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International Student and Scholar Services

Receive Your I-20/DS-2019 and Pay Your SEVIS Fee

SEVIS fee payment link

Submit your DS-160 Online Visa Application

  • Complete and submit your visa DS-160 application.
  • Review frequently asked questions about the application.
  • Answer truthfully to the best of your knowledge. Our office cannot provide advice on completing the application.
  • Contact your local embassy or consulate with any questions.
  • Helpful Tips:
    • U.S. Address or Point of Contact: Not sure who to list? Use your school or department address. The phone number is 801-422-2695.
    • Dependents: Each dependent must submit their own DS-160.
    • Course of Study: Use your program name as it appears on your I-20/DS-2019.
    • Intended Length of Stay: List the end date of your I-20 or DS-2019. The response to this question does not determine the length of your visa.
    • Present Work/ Education/ Training Information: Select the best option that is true at the time of submitting the application.
    • Person/ Entity Paying for Your Trip: List your primary source of funding as it appears on your I-20/DS-2019.

Schedule Your Visa Interview

  • Follow the instructions provided by the U.S. embassy or consulate in your country of nationality or residence, or at your designated visa processing location.
  • The earliest you may apply for your visa is 365 days before the program start date, but you may not enter the U.S. more than 30 days before your start date.
  • Each embassy and consulate has its own visa processing times. Check directly for current processing times.
  • As of June 18, 2025, the visa application process requires that social media profiles be set to ‘public’ for vetting purposes.

Prepare Your Documents

1.Passport (valid for at least six months beyond the date of entry)
2.DS-160 confirmation page
3.Valid I-20/DS-2019
5.SEVIS Fee Receipt
6.Financial documents (issued within the previous 3 months)
7.Any other documents listed on embassy/consulate website

Attend Your Interview

Review 10 points to remember when applying for a non-immigrant visa from NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the leading organization committed to international education and exchange.

  • Ties to Your Home Country and Residence Abroad
    The first point on this helpful list of what to keep in mind when applying for a visa addresses "Ties to Your Home Country and Residence Abroad." U.S. law considers applicants for nonimmigrant visas to be "intending immigrants" which means that the visa applicant intends to stay in the U.S. after the reason for their visit to the U.S. has been completed. A visa applicant has had to show strong ties to their home country to convince the consular officer that reasons to return home are stronger than reasons to remain in the U.S.

    On December 20, 2021 the Department of State updated its guidance to consular officers advising that they should evaluate the "residence abroad requirement" for student visa applicants differently than for B visitor visas or other short-term visas. It instructs consular officers to look only at a student visa applicant's “present” intent rather than future intent to depart the United States following the conclusion of their visa because a student is "...often single, unemployed, without property, and is at the stage in life of deciding and developing their plans for the future" and would not possess ties of employment and property that would be typical of an older B visitor visa applicant. (The instructions for consular officers are in the Foreign Affairs Manual under 402.5-5(E)(1) (U) Residence Abroad Required.)

Receive and Review Your Entry Visa

  • Check the visa in your passport to make sure that all the information on it is correct.
  • Your I-20/DS-2019 should be returned to you. You will need it to enter the U.S.