F1 visa: Costs and financial evidence

[Nancy]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anyone had some extra info about applying for visas to the US.

I have heard from some other students here who've applied for shorter term visas that they had to provide evidence of finances to support themselves for a given amount of time, in the form of bank statements that show that amount of money for at least a few months.

Does anyone now if this is the case for PhD offers? Do you have to show a certain amount of financial solvency?

Also, what can it cost to apply for one?

Any help or experience would be really appreciated!

[psych21]

For the F1 visa you have to show you have financial support for the first year. Your assistantship/stipend counts toward that, and in the best case scenario, it will cover the entire amount. If not, you will have to show additional proof.

[chandramoulipalit]

the offer letter should be evident for financial support right?

[liszt85]

the offer letter should be evident for financial support right?

The amount will be mentioned on your I20. If that amount exceeds their estimated expenses+tuition,etc for a year, you won't have to show anything else.

[chandramoulipalit]

well I have full tuition+other fees waiver plus a monthly stipend...that should do it right?

[ridgey]

well I have full tuition+other fees waiver plus a monthly stipend...that should do it right?

Each school has calculated the cost of attendance, which is tuition and a random amount for living expenses based on the local area. This is the magic number youhave to have, and you should be able to find it within 1-2 clicks from either the International Office or Grad School of the uni's website. You'll have to check whether your stipend is enough to reach the magic number.

BUT, there may be a reason your magic number is different than the COA. In my case, for example, my funding package qualifies me to pay instate tuition, so I only have to show funds equal to the COA of an instate, not international, student.

[kinjal]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anyone had some extra info about applying for visas to the US.

I have heard from some other students here who've applied for shorter term visas that they had to provide evidence of finances to support themselves for a given amount of time, in the form of bank statements that show that amount of money for at least a few months.

Does anyone now if this is the case for PhD offers? Do you have to show a certain amount of financial solvency?

Also, what can it cost to apply for one?

Any help or experience would be really appreciated!

Hey Nancy,

I had requested for the International Student Budget from Dartmouth a while back, and they sent me a wonderful excel spreadsheet, which I can forward to you if you like.

But what I understood was that our annual stipend completely covers estimated living costs for international students so it should be all right

I don't know though if we have to show proof of having the finances to travel and cover our first month of living on campus.