Studying in the U.S. as an international student
How students from Europe, South America, Canada and other countries apply, get a student visa and study in the United States, step by step. Every fact below names its official source.
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Start with an SEVP-certified school
Visa, immigration and work rules change. This page is general information, not immigration or legal advice: confirm every step with your school’s international student office and with official U.S. government sources.
The Form I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status," is a key document for a student’s visa application, entry into the United States and maintenance of legal nonimmigrant student status. [1]
A designated school official (DSO) at a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issues the Form I-20 to confirm that a prospective F or M student has been accepted into an approved program of study, and only a DSO at an SEVP-certified school can issue it. [1]
More details
SEVP certification authorizes a school to enroll international students after they enter the United States on an F or M student visa. [2]
The Study in the States School Search Map finds SEVP-certified schools and programs eligible to enroll F-1 and M-1 students in the United States, by school name, location, education or visa type. [3]
The steps, from admission to arrival
The usual order: admission to an SEVP-certified school, the Form I-20, the I-901 SEVIS fee, the visa application and interview, then arrival.
- The first step to studying in the United States is to apply to an SEVP-approved school. [4]
- If the school accepts the student’s enrollment, the student is registered in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), must pay the SEVIS I-901 fee, and receives a Form I-20 from the school. [4]
- Students must pay the mandatory I-901 SEVIS Fee before applying for a visa or entering the United States, using details from the Form I-20 such as the SEVIS ID number and school code. [1]
- The Form I-20 is required when applying for an F-1 or M-1 student visa, the visa must match the class of admission and school listed on the Form I-20, and students bring a signed copy of it to the visa interview. [1]
- Visa applicants generally require an interview, with certain limited exceptions, and students should schedule it at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where they live. [4]
- Wait times for interview appointments vary by location, season and visa category, so students should apply early, and F and M visas for new students can be issued up to 365 days before the start date of a course of study. [4]
- Students can enter the United States up to 30 days before the program start date listed on their Form I-20, and they must present a signed copy of the Form I-20 at the U.S. port of entry, so it should not be packed in checked luggage. [1]
Students from Canada
Citizens of Canada and Bermuda generally do not require visas to enter the United States as students, although they must present a valid Form I-20 at the time of admission. [4]
Students from visa-exempt countries, a group its I-901 fee guidance lists as including citizens of Canada or Bermuda, can apply for F-1 status at the port of entry (POE), and they must pay the I-901 SEVIS fee and have evidence of payment before arriving there. [5]
More details
Additional resources for Canadian visitors to the United States are on the U.S. Embassy and Consulate websites in Canada. [4]
Advising from EducationUSA
EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories. [6]
The network offers accurate, comprehensive and current information about opportunities to study at accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States. [6]
More details
EducationUSA's advising center finder can be filtered by region, including Europe and Eurasia, Northern and Western Europe, North, Central America and the Caribbean, South America and Andes Region, and South America and Southern Cone. [7]
Advising centers in its network offer three different levels of service. [7]
EducationUSA's five steps to U.S. study are to research your options, finance your studies, complete your application, apply for your student visa and prepare for your departure. [8]
Transcripts, credential evaluation and English tests
These are one university’s rules, shown as an example. Transcript rules, English tests, minimum scores and exemptions differ by school, so check each school’s international admissions page.
All records must be officially translated into English, and official records from secondary schools must be sent directly from an official school representative, such as a school counselor or principal, or from the official translator. [9]
Transfer applicants with university-level courses taken outside the U.S. send an official course-by-course evaluation of those courses, and it accepts evaluations from agencies that are members of NACES. [9]
More details
International applicants show proof of English proficiency in one of several forms, for example a Duolingo English Test score of at least 105, an IELTS score of at least 6.0, or a diploma from a U.S. high school with two years of attendance. [9]
Cost and proof of funds
Prospective F-1 students must have the financial resources to live and study in the United States, including the cost of tuition, books, living expenses and travel. [10]
The Form I-20 includes details on school tuition and other expenses and the student’s financial resources. [1]
More details
Designated school officials must collect evidence of the student’s financial ability before issuing a Form I-20, and students must bring their evidence of financial ability when applying for their student visa. [10]
Evidence of financial ability includes, but is not limited to, family bank statements, documentation from a sponsor, financial aid letters, scholarship letters and a letter from an employer showing annual salary. [10]
Certain SEVP-certified schools may have specific requirements for acceptable forms of evidence, so students should contact the school’s international student office to check. [10]
Students are also advised to have the evidence on hand at the U.S. port of entry, in case a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer asks to review it. [10]
Federal student aid
Ask each school’s financial aid office and international admissions office what aid, if any, it offers international students.
One of the most basic eligibility requirements for federal student aid is to be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen, and the full list of eligibility requirements is at StudentAid.gov/eligibility. [11]
Students who need funding can explore options and check its university financial aid opportunity list. [8]
Working while you study
Rules for working depend on your student status. Talk to your designated school official (DSO) before you accept any job or training, and read the official Study in the States pages for each type of work.
Visa, immigration and work rules change. This page is general information, not immigration or legal advice: confirm every step with your school’s international student office and with official U.S. government sources.
Working on campus
F-1 students whose status is Active in SEVIS may apply for on-campus employment up to 30 days before the start of classes, and if approved, the DSO provides a letter of approval, which students take with an approval letter from the employer to apply for a Social Security Number. [12]
More details
Students in on-campus employment may not work more than 20 hours per week when school is in session. [12]
Curricular practical training (CPT)
Curricular practical training (CPT) is an alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education or other required practicum that a sponsoring employer offers through agreements with the college, and it is only available to F-1 students when it is part of an established curriculum. [13]
More details
CPT must be integral to the program of study and can be full time; to qualify, students must have completed one full academic year of study at an SEVP-certified school, unless they are graduate students whose program requires immediate CPT, and if eligible, the DSO authorizes CPT in SEVIS and provides an updated Form I-20 endorsed for CPT. [13]
Students who complete one year or more of full-time CPT are ineligible to participate in post-completion OPT. [13]
Optional practical training (OPT)
Optional practical training (OPT) is a form of training, often paid, that directly relates to the program of study, and students cannot begin it until they receive their authorization from USCIS. [13]
More details
Pre-completion OPT is limited to 20 hours per week while school is in session but can be full time during breaks and annual vacation, and students can apply for 12 months of OPT at each education level. [13]
Eligible F-1 students with STEM degrees from SEVP-certified and accredited U.S. colleges and universities may apply for a 24-month STEM OPT extension. [14]
Working off campus
Off-campus employment is only available to F-1 students who have completed at least one full academic year of their program of study and who have an economic hardship that qualifies for the Department of Homeland Security's emergent circumstances; students must receive approval to work from their DSO, file a Form I-765 with USCIS within 30 days of receiving the recommendation, and cannot begin to work while the Form I-765 is pending; if USCIS approves, it sends a Form I-766 Employment Authorization Document (EAD). [12]
The DSO is the best person to work with to ensure that a student follows both federal regulations and school policy. [13]
Questions people search
Chosen from our search-question research. Every answer is cited.
Do Canadian students need a visa to study in the US?
Citizens of Canada and Bermuda generally do not require visas to enter the United States as students, although they must present a valid Form I-20 at the time of admission. [4]
Students from visa-exempt countries, a group its I-901 fee guidance lists as including citizens of Canada or Bermuda, can apply for F-1 status at the port of entry (POE), and they must pay the I-901 SEVIS fee and have evidence of payment before arriving there. [5]
Can international students get financial aid in the US?
One of the most basic eligibility requirements for federal student aid is to be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen, and the full list of eligibility requirements is at StudentAid.gov/eligibility. [11]
Students who need funding can explore options and check its university financial aid opportunity list. [8]
Can international students work in the US while studying?
Students in on-campus employment may not work more than 20 hours per week when school is in session. [12]
Optional practical training (OPT) is a form of training, often paid, that directly relates to the program of study, and students cannot begin it until they receive their authorization from USCIS. [13]
What is a Form I-20?
The Form I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status," is a key document for a student’s visa application, entry into the United States and maintenance of legal nonimmigrant student status. [1]
A designated school official (DSO) at a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issues the Form I-20 to confirm that a prospective F or M student has been accepted into an approved program of study, and only a DSO at an SEVP-certified school can issue it. [1]
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Sources
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (Study in the States). SEVP Form Series: Understanding the Form I-20. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/2025/07/sevp-form-series-understanding-the-form-i-20. post dated July 22, 2025. Checked .
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (Study in the States). What to Know About SEVP Certification. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/schools/get-started/what-to-know-about-sevp-certification. no edition stated. Checked .
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (Study in the States). School Search. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/school-search. no edition stated. Checked .
- U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Student Visa. https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study/student-visa.html. no edition stated. Checked .
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Student and Exchange Visitor Program. I-901 SEVIS Fee Frequently Asked Questions. https://www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/faq. no edition stated (the "Updated" label shows no date). Checked .
- EducationUSA, U.S. Department of State. EducationUSA (home page). https://educationusa.state.gov/. no edition stated. Checked .
- EducationUSA, U.S. Department of State. Find An Advising Center. https://educationusa.state.gov/find-advising-center. no edition stated. Checked .
- EducationUSA, U.S. Department of State. Your 5 Steps to U.S. Study. https://educationusa.state.gov/your-5-steps-us-study. no edition stated. Checked .
- East Carolina University, Office of Global Affairs. International Undergraduate Admission. https://global-affairs.ecu.edu/international-students/international-ug/. no edition stated (page metadata modified April 17, 2026). Checked .
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (Study in the States). Financial Ability. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/prepare/financial-ability. no edition stated. Checked .
- Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education (StudentAid.gov). Do You Need Money for College or Career/Trade School? https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/do-you-need-money.pdf. October 2025 edition (PDF). Checked .
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (Study in the States). Working in the United States. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/work/working-in-the-united-states. no edition stated. Checked .
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (Study in the States). Training Opportunities in the United States. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/training-opportunities-in-the-united-states. no edition stated. Checked .
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Student and Exchange Visitor Program (Study in the States). STEM OPT Hub. https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/stem-opt-hub. no edition stated. Checked .
Format: Publisher. Page title. URL. Edition or catalog year. Checked date.