Graduate and Professional School Students

Graduate students will also participate in orientations hosted by the professional schools and the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. These orientations are separate from the OVIS check-in.

The Form I-20

Review the SEVIS Form I-20 for content and accuracy. You will need the Form I-20 to apply for an F-1 visa stamp at the U.S. Consulate and enter the United States in valid F-1 student status to begin your in-person study at Dartmouth College.

After reading the instructions on Page 3 of your Form I-20, please print the Form I-20, double-sided, and, with an ink pen, sign your name and put the date on the bottom of Page 1, where indicated.

The Form I-20 program start date is the start of your in-person program at Dartmouth. The initial session start date is the first day of classes. You must enter the United States in F-1 status on, or up to 30 days before, the program start date on the Form I-20. If you will be unable to enter the United States by the program start date listed on the Form I-20, please let us know as soon as possible.

SEVIS Fee

After receiving the Form I-20 and before scheduling your visa appointment at the U.S. Consulate, you must pay the SEVIS fee. The SEVIS fee is in addition to the standard U.S. visa application fee and any country-specific visa reciprocity fees you will be required to pay by the U.S. Consulate. Detailed information about the SEVIS fee, as well as the website for online fee payment, can be found on the following website: https://fmjfee.com/

Scheduling the Visa Appointment

To find the nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy in your country with jurisdiction for your home region, and to schedule a U.S. visa appointment, please refer to this website: https://www.usembassy.gov/.

For more information about the visa application process, visa fee payments, and reasons for possible delays in the issuing of U.S. visas, please review the website for the U.S. Department of State: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/study.html.

At the time of your U.S. visa interview, you should present the following required documents to the U.S Consulate in your home country:

The signed Form I-20;
$350 SEVIS fee payment receipt;
Visa processing fee receipt;
Proof of financial support and/or funding – This should be the same documentation you submitted in support of your Form I-20 request;
Evidence of non-immigrant intent (family and/or financial ties to your home country);
The visa application Form DS-160, available online: https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/;
Two (2) passport style photographs; and
Passport – valid for at least six (6) months longer than you expect to be in the U.S.

Please be advised that under a new U.S. Department of State policy all F, J and H-1B visa applicants are subject to social media screening, and must set all social medial accounts to public for the visa interview. All applications will automatically be placed in "administrative processing" while the social media screening is pending.

In addition to the social media screening, you may be subject to additional administrative processing security checks that could delay the visa application process. If your visa application is pending more than 2 weeks after your visa appointment, please reach out to your OVIS advisor and provide any documentation issued to you by the consular official.

Important note for citizens of CANADA:

Canadian citizens applying for entry to the U.S. as F-1 students are not required to obtain a visa stamp from a U.S. Consulate to enter the United States; instead, they are inspected and admitted in F-1 student status at the port of entry (land, air, or sea). For that inspection, students are required to present:

Proof of Canadian citizenship (passport)
The signed enclosed Form I-20
Proof of admission to Dartmouth
Proof of financial support and/or funding – the same documentation you submitted to obtain the I-20
Canadians will also be required to provide the SEVIS fee payment receipt and if entering by land, will be charged an I-94 processing fee at the border port of entry

Arrival and Admission to the U.S.

Upon arrival in the United States, you will need to present the original Form I-20 and your valid passport with valid F-1 visa stamp to the immigration official at the port of entry. Additionally, it is strongly recommended that you carry your financial support documentation and admission letter from Dartmouth.

You are allowed to enter the U.S. no earlier than thirty (30) days before your academic program start date and you may not enter after this date. Do not enter the U.S. in the visa waiver (tourist) program, even if you are eligible. Please make sure you enter as an F-1 student.

At the port-of-entry, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection official will inspect your documents and create a Form I-94 record of arrival for you as evidence of your admission. The electronic I-94 is the record of your admission and authorized period of stay in the U.S. as an international student and will be available to you online following your arrival. You must log into the system and print out the copy of your I-94 from the website: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/.

It is your responsibility to check the I-94 to ensure the information is correct, and notify OVIS if you discover an error.

Required check-in and orientation with the Office of Visa and Immigration Services (OVIS)

All F-1 international students coming to Dartmouth are required to attend a check-in/orientation session with our office within 30 days of entering the U.S. You will be sent information on the check-in/orientation process prior to your arrival.

The OVIS Check-In will be an online form where you will be able to provide us with your immigration documentation evidencing your entry to the U.S. in F-1 status. If your immigration documents are in order, OVIS will register your SEVIS record and we will issue you a new Form I-20 'Continued Attendance' with a travel signature, which completes the initial check-in process and confirms your arrival to Dartmouth. If there are any issues with your admission to the U.S., we will address those problems as quickly as possible.

Employment

On-campus employment for Dartmouth College is a benefit of your F-1 student status and is strictly controlled by the Department of Homeland Security. F-1 students may work on-campus for a Dartmouth College paycheck only, up to 20 hours per week during enrolled terms, and full time during Dartmouth vacation periods or official interim periods between academic terms.

NOTE: Fully-funded graduate students who receive a stipend are already deemed to be working the maximum hours per week and may not accept additional work during enrolled terms. F-1 students may only work off-campus if that work has been authorized by either U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or OVIS through specific application procedures, and only in limited circumstances. Please see your OVIS advisor before accepting any employment, paid or unpaid, or volunteer positions.

If you choose to work on-campus and/or plan on receiving a graduate stipend, be advised that you will also have to apply for a U.S. social security number, unless you already have one. The application must be done in-person at a Social Security Administration office. Once you receive the number, you must provide your number to the Dartmouth Payroll Office. You may find further information about this and other pre-arrival information, such as applying for a New Hampshire driver's license, on our website: https://ovis-intl.dartmouth.edu/.

Additional information about F-1 employment can be found on the OVIS website.

Maintenance of F-1 status

OVIS reviews the requirements of F-1 student status at orientation and throughout your academic program as required. To maintain valid F-1 student status, you must enter the United States using the Form I-20 issued by the institution where you intend to enroll (Dartmouth), no later than the start date listed on the form.

While at Dartmouth, you must be enrolled as a full-time student in a full course of study each term.
You must not accept unauthorized employment.
You are required to notify OVIS of any changes to your residential address within ten (10) days of any move.
You are required to notify OVIS of any change in funding within ten (10) days of the change.
You are required to notify OVIS of any changes to your academic program within ten (10) days of any update.

Additional information about maintenance of F-1 status can be found on the OVIS website.

Evidence of Funding for F-1 Students

OVIS is required under the F-1 regulations to verify that each international student requesting a Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility has sufficient funding to cover one academic year (3 terms) at Dartmouth. The funding documentation we require will also be required by the U.S. Consulate or Embassy at the time of the visa application.

To obtain your I-20 in a timely manner, please follow the funding evidence guidelines below when submitting your request for a new or extension Form I-20 document:

Dartmouth College funding

Dartmouth College financial aid or scholarship award letter on Dartmouth letterhead and issued within the last 3 months stating the amount and type of funding.
- Note for undergraduates: if you are receiving financial aid, you must upload your most recent financial aid award letter
- If the award does not cover the total program costs, you will need to show proof of funding that covers the remaining amount.

Personal funds

Bank statement(s) that contain:
- Name on the account and account number
- Name of financial institution
- Account balance and currency
- Date/issuance within last 3 months
- Evidence of liquid assets that can be converted to cash
- English translation (unofficial translations are acceptable)

Family or friend funds

The sponsor's bank statement(s)
Letter(s) indicating the relationship between you and the sponsor(s), the amount of support and the length of support
Loan Certificates or Letters
- Must indicate your name and the amount of approved loan
- Conditional loan approvals may be accepted only if the condition is the receipt of your Form I-20
- Loan applications are not acceptable as proof of funding

Home government support

Evidence of support should be presented in English, on government/agency letterhead, and detail the amount and period of support to be provided

Investment Accounts

Stocks, bonds, or mutual funds, only if the amount provided is at least 1.5x the required amount needed for the I-20

Other organization support

Evidence of support should be presented in English, on agency letterhead, and detail the purpose of the support, amount of support, and period of funding

Documents that are NOT acceptable as evidence of funding:

Financial documents/bank statements older than 3 months
Income or salary statements
Funds that are not immediately accessible
Assets that are not in liquidated form (real estate, car, etc.)
Life insurance policy statements
Tax return forms or documents

Dependent Funds

If you will bring a spouse or child(ren) as your F-2 or J-2 dependent(s), you will need to provide additional proof of funds.

Spouse: $5000 per year
Child: $3500 per year, per child

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