A foreign national seeking to enter the United States must first get a visa, either a nonimmigrant visa for a temporary stay or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. To study in the United States, you’ll need a student visa. Whether you need a F visa or a M visa depends on your course of study and the sort of school you plan to attend.
USA Study Visa Types
| To attend in the USA: | Visa Category Requirement |
| University or college | F |
| High School | |
| Private elementary school | |
| Seminary | |
| Conservatory | |
| Any type of academic institution, including a language training program | |
| Other than a language training programme, a vocational or other accredited non-academic institution | M |
USA Study Visa Application Stages
Applying for a student visa in the United States can take a long time, so start planning ahead of time — at least three to five months before your course begins. When applying for a student visa in the United States, there are normally numerous processes involved. Because the procedures differ at each US embassy or consulate, it’s critical to check the guidelines on the embassy or consulate’s website before applying.
When applying for a student visa in the United States, prospective students will generally go through five stages:
- Apply to and be accepted by a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-approved school in the United States (six to twelve months before you begin your studies in the United States);Pay the cost for the SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System);
- Fill out an application for a student visa in the United States including recent photos;
- Pay visa application fees
- Attend visa interview
USA Study Visa Documents Requirement
To apply for a student visa in the United States, you will need:
- A passport valid for at least six months after you plan to return to your home country;
- A valid Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, issued by the school you will be attending);
- A SEVIS fee receipt and certification page from your school;
- Evidence that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay (at least $2500 per year or $125 per month);
- Evidence that you will leave the United States once your studies are completed. This could be in the shape of a flight from the United States to your home nation.
F-1 USA Study Visa
The F-1 Visa is the most common type of visa for international students studying in the United States. This visa allows foreign citizens to study in one of over 80 different fields, many of which are highly sought after upon graduation. Visa holders are also permitted to work for a maximum of 20 hours per week on an internship, on-campus teaching or research assistantship, and/or other similar positions.
Eligibility:
To obtain a F-1 visa, an international student must:
- Be enrolled in an approved program at an eligible U.S. college or university;
- Be pursuing a degree or undergraduate certificate from an eligible institution; and
- Have been admitted into the U.S. for the purpose of studying as a full-time student for one academic year or its equivalent (one year equals six months.” Full-time means at least 12 credit hours per semester, trimester or quarter”).
During the stated school year or academic term in which they apply for the F-1 visa, F-1 visa students must maintain continuous full-time enrolment at an authorised educational institution. The student’s F-1 visa would be subject to change if they dropped below full-time status, and they would not be eligible for another F-1 USA Study visa.
Cost of USA Study Visa
A typical study visa fee is approximately USD $200.
To qualify for a study visa, you will need to show that you have enough money for school, accommodation and your living expenses. The average cost of living for one year in USA is about USD $20,000. The minimum amount of money you need on your visa application is:
- One-time school fees: US$3,914
- One-time living costs per year: US$4,452 (including board and accommodation)
- One-time registration/application fees: US$188
This means that on the whole it would cost a student at least US$10,000 to study in U.S.