Next Steps to Enroll

If you are a non-immigrant visa holder (E-2, H-4, L-2, etc) you are allowed to study on that status. Email international.services@uc.edu for instructions.

If you are admitted into one of our distance learning programs, you will not be able to obtain a visa to enter the United States.

Email international.services@uc.edu to confirm that you have been admitted to a distance learning program and that you will be studying in your home country.

The first step after being admitted to a program is to confirm admission. Completing the confirmation form and paying the $100 fee means that you accepts your admission to the University of Cincinnati. It's a time to celebrate!

If awarded scholarships, the second step is to complete the International Scholarship Acceptance Form. A link to this form is located in your application portal. This is the same account where the admission letter is located.  

Admission offers are contingent upon successful completion of high school coursework. Students must submit an official final high school transcript to verify graduation.

• Submit this prior to New Student Orientation. If a final high school transcript is not submitted by the time the semester begins, your scholarship award will not be made available and you may be removed from the courses they enrolled in.
• Learn how to report final A-level or IB transcripts.
• Learn more about how your advanced credit may apply to your degree.

If your high school cannot submit a final transcript with grades because your examinations were delayed or canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, contact international.admissions@uc.edu with an explanation. 

The Math Placement Test (MPT) is carefully designed by UC Math Faculty to assess math ability and correctly place students into a UC math course. All students are required to take the Math Placement Test unless majoring in a performance major within the College-Conservatory of Music, otherwise you should complete the MPT prior to meeting with your advisor.

If you completed the MPT for your application and scholarship review, you will need to take the test again. It's important that your academic advisor knows your current math ability. If the score earned from the first test is higher than the second test, you may request this score be used for class placement by emailing international.admissions@uc.edu. 

For more information about the MPT and to register to take the test visit the MPT webpage. 

First-Year Students

All first-year students are required to attend New Student Orientation also called Bearcats Bound Orientation (BBO). 

New Student Orientation registration is open for spring semester 2025. 

• All undergraduate students are required to attend. 
• Students meet their academic advisors to schedule classes, talk about academic plans, and learn about how to be a UC student. 

Transfer Students

Transfer students are not required to attend BBO because the colleges organize transfer student orientation differently than freshman student orientation. Refer to the confirmed student webpage to learn what you need to do next.

• Check our estimated expenses page to determine the amount you have to certify. Any UC scholarships can be deducted from this amount, but you need to provide proof of the scholarship.
• There is no deadline for submitting financial certification forms, but you will not be issued a Certificate of Eligibility (I-20 / DS-2019) until they are received. You will need to get the I-20/DS-2019 in time to apply for your visa and arrive for your intended semester of study.
• Submit your financial documents as soon as possible, but no sooner than 6 months prior to your start date at UC.

When completing the Affidavit of Support Form, also linked in the Immigration Documents e-form in iBearcatsGlobal, clearly state your name as it appears in your passport.

Financial Documentation Requirements

All financial documents need to be dated within the last 6 months. Documents can include:

• bank statements
• certificates of deposit 
• letters/statements from sponsors that show how much they receive annually from employment
• letters or emails from UC departments about scholarships/assistantships
• information from governments about sponsorships 
• bank/education loan award letters
• letters of support from current overseas employers

All documents should state in English who the account owner is, the current balance, and the currency being used. Deposits stated on the bank statements/certificate of deposits do not need to be frozen.

Scholarships
Unless otherwise stated in the award letter, UC scholarships and assistantships that you have been awarded are considered renewable as long as you maintain good academic standing. For example, if you have been awarded a UC scholarship for $10,000.00, you can include this in your estimates as a source of support for each year of study. Please make sure to upload a copy of your scholarship with your other financial documents.

Sponsors
A sponsor can be anyone: parents, other family members, friends, or agencies. A sponsor only needs to show that they have the first year of support of their intended annual support on deposit. So, for example, if they are committed to providing you $10,000.00 per year, they only need to show that they have $10,000.00 on deposit at this time.  It is presumed they understand, and are committed to, their financial obligation to you and to raise this amount for each year of study for you. The sponsor will need to complete an Affidavit of Support form, linked in the Immigration Documents e-form in iBearcatsGlobal, and provide their financial documents to you with this form.

Personal Funds
“Personal funds” is any amount that you, the student, has on deposit in your name.

• Because you will not be in a position to be able to work or raise additional funding while studying in the US, your personal funds will be divided by the number of years that we estimate it will take for you to complete your studies. 
• For example, if you have $20,0000.00 on deposit and you are applying for a two year Master’s degree, then you have $10,0000.00 available for each year of study.

Loans
Bank/Education Loan awards are usually awarded as one lump sum. Therefore, the amount awarded will be divided by the number of years we estimate it will take for you to complete your degree.

• The letters must state that the loan has been awarded.  Letters that state that you have only applied will not be accepted. 
• Letters that state the loan is provisional/conditional will need to state what those provisions/conditions are. 
• If there is anyone’s name on the loan other than your own, they should complete the affidavit of support form.

Room and Board Affidavit
If you will be living with someone in the Cincinnati area that will provide you free room and board you can also submit the Room and Board Affidavit (which is linked in the Immigration Documents e-form in iBearcatsGlobal). Submission of this form will reduce the amount needed for the cost of living expenses associated with the I-20. Do not submit this form unless you have someone in the US that you will be living with while you are studying.

Review Period
When you submit your financial documents for review, it will take no longer than five business days to review and provide you feedback. If your documentation does not qualify for an I-20 to be issued, you will be sent an email explaining why. You can then make changes to your documentation and resubmit them using the Immigration Documents e-form in iBearcatsGlobal in the New International Student checklist.

If you plan on having accompanying dependents (spouse / children) in F-2 or J-2 status, provide biographical and immigration information regarding those dependents using the Add a New F-2 Dependent e-form found at iBearcatsGlobal.

You also need to show an additional $6,000 per year for a spouse and $3,000 for each child. This is in addition to what you need to show to meet your own living and educational expenses.

Each dependent will then receive his/her own I-20 or DS-2019 to apply for their visa.

No. There is no deadline for submitting financial certification form to UC International Services. You simply will not be issued an I-20 until it is received in proper form.

Keep in mind that it may take several months to obtain a visa, and you need your I-20 to apply.

Yes. Again, there is no deadline for submitting the financial certification forms. You simply will not receive your I-20 until the documentation of your funding is received.

Yes. Anytime a student submits financial certification documents that are incomplete or inadequate, UC International Services will send an email or letter (if email is not available) to the student explaining the problem(s).

No. If the amount of funding coming from your department exceeds the amount of funding required by UC International to be issued an I-20, you do not need to submit additional financial documents.

Yes. Any award given by the University (such as a UGS) that covers a full academic year can be counted as a source of support for all years of expected study.

No. Your financial documents do not have to be submitted in US dollars, although it is helpful that any document you submit in foreign currency contains the US dollar equivalency.

It is acceptable to submit documents in foreign currency such as RMB, Rupees, or Euro.

Yes, keep the original documents for your visa interview.

Scan and upload the documents to UC International using the “Sources of Support” eForm found on iBearcatsGlobal. Documents should be scanned as one PDF or JPEG file (not multiple files).

No. All students must provide financial support for all years of study needed to complete a degree. That is two years for an Associate’s degree, three years for a Master’s degree, five years for a Bachelor’s degree, or six years for a Doctorate degree.

Funds for the first year of study must be documented and available. Funds for subsequent years of study must be attainable as demonstrated by income from employment or investments. This typically occurs when a sponsor (family or friend) is involved.

If using personal funds (meaning money that appears on documents in your name) for any part of support, the student must have the personal funds for all years of study. For example, a doctoral student who states that he or she will use $10,000 of personal funds for support would have to have $10,000 x 6 years ($60,000) in order to be issued an I-20. Personal funds can’t be earned, the student either has the funds or doesn’t

No. Individual departments grant financial aid, not UC International. You must contact your admitting department directly about financial awards or exceptions to deadlines.

Students living outside of the U.S. are required to live on campus the first year.

• You must complete the Housing application to live on campus.
• Student in the U.S. who live 50 miles (80.5 km) or more from the UC campus are required to live on campus the first year. 
• If would like to live with a relative that lives in Cincinnati, OH, email the Housing Office. 

Room selection will be emailed to your UC email address at the beginning June through July.

Roommate profiles can be searched in the Housing portal. If you plan to have one or more roommates, create or join a roommate group before room selection begins in June. 

UC International partners with the Housing Office to present the UC the World Living-Learning Community, a block of the University Park Apartments for students who share an interest in global travel, cultures and citizenship.

Both US and international students can apply to live in the LLC. You will indicate interest in living in the LLC with your university housing application. Space is limited.

Yes. You will receive periodic updates on the status of your I-20 via email.

Upon admission to UC, you will receive an email from us indicating what documents, if any, are missing. Each time additional documents are received, you will receive an update on the status of your I-20.

All I-20s can now be issued electronically. We will send an email to your UC email address when your I-20 is issued. Be sure that you have access to your UC email account.

You can also request an update on the status of your I-20 by sending an email to international.services@uc.edu.

In order to complete your SEVIS fee form, you will need your I-20 or DS-2019 and the University of Cincinnati's School Code. Our school codes are:

• CLE214F10355000 for F-1 students with an I-20
• P-1-00733 for J-1 students/scholars with a DS-2019

DHS allows you or anyone else to pay your SEVIS fee using a credit card, Western Union, or by check/money order. 

Payment by credit card
We strongly recommend paying by credit card if possible. After paying the fee, print out the payment screen as verification. Take this payment verification with you to your visa interview.

If you are from one of the following countries, you cannot pay with a credit card:

• Cameroon
• Ghana
• Kenya
• Nigeria

Payment using Western Union
If you live in a country where Western Union offers its "Quick Pay" service, you can pay the SEVIS fee using the company.

• You will still fill out the Form I-901 online and take a payment coupon to Western Union to complete the transaction.
• Bring your online payment confirmation to your visa interview. 

More instructions are available on the SEVIS website.

Payment with check or money order
When paying by check or money order, there are two options:

1. Internet-generated coupon
   Students & scholars can go to the fee payment website, enter basic information, print out a coupon, and then mail a check or money order. Once the information and fee are processed, SEVIS will be updated with the fee payment information.
   
   
2. Paper option
   Students & scholars can download or obtain Form I-901, fill it in, and mail it with a check or money order. Once the information and fee are processed, SEVIS will be updated with the fee payment information.

All checks and money orders must be made payable to the "I-901 Student/Exchange Visitor Processing Fee." The check or money order must be made in US dollars and drawn on a bank located in the US. You will receive a receipt notice when the fee is processed.

You need to pay the SEVIS fee if:

• You are seeking an F-1 or J-1 visa for initial attendance at a university or initial participation in an exchange program. The fee must be paid before applying for the visa.
• You will enter the U.S. in F-1 or J-1 status, but are not required to have a visa. The fee must be paid before you apply for admission to the US.
• You are applying for a change of status to F-1 or J-1. The fee must be paid before you submit your change of status application.

You do not need to pay the SEVIS fee if:

• You are an F-2 or J-2 dependent.
• You are a J-1 participant in an exchange program sponsored by the US government.
• You are transferring to another school, program, or program category.
• You are requesting an extension.
• You paid the fee, your application for a visa was denied and, within 12 months of the denial, you re-apply for the same status.

If you have been accepted to more than one institution and paid the fee using the SEVIS ID number of another institution, but you wish to attend UC, you will not have to pay the fee again.

Bring the I-20 or DS-2019 of both the schools to the consulate or port-of-entry and tell the officer you will be a student or scholar at the University of Cincinnati.

• Passport
• Required photo(s)
• Visa fee or proof of visa fee payment
• SEVIS fee payment receipt
• U.S. nonimmigrant visa application forms (unless you will completing it at the consulate or embassy)
• University of Cincinnati admission letter or departmental invitation letter
  
• University of Cincinnati I-20 or DS-2019
• Test scores and academic records
• Proof of English proficiency
• Proof of financial support (if applicable)
  
• Evidence of ties to your home country
• Any other documents required by the embassy or consulate

US law states that F and J visas may be given only to persons who intend to be in the US temporarily. You must prove that you intend to return to your country after completing your program. Follow these tips:

• Show a definite academic or professional objective. You must know what you are going to study and where it will lead. Be ready to say what you want to study, what kind of career it will prepare you for in your home country and why it is better for you to study in the US than at home.
  
• Show that you are qualified for the program.
  
• Be definite about your choice of schools. If you are not certain that you want to study at the University of Cincinnati, you will not get a visa.
  
• Show adequate financing and have documents to prove it. You may not plan to use employment as support while you are in the US.
• Remain calm and impersonal when speaking to the consular officer. Do not try to negotiate or discuss personal matters.
• Do not emphasize any ties you may have to the United States or to family members in the United States. 

US government officials are convinced more easily by written documents than by spoken statements. When possible, show your connections to your home country.

• Your visa application, if at least part of your financial support comes from your home country.
• If your family owns property, take the deeds.
• If you have a brother or sister who studied in the US and then returned home, take a copy of the brother’s or sister’s diploma and a statement  showing that they have returned home.
• If possible, show that an individual or company in your home country will give you a job when you return. If you cannot get a promise of a job, get a letter saying that you will be considered for a job.
• If your family owns a business, take letters from a bank describing the business.

If you have been accepted, congratulations!

• Start completing UC's New International Student checklist.
• Purchase your airfare to the United States.
• Enter the United States up to 30 days before the start date on your I-20 or DS-2019.

Most UC students and scholars will be successful in obtaining their visas, but a small number have their visa applications denied. The visa officer must verbally inform you of the reason for the visa denial.

If your visa is denied, email UC International at international.services@uc.edu. Provide the date and location of your visa interview, and the reason given by the visa officer for the denial. We will help you reapply or determine your next steps.

You may reapply for a visa within 12 months without having to pay the SEVIS fee again.