F1 visa - Application Timetable

	HINT: The more selective the university, the earlier the deadline. Less competitive universities often allow later application than do the more competitive.

The U.S. academic year begins in late August or early September, and many universities will also accept applications for January admission. The following is the preferred timetable for applying to U.S. universities, beginning the year before an August entry.

June-August

• Think about your educational future and career prospects at home
• Talk with your family about financial resources
• Read the section on Selecting a University
• Visit an educational advising center and become familiar with the application process.
• Register for tests such as the TOEFL, SAT, SATII, GRE, or GMAT

August-November

• Take entrance tests
• Attend university fairs
• Research universities and identify between four and ten that meet your needs

December-March

• Pay careful attention to deadline dates.
• Submit a winning application to at least three universities

April-May

• Letters of acceptance or rejection arrive.
• Read acceptance letters carefully. Many institutions require a separate application for housing.
• Choose the university you want to attend.
• Send letters of regret to universities you will not attend.
• Seek information about applying for a visa

June-July

• Apply for a student visa
• Make travel arrangements
• Attend a pre-departure orientation program at your school

August

• Arrive in time to attend the university’s orientation program for new students
• Be prepared for an excellent academic experience!

10 TIPS ON GETTING A U.S. VISA

Points to Remember When Applying for a Nonimmigrant Visa

(courtesy of NAFSA: Association of International Educators)

1. TIES TO YOUR HOME COUNTRY. Under U.S. law, all applicants for nonimmigrant visas, such as student visas, are viewed as intending immigrants until they can convince the consular officer that they are not. You must therefore be able to show that you have reasons for returning to your home country that are stronger than those for remaining in the United States. "Ties" to your home country are the things that bind you to your home town, homeland, or current place of residence: job, family, financial prospects that you own or will inherit, investments, etc.

If you are a prospective undergraduate, the interviewing officer may ask about your specific intentions or promise of future employment, family or other relationships, educational objectives, grades, long-range plans and career prospects in your home country. Each person's situation is different, of course, and there is no magic explanation or single document, certificate, or letter which can guarantee visa issuance.

If you have applied for the U.S. Green Card Lottery, you may be asked if you are intending to immigrate. A simple answer would be that you applied for the lottery since it was available but not with a specific intent to immigrate. If you overstayed your authorized stay in the U.S. previously, be prepared to explain what happened clearly and concisely, with documentation if available.

2. ENGLISH. Anticipate that the interview will be conducted in English and not in your native language. One suggestion is to practice English conversation with a native speaker before the interview, but do NOT prepare speeches! If you are coming to the United States solely to study intensive English, be prepared to explain how English will be useful for you in your home country.

3. SPEAK FOR YOURSELF. Do not bring parents or family members with you to the interview. The consular officer wants to interview you, not your family. A negative impression is created if you are not prepared to speak on your own behalf. If you are a minor applying for a high school program and need your parents there in case there are questions, for example about funding, they should wait in the waiting room.

4. KNOW THE PROGRAM AND HOW IT FITS YOUR CAREER PLANS. If you are not able to articulate the reasons you will study in a particular program in the United States, you may not succeed in convincing the consular officer that you are indeed planning to study, rather than to immigrate. You should also be able to explain how studying in the United States relates to your future professional career when you return home.

5. BE BRIEF. Because of the volume of applications received, all consular officers are under considerable time pressure to conduct a quick and efficient interview. They must make a decision, for the most part, on the impressions they form during the first minute of the interview. Consequently, what you say first and the initial impression you create are critical to your success. Keep your answers to the officer's questions short and to the point.

6. ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION. It should be immediately clear to the consular officer what written documents you are presenting and what they signify. Lengthy written explanations cannot be quickly read or evaluated. Remember that you will have 2-3 minutes of interview time, if you're lucky.

7. NOT ALL COUNTRIES ARE EQUAL. Applicants from countries suffering economic problems or from countries where many students have remained in the United States as immigrants will have more difficulty getting visas. Statistically, applicants from those countries are more likely to be intending immigrants. They are also more likely to be asked about job opportunities at home after their study in the United States.

8. EMPLOYMENT. Your main purpose in coming to the United States should be to study, not for the chance to work before or after graduation. While many students do work off-campus during their studies, such employment is incidental to their main purpose of completing their U.S. education. You must be able to clearly articulate your plan to return home at the end of your program.

If your spouse is also applying for an accompanying F-2 visa, be aware that F-2 dependents cannot, under any circumstances, be employed in the United States. If asked, be prepared to address what your spouse intends to do with his or her time while in the United States. Volunteer work and attending school part-time are permitted activities.

9. DEPENDENTS REMAINING AT HOME. If your spouse and children are remaining behind in your country, be prepared to address how they will support themselves in your absence. This can be an especially tricky area if you are the primary source of income for your family. If the consular officer gains the impression that your family will need you to remit money from the United States in order to support themselves, your student visa application will almost certainly be denied. If your family does decide to join you at a later time, it is helpful to have them apply at the same post where you applied for your visa.

10. MAINTAIN A POSITIVE ATTITUDE. Do not engage the consular officer in an argument. If you are denied a student visa, ask the officer for a list of documents he or she would suggest you bring in order to overcome the refusal, and try to get the reason you were denied in writing.

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7	Princeton University (NJ)
8	University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
9	University of Texas–Austin
10	Cornell University (NY)
10	Penn State University–University Park
12	University of California–Los Angeles
12	Virginia Tech
14	University of Maryland–College Park
15	University of Colorado–Boulder
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18	University of California–Berkeley
20	University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
21	University of Southern California

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7	Georgia Institute of Technology
8	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
9	University of Pennsylvania
10	University of California–Berkeley
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15	University of Virginia
16	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)
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U.S. News Rank	University
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4	California Institute of Technology
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7	University of Texas–Austin
8	University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
9	University of Delaware
10	Princeton University (NJ)
11	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
12	University of California–Santa Barbara
13	Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN)
13	Georgia Institute of Technology
15	Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
16	Penn State University–University Park
17	Northwestern University (IL)
18	Johns Hopkins University (MD)
19	University of Washington
19	Cornell University (NY)
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22	University of California–Los Angeles
24	Ohio State University
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U.S. News Rank	University
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2	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3	University of California–Berkeley
4	Stanford University (CA)
5	University of Texas–Austin
6	Georgia Institute of Technology
7	Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN)
8	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
9	Cornell University (NY)
10	California Institute of Technology
10	Texas A&M University–College Station
12	Northwestern University (IL)
13	Virginia Tech
14	Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
15	University of Washington
16	Penn State University–University Park
16	University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
18	University of Wisconsin–Madison
19	University of Colorado–Boulder
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U.S. News Rank	University
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5	University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
6	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
7	University of Texas–Austin
8	Cornell University (NY)
9	University of Washington
10	Princeton University (NJ)
11	Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN)
12	University of Wisconsin–Madison
13	California Institute of Technology
14	Georgia Institute of Technology
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18	University of California–San Diego
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