STUDY IN USA
The United States is the world’s leading student destination. It offers unparalleled scope for students from all streams to study and excel in their chosen fields. Coupled with an economy that requires new talent every year, it is the ideal destination for students looking to study and make a life after graduation. With a US student visa, it is possible to study in USA.
Elixir Group offers authoritative support students need to study in US universities with a US student visa. Our understanding of the US education system and vast experience with its student visa process make us your best bet to study in the US.
The US universities are able to provide the best possible platform to international students with a student visa. This is evident from their high rankings making it worthwhile to study in USA. The country’s education system offers the most comprehensive coursework to students with an equal emphasis on both practical and theoretical learning.
- Affordable Education
- Diversity and Flexibility
- Outstanding support system for overseas students
- Healthy and Safe Communities
- Access to internships
- Exciting Campus Lifestyle
The US Universities fall under two major categories: public-funded and private institutions.
International students’ tuition expenses at state schools are based on non-resident costs, which are still usually less expensive than those of private universities. This is excluding the student visa fees. You will need approximately $10,000 to $55,000 annually to cover your tuition fees when you study in USA.
| STUDY PROGRAM | APPROXIMATE TUITION FEES IN USD$ |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate Bachelor Degree | $15,000 to $40,000 per year |
| Graduate programs | $20,000 to $40,000 per year |
| Doctoral Degree | $20,000 to $45,000 per year |
US universities have 3 intakes.
Students have the option of choosing the term of their study from three main flexible intakes, Spring (January), Fall (September) and Summer (May) when they study in USA.
Intake 1: Fall Semester – It commences in August/September and is the major intake.
Intake 2: Spring Semester – It commences in January/February intake is also available.
Intake 3: Summer Semester – It commences in May/June and is available for selected Courses.
You will have to choose an intake that best suits your requirements and make your application accordingly. Remember the deadline to submit applications are usually a few months before the starting date of the semester. You will also have to plan your US student visa application to sync with your college application process
Student Applicant
- Students must be over 18 years of age.
- International students can work on-campus up to 20 hours/week or less during the academic terms and full-time during the academic break periods including the summertime.
- Off-campus employment requires some form of written or documented authorization issued by either the USCIS or OISS.
- You must be currently in legal status and have been enrolled as a student on a F-1 student visa in the US for a minimum of one academic year to be eligible for any form of off-campus employment
You will generally need the following for your US Student Visa application for US universities:
- A valid passport with a validity date at least six months beyond your period of stay.
- Recent passport size photograph.
- Confirmation page of DS-160.
- Form I -20.
- Payment of application fees for SEVIS.
- Application as a non-immigrant.
- Your University will make you aware of additional requirements if any prior to your application.
Step 1: Apply to a US school and get accepted
The first step is to apply to (and eventually be accepted to) a US university. In the United States, most full-time undergraduate and graduate programs demand applications by December or January of each year. Admission notices are usually sent out in March and April.
Step 2: Get your school’s Form I-20 or DS-2019
After being accepted to a school, you’ll receive one of two forms: Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status) for F-1 and M-1 students, and Form DS-2019 (Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status for J-1 students.
Step 3: Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee
Go online and pay the I-901 SEVIS fee once you receive your I-20 or DS-2019 form from your school. The price is 350 USD for F-1/M-1 students and 220 USD for J-1 students once again. (Those in short-term J-1 visa programs will only have to pay $35 USD.)
Step 4: Locate a US Embassy or Consulate in Your Area
You must apply for an international student visa at the US embassy or consulate nearest to you (ideally, in the city or region in which you live). The US Department of State offers an online search for US embassies and consulates.
Please know that depending on which embassy you apply through, the process for obtaining a student visa in the United States may fluctuate slightly.
Step 5: Fill out the DS-160 form online
After that, fill out the Online Non-immigrant Visa Application (Form DS-160).
You will also select the US embassy where you will interview for your visa on this application.
Step 6: Make an appointment for your visa interview
Contact your nearest US embassy or consulate (preferably, the one you listed on your online application) to organize your visa interview after you’ve filed Form DS-160.
Step 7: Make payment for your visa application fee.
After that, pay the application fee of 160 USD. This charge is the same regardless of where you apply or where you are from.
It’s important to note that the exact date you pay this charge will differ based on your embassy.
Step 8: Attend your visa interview
The interview is the final major step in the visa application process. This interview will determine whether or not you are granted a student visa in the United States.
Step 9: Pay the visa issuance fee
After being authorized for a student visa in the United States, certain students are required to pay a visa issuance fee. Whether or not you must pay this fee is determined by your nationality and the reciprocity agreement your country has with the United States. You can use a chart on the US visas website to discover if you have to pay a visa issuance fee.
Step 10: Get Your Visa
Your embassy will return your passport to you with your new visa in it if you’ve completed all of the requirements above and gained approval for an international student visa to the United States. It’s worth noting that certain embassies will ask you to pick it up in person, while others will simply ship it back to you.
The length of time it takes for your visa to be processed varies by embassy.
- F1 Student Visa holders are eligible for up to 12 months of OPT (optional practical training) on completion of graduation. That means you can work for a year after you finish your studies.
- It is temporary employment permission allowing students the opportunity to gain practical experience in their field of study.
- After that, you’ll be required to apply for a work visa if you have to continue working in the US. You can remain in the US up to 60 days after the completion of your course in US universities even if you don’t have a job offer or haven’t applied for OPT
The student dependent visa is called the F2 Visa. The F2 visa is a non-immigrant dependent visa where the immediate family members of the F1 student visa holders can come to the US. Dependents include the spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 of the individual who is studying in US.
ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS FOR THE F2 VISA
- Must be the spouse of an F1 student visa holder.
- Must be the dependent child (under 21 years and unmarried) of an F1 visa holder.
- Applicant must have enough financial resources to support the family in the US
F2 VISA REQUIREMENTS
- Passport (both original and photocopies)
- Visa application confirmation (DS-160)
- A photograph conforming to U.S. visa rules
- Birth certificate for dependent children
- Marriage certificate for spouses
- Visa fee payment receipt
- Applicant’s I-20 form
- Copy of F1 visa holder’s I-20 form
- Applicant’s bank statements, tax records, and employment documents as proof of financial stability
BENEFITS OF F2 VISA
Extended visa stays
If the primary F1 student visa holder extends his / her stay, then the F2 visa dependents are also automatically eligible to apply for the extension. Filing Form I-539 is enough to renew your F2 visa along with proof of your financial status.
Change of visa status
You can enter the U.S. on an F2 visa and subsequently request a change of visa status. By enrolling in a US higher education program in US universities, you can change your visa status to F1. If you find an appropriate job, you can request a change of visa status.
Getting a Green Card
While you get a Green Card automatically when your primary F1 visa holder receives one, you are also eligible to apply for one on your own. You can change your visa status to a different one which allows for dual purpose (e.g., L1 visa) and then apply for a Green Card. If you find employment, you become eligible for a Green Card.
Access to healthcare
F2 visa holders have access to medical services and hospitals in the US. However, if you plan on a long stay or expect a medical situation, it makes sense to buy a health insurance plan to cover the high costs of health care.
F2 VISA RESTRICTIONS
- No permission to work
- Not eligible for Social Security Number
- Not allowed to pursue higher education
- Cannot enter the U.S. before the F1 student visa holder
- As you are not eligible to work, you can’t get a Social Security Number (SSN).
- You can’t get employment in the United States on an F2 visa. But you’re allowed to do unpaid voluntary work
- You cannot do a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program in US universities on the F2 visa. Yet you are eligible for recreational and vocational training courses. Dependent children on an F2 visa can complete primary, middle and high school education. If you are looking to pursue higher studies, you must first apply for a visa status change.
- You must either be accompanied by the primary F1 visa holder or fly later after the F1 holder for first-time travel to the U.S. on an F2 visa. You can’t enter the United States before the F1 visa holder. This only applies when you are first entering the U.S. and not for subsequent travel
M1 visa is a type of non-immigrant student visa issued by the USCIS to foreign students looking to study in the United States, but not every student receives an M1 visa. This is primarily intended for those who want to pursue vocational training in the U.S.
Students can enter the US with an M1 visa and complete their full-time vocational studies.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH AN M1 VISA
Using the M1 visa, as a student, you can obtain a driver’s license, a bank account based in the U.S., access to health care services, and apply for work under certain restrictions.
What you cannot do-.
Requirements for student visa application
- You cannot apply for non-academic or vocational training courses in the US
- You meet the minimum education qualification required for admission into the vocational course.
- You were admitted by a U.S.-based educational school and got the Form I-20.
- You have the appropriate level of proficiency in English
- You’ve shown you’ve got enough funds to cover your expenses while you’re in the US
- You have permanent residence in your country of origin
- You have no intention of remaining in the US and will leave after your education is complete
- The institution is convinced that the education you are receiving will benefit your country of origin
Documents required
- Passport valid for at least six months
- DS-160 confirmation
- Visa appointment letter
- Recent photographs
- Fee receipts
- Educational certificates
- Proof of financial stability
Apply for full-time employment outside the campus
Study the full-time course as part-time operation (which means strict monitoring of attendance)
The QS World University Rankings include 150 universities in the US.
QS World University Rankings – Top Universities in the US | ||
Serial No. | Global Rank | University |
1 | #1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
2 | #3 | Stanford University |
3 | #5 | Harvard University |
4 | #6 | California Institute of Technology (Caltech) |
5 | #10 | University of Chicago |
6 | #13 | University of Pennsylvania |
7 | #14 [tied] | Yale University |
8 | #19 | Columbia University |
9 | #20 | Princeton University |
10 | #21 | Cornell University |
11 | #23 [tied] | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor |
12 | #25 | Johns Hopkins University |
13 | #30 | Northwestern University |
14 | #32 | University of California, Berkeley (UCB) |
15 | #40 | University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) |
16 | #42 | New York University (NYU) |
17 | #48 | University of California, San Diego (UCSD) |
18 | #52 | Duke University |
19 | #53 [tied] | Carnegie Mellon University |
20 | #60 | Brown University |
21 | #67 | University of Texas at Austin |
22 | #75 [tied] | University of Wisconsin-Madison |
23 | #82[tied] | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |
24 | #85 [tied] | University of Washington |
25 | 88 | Georgia Institute of Technology |
26 | 94 | Rice University |
27 | #96 | Pennsylvania State University |
28 | #100 | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill |
29 | #107 | Washington University in St. Louis |
30 | #112 [tied] | Boston University |
31 | #112 [tied] | University of Southern California |
32 | #116 | Purdue University |
33 | #120 | The Ohio State University |
34 | #138 | University of California, Davis |
35 | #146 | University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) |
36 | #154 | University of Rochester |
37 | #157 | Michigan State University |
38 | #158 | University of Maryland, College Park |
39 | #160 | Emory University |
40 | #161 | Case Western Reserve University |
41 | #163 [tied] | University of Pittsburgh |
42 | #168 [tied] | Texas A&M University |
43 | #173 [tied] | University of Florida |
44 | #186 [tied] | University of Minnesota Twin Cities |
45 | #191 [tied] | Dartmouth College |
46 | #216 [tied] | Arizona State University |
47 | #218 | Vanderbilt University |
48 | #222 | University of Notre Dame |
49 | #226 [tied] | University of Virginia |
50 | #232 | University of California, Irvine |
51 | #246 [tied] | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
52 | #248 [tied] | Georgetown University |
53 | #251 | University of Colorado Boulder |
54 | #252 | Yeshiva University |
55 | #264 [tied] | Rutgers University–New Brunswick |
56 | #268 [tied] | The University of Arizona |
57 | #275 [tied] | Tufts University |
58 | #285 [tied] | University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) |
59 | #300 [tied] | North Carolina State University |
60 | #311 [tied] | Indiana University Bloomington |
61 | #311 [tied] | University of Miami |
62 | #340 [tied] | University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa |
63 | #342 | Northeastern University |
64 | #346 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University |
65 | #347 [tied] | University of California, Santa Cruz |
66 | #355 | George Washington University |
67 | #358 [tied] | University of Utah |
68 | #378 [tied] | Stony Brook University, State University of New York |
69 | #387 | University of Kansas |
70 | #388 [tied] | University at Buffalo SUNY |
71 | #403 | University of California, Riverside |
72 | #414 | University of Colorado, Denver |
73 | #427 [tied] | Washington State University |
74 | #429 [tied] | Wake Forest University |
75 | #431 [tied] | Colorado State University |
76 | #431 [tied] | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
77 | #436 [tied] | Tulane University |
78 | #444 | Illinois Institute of Technology |
79 | #455 [tied] | Brandeis University |
80 | #455 [tied] | University of Iowa |
81 | #461 [tied] | Colorado School of Mines |
82 | #475 | Florida State University |
83 | #476 | University of Missouri, Columbia |
84 | #477 [tied] | University of Texas Dallas |
85 | #494 [tied] | Boston College |
86 | #494 [tied] | Iowa State University |
87 | 511-520 | Missouri University of Science and Technology |
88 | 511-520 | Wayne State University |
89 | 531-540 | Lehigh University |
90 | 531-540 | Oregon State University |
91 | 531-540 | University of Delaware |
92 | 541-550 | The University of Georgia |
93 | 541-550 | The University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
94 | 561-570 | The New School |
95 | 571-580 | University of Nebraska – Lincoln |
96 | 581-590 | University of South Florida |
97 | 601-650 | Clark University |
98 | 601-650 | Smith College |
99 | 601-650 | University of Cincinnati |
100 | 601-650 | University of South Carolina |
101 | 651-700 | American University |
102 | 651-700 | College of William and Mary |
103 | 651-700 | Drexel University |
104 | 651-700 | Howard University |
105 | 651-700 | Michigan Technological University |
106 | 651-700 | Syracuse University |
107 | 651-700 | University of Kentucky |
108 | 651-700 | University of Massachusetts Boston |
109 | 651-700 | University of New Mexico |
110 | 651-700 | University of Oklahoma |
111 | 651-700 | University of Oregon |
112 | 651-700 | University of Vermont |
113 | 701-750 | City University of New York |
114 | 701-750 | New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) |
115 | 701-750 | Stevens Institute of Technology |
116 | 701-750 | University of Houston |
117 | 701-750 | Virginia Commonwealth University |
118 | 751-800 | Clarkson University |
119 | 751-800 | Georgia State University |
120 | 751-800 | Temple University |
121 | 751-800 | University at Albany SUNY |
122 | 751-800 | University of Central Florida |
123 | 751-800 | University of Denver |
124 | 751-800 | University of Maryland, Baltimore County |
125 | 751-800 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
126 | 801-1000 | Auburn University |
127 | 801-1000 | Binghamton University SUNY |
128 | 801-1000 | Clemson University |
129 | 801-1000 | Florida International University |
130 | 801-1000 | Fordham University |
131 | 801-1000 | George Mason University |
132 | 801-1000 | Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis |
133 | 801-1000 | Kansas State University |
134 | 801-1000 | Louisiana State University |
135 | 801-1000 | Loyola University Chicago |
136 | 801-1000 | Oklahoma State University |
137 | 801-1000 | Rutgers University–Newark |
138 | 801-1000 | Seattle University |
139 | 801-1000 | Southern Methodist University |
140 | 801-1000 | Texas Tech University |
141 | 801-1000 | The University of Alabama |
142 | 801-1000 | University of Hartford |
143 | 801-1000 | University of Mississippi |
144 | 801-1000 | University of Missouri, Kansas City |
145 | 801-1000 | University of New Hampshire |
146 | 801-1000 | University of Texas at San Antonio |
147 | 801-1000 | University of Tulsa |
148 | 801-1000 | University of Wisconsin Milwaukee |
149 | 801-1000 | University of Wyoming |
150 | 801-1000 | West Virginia University |
The US visa application process can be a daunting prospect. Elixir Group will be by your side and assist you throughout the process. Elixir Group consultants are experienced and well-versed with the intricacies of the US immigration process. Your dedicated consultant will help you:
- Identify and collect all your documents
- Complete the visa documents checklist
- Create your application package
- Help to fill the various forms and applications accurately
- Updates & follow up
- Interview preparation