different visa. See:
Exchange Visitor Visas
If you are a school interested in being approved
for nonimmigrant students, see:
Obtaining Approval to Receive
Nonimmigrant Students
The
information provided in this website is not legal advice and should
not be interpreted as legal advice. This website is intended to
provide a basic understanding of this information in summary form.
This information may not be comprehensive, is subject to change,
and may not apply to all individual circumstances. Any information
received here should be confirmed with the appropriate government
agencies or with an attorney, particularly as it relates to your
individual circumstances. Your use of this website indicates your
agreement to be bound by our Terms
of Use.
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