F-1 Student Visa: How to Apply Step by Step

You got into a US school. Now there's one more step between you and the classroom: the F-1 student visa. The process has several parts, and some of them changed in 2025 and 2026, so it pays to do them in the right order.

Here's how to get an F-1 student visa, from the school form to your first job on campus. Rules and fees below are as of September 2026. Confirm them on the official pages before you pay or book anything.

An F-1 visa lets you enter the US to study full time at a school certified by SEVP. SEVP is the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, the government office that approves schools for international students.

The visa is the entry document in your passport. Your status is your permission to stay once you're in the US. You keep it by studying full time and following the rules.

How to get an F-1 student visa, step by step

1. Get accepted and receive your Form I-20. Your school's DSO (designated school official, the adviser who handles student immigration records) issues it. You and the DSO both sign it.
2. Pay the I-901 SEVIS fee. SEVIS is the database that tracks international students. ICE lists the fee for F-1 applicants as $350 as of September 2026. You need the SEVIS ID and school code from your I-20 to pay.
3. Fill in the DS-160. This is the online visa application form. Make every answer match your I-20, passport and financial documents.
4. Pay the visa application fee. The State Department's fee schedule lists $185 for this type of visa as of September 2026. Your embassy's website explains how to pay.
5. Book and attend your interview. Plan to apply at the US embassy or consulate in the country where you're a national or where you live.
6. Travel on time. Study in the States says you can arrive up to 30 days before the program start date on your I-20.

Proof of funds for an F-1 visa

The officer needs to see that you can pay for school and living costs without working illegally. State Department guidance says applicants should usually show credible documents proving enough readily available money for the first year of study.

Your I-20 lists estimated costs, so use it as your target. Common evidence includes bank statements, scholarship letters, sponsor letters with the sponsor's own statements, and loan approval letters.

Two rules trip people up. An approved student loan can count, but a plan to apply for one doesn't. A plan to cover first-year costs with CPT or OPT work doesn't count either.

If you'll need to borrow, our guide to student loans for international students explains the main options.

The F-1 visa interview and new vetting rules

Most interviews are short. The officer wants to understand that you're a real student, that you can pay, and that you plan to leave when your studies and any authorized training end.

Expect questions like these:

• Why did you choose this school and program?
• How will you pay for your studies?
• What do you plan to do after you graduate?
• Who is your sponsor, and what do they do for work?

Answer in your own words. Memorized speeches sound rehearsed.

Several things changed recently. From October 1, 2025, the State Department generally requires an in-person interview for nonimmigrant visa applicants, with narrow exceptions. In June 2025, it announced expanded online vetting of student applicants and said F, M and J applicants would be asked to set their social media profiles to public. Officers don't ask for passwords.

A 2025 law also created a separate visa integrity fee for many nonimmigrant visas. We couldn't confirm on an official page whether it's being collected yet, so check your embassy's fee page before you set your budget.

If you're refused, it's often under section 214(b), the rule that presumes visa applicants intend to immigrate. Our tourist visa interview guide explains what that means and how reapplying works.

Working on an F-1 visa: on-campus jobs, OPT and STEM OPT

Work rules are strict, and breaking them can end your status.

For post-completion OPT, USCIS says you can apply up to 90 days before you finish your degree and no later than 60 days after. Any OPT you use before graduation is subtracted from your post-graduation time.

For STEM OPT, your degree must be on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. Your employer must use E-Verify, the federal system for confirming that workers can legally work in the US. USCIS allows a combined total of 150 days of unemployment across your first OPT period and the STEM extension.

Never start off-campus work until you have written authorization. Your DSO is the first person to ask.

The new fixed admission period for F-1 students

This is the biggest change for new students. On July 17, 2026, DHS published a final rule replacing duration of status with a fixed admission period. Duration of status let students stay as long as they kept studying, with no set end date.

Under the rule, F-1 students are admitted up to their program end date, capped at four years, plus 30 days to prepare to leave or change status. If you need more time, you would apply to USCIS for an extension of stay.

The rule lists September 15, 2026 as its effective date. It's a major rule under congressional review, though, and DHS says it will publish a notice if that date changes. DHS also describes a transition for students already in the US on duration of status. Ask your DSO and check Study in the States for implementation guidance.

A hypothetical F-1 applicant

Here's a made-up example. Tunde is admitted to a two-year master's program, and his I-20 lists the first-year costs. His parents are his sponsors, so he brings their bank statements, a letter from his father's employer, and papers for a recent land sale that added to their savings.

He pays the SEVIS fee, fills in the DS-160 with the same details, and practices explaining his career plan in two sentences. At the interview, he answers simply and shows the sale papers when asked about the deposit. Nothing guarantees approval, but his story and his paperwork match.

Common mistakes on F-1 applications

• Typing the SEVIS ID wrong. Copy it exactly from your I-20.
• Showing funds you can't explain. Unexplained deposits create doubt.
• Counting on OPT to pay for year one. State Department guidance doesn't accept that as first-year funding.
• Giving different answers in different places. Your DS-160, I-20 and interview answers should match.
• Arriving too early. Plan to enter no more than 30 days before your program start date.
• Working off campus without authorization. It can cost you your status.

What to do next

When your I-20 arrives, pay the SEVIS fee and start your DS-160 the same week. Book your interview early, put together one clear folder of financial evidence, and ask your DSO how the fixed admission rule affects your program. If you're already thinking about work after graduation, read our overview of US work visas.