Support for International Students

International Students are a large part of most of the institutions in the USA and consequently there are facilities and services in place to make you feel as warm and welcome as possible. Everything is provided with assistance, finding accommodation, orientation of the campus, resume assistance for when you graduate and everything in between. Each and every Institution has a community willing and able to help you all the way.

Long term career prospects are greatly increased with an education in America due to the respect that the American Education system demands around the globe. Study Abroad is also a life changing experience where many international students make lifelong friends and change their perspective on life and where they want to head.

Education in America is an easily marketable commodity, study abroad is renowned around the globe as being a valuable and rich experience.

Now if you decided to study in USA, then you should apply for the student visa. Student Visa comes in Non-Immigrant Visa under F-VISA category.

Who should apply? This visa is for a person who wants to go to the U.S. to go through a full course of study at an educational institution approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

 What types are available?
F-1 is for an academic student
F-2 is for a spouse/child of an academic student

What must you establish as an F Visa applicant?

• You have a residence abroad that you do not intend to abandon

• You have been accepted to pursue a full course of study at a DHS approved institution, as demonstrated by presentation of Form I-20 A-B ("I-20") and an electronic version of that document (through SEVIS)

• You have paid the SEVIS I-901 fee, as demonstrated by presentation of the SEVIS fee payment receipt

• You have sufficient knowledge of English to pursue the intended study (or evidence that the school is aware of the deficiency and will remedy it)

• You have sufficient money to cover the first year of study, and access to sufficient money to cover subsequent years

• You will depart at the end of your authorized stay in the U.S.
   

Spouse & Children: The spouse or children of a student are also entitled to accompany or join the holder of an F-1 Visa. They can apply for an F-2 Visa. A spouse or child with an F-2 Visa cannot seek employment in the U.S.
If you want your spouse/child to travel to the U.S. with you, apply for your visas at the same time. Book your visa interview appointments for the same day and attend your visa interview together.

Undergraduate Admission Requirements and Entrance Examinations:
To be eligible for admission to a U.S. university, you must meet certain minimum entry requirements. These include a secondary school diploma or examination results, English language ability, and in many cases a score from one of the U.S. university admissions tests.

Secondary School Diplomas / Examination Results :
Most U.S. universities expect international students to have a secondary school  diploma or secondary school examination results that would enable them to attend a university in their home country. This is particularly true of the most competitive universities, which look for students with high grades (among other things). However, remember that there is a wide range of admission standards and acceptance rates among U.S. universities and colleges. Since the U.S. system of education places great emphasis on breadth of knowledge, it is also important that your secondary school study has included a variety of subjects such as English, mathematics, natural sciences (physics, chemistry, and/or biology), humanities or social sciences (history, geography, economics, politics, or similar subjects), and a foreign language. Lastly, universities will not usually accept international students who are younger than age 17.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ABILITY:
A basic requirement for successful study in the United States is the ability to communicate in English. If English is not your native language, U.S. universities and colleges will ask you to take an English language proficiency test before admitting you to a degree program. Almost all institutions require that this test be the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A few may accept scores from other examinations or administer their own tests. For further information, check each college's catalog or contact the admissions office to discuss your situation. As with many areas of U.S. education, each institution sets its own English language admission standard, but some general guidelines on requirements are given in the section on TOEFL scores below. Some institutions may grant conditional acceptance with the understanding that you must attend English language classes at their college prior to starting your degree program. Once you have reached the required English language level, you will be able to start your studies. Keep in mind, however, that in some cases it may be difficult for you to obtain a student visa in your country if you cannot prove sufficient command of the English language to begin study in the United States.

VISA APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

After the Completed application forms along with the documents are submitted; In most cases, the visa will be issued within a few hours or days of the submission of the application. In some instances, the process may take longer depending on the time of year, consular caseload or other factors. If your application is denied, you should ask the Consular Officer for a "written denial decision." This will provide you with the official reason for your visa denial.

Your total personal annual income Total annual income of your Parents Your average annual living expenses Some details of your and your parents' assets Sources of funding for your education other than from the University

Note : Even if no assistantship is available at the time of admission, most Indian students manage to get some kind of financial aid from the university after one or two semesters. So it makes sense to go to the US for education if you can manage one year’s expenses on your own.