Pre-Arrival Frequently Asked Questions

If you do not wish to attend UMD, please login to iTerp, click on the Attendance Plan, complete the questions and hit “submit.” 

If you will attend on a status other than F1/J1 status indicate what status you will use.  ISSS will close your checklist once they see you will study on a different status.
 
If you continue to receive emails, please email us at isss-admissions@umd.edu to ask us to close your checklist.

For the Fall semester, we recommend completing the checklist and submitting your documentation no later than June 1st. 

For the Spring semester, we recommend completing the checklist and submitting your documentation no later than November 1st.
 
Please keep in mind that it may take up to two weeks to process your application and receive your I-20 document. You will then need to schedule an interview at the U.S. Embassy to apply for your visa and wait times for interviews can be long.

If your sponsor resides outside of the United States, the Letter of Sponsorship should be completed and signed by your sponsor. Click here for sample.

If your sponsor is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident inside the United States and is providing financial documentation from a U.S. bank, an I-134 Affidavit of Support form is required - the form can be found here: (https://www.uscis.gov/i-134). Please be sure the sponsor completes question #38 in Part 3, Part 7 and signs the document in Part 4, 6.a. 

Acceptable Certificate of Finances documents would include a current official bank statement (dated within the past 3 months) from a sponsor or yourself. The account type should be checking, savings, or CD. The statement should clearly indicate the name(s) of the account holder(s), the account number(s), type of the account(s) and the current balance/total amount of money in the account(s).  Please note we cannot accept solvency certificates or bank letters that certify that you or your sponsor have sufficient funds to cover the estimated cost.

Please note that the Certificate of Finances must show funding that is accessible to the student immediately. You may not show non-liquid assets such as property, pension, provident funds, trust funds, or loans as proof of funding.

As part of the admissions process, international students (F-1s and J-1s) are required to provide financial documentation which verifies that they can afford the cost of tuition, fees and living expenses for a minimum of one year in their academic program.

No. The financial documentation must be from a personal account. 

Provident funds are not accepted as proof of funding for an I-20.

No. We cannot accept student loans. The money available for your education expenses needs to be in a personally held bank account that is readily accessible. 

Yes. If your documents are not in English, you will need to provide a certified translation along with the original documents.

The documentation for the assistantship/fellowship/scholarship is the offer letter that provides the details as to the stipend amount, tuition remission and any other benefits. The complete letter addressed to you with these details should be scanned and uploaded into iTerp in Academic & Funding Information under I-20/DS-2019 Documentation.

To calculate if the Graduate Assistantship, Fellowship or combination of both will cover the estimated cost of attendance, you can use the online Tuition Calculator accessed through this link:  https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/offices/international-student-scholar-services/tuition-calculator 

Enter your program of study, whether you will receive full tuition remission and the amount of your stipend. Hit submit to see if you will need to show additional financial support.

To calculate the costs covered by your Graduate Assistantship, Fellowship or combination you can use the Tuition Calculator available on the ISSS website:  https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/offices/international-student-scholar-services/tuition-calculator

Based on the Letter Received

⦁ Choose Your Program of Study

⦁ Select whether you have received an Assistantship, Fellowship or Both

⦁ Select the level of Tuition Remission (select “Other” if you are given an exact funding amount for tuition).

⦁ Enter Total Scholarship Amount from any Fellowship (enter numbers only, no commas or dollar signs)

⦁ Enter the Total Stipend Amount from the Graduate Assistantship (enter numbers only, no commas or dollar signs)

⦁ Enter the number of dependents who plan to join you.

⦁ Click Submit to see how much you still need to show, if anything

Once you click "Submit" on your I-20/DS-2019 checklist in iTerp, your checklist will be transmitted to the ISSS Office so we can review your application. Depending on the time of year, the ISSS office may be reviewing upwards of 200 applications per day. During this busy time, it may take up to two weeks to generate an I-20/DS-2019 when there are no issues with your application.

Once your application is reviewed, it will take one of two paths:

⦁ If there is an issue with the documentation you provided, the part of the application that needs revising will be placed in “Draft” status so you can make the corrections and resubmit. You will receive an email explaining what needs to be addressed.

⦁ If there are no issues, your I-20/DS-2019 application will be forwarded to the U.S. government for processing. This can take a minimum of 24 hours. Once your I-20/DS-2019 application is available, the ISSS Office will be able to review, sign and distribute your I-20/DS-2019.

Click the following links for details regarding English placement and the English Bridge Program:

English Language Requirements for Enrollment - https://gradschool.umd.edu/admissions/application-process/after-you-are-admitted/students-english-provision

Maryland English Institute - http://marylandenglishinstitute.com/wpdir/english-programs/umd-students/

Estimated tuition, living expenses, books, and insurance for the 2023-2024 Graduate Bridge program are $48,000 without assistantship and $42,000 with assistantship. Undergraduate costs are $43,000.
 
The cost of the bridge program is calculated differently than all other programs. For the 2023-2024 academic year: 

The estimated tuition costs is determined from 1/2 the costs of the standard graduate tuition costs. 

The books/insurance/MEI calculation comes from the MEI fees + $3000 estimated books/insurance costs.

The reason it is split up differently is because the cost of MEI fees is not covered by tuition remissions through any assistantship a student may receive (though it may be covered by the assistantship's stipends).

You have been admitted to the English Language Bridge program which is either a 6- or 12-month program. At the end of each semester, you will have the opportunity to test out of the program If successful, the ISSS Office will update your I-20 to the required length and description of your academic program.

The SEVIS School Code is: BAL214F00061000
Approval Date:  January 10, 2003

The contact person for the ISSS Office is:

Sarah Kim

Pre-Arrival Manager

Phone: (301) 314-7744

Fax: (301) 314-3280

Email: sdkim@umd.edu

International Student and Scholar Services

University of Maryland

1128 H.J. Patterson Hall

College Park, MD 20742

If you are transferring your active SEVIS record to the University of Maryland from your previous institution and will remain inside the U.S. throughout the transfer process, then you do not need to pay the SEVIS fee or obtain a new visa, even if your F-1 visa has expired.

Yes. However, if you leave the country after your visa expired, you will need to apply for a new F-1 visa with the I-20 issued by the University of Maryland to re-enter the United States and return to the University of Maryland campus. Since your SEVIS number will remain the same, you do not need to pay the SEVIS fee again.

Since universities can use different names for their programs of study, the U.S. Government has a system where each university major has a government code number (CIP code) and a matching standard name. The option that matches most closely to UMD program names is selected and used on the I-20.  U.S. consular offices and immigration officers are aware of this, so we do not expect you to have any issues during the visa interview.

Undergraduate Students

Please click on the link for the Undergraduate Admissions Office information on how to request a deferral: https://admissions.umd.edu/persona/deferral-requests. 

Graduate Students

If an admitted student to a Graduate Program wishes to change the term of entry (semester or 12-week term), the student must petition the Graduate School in writing. The student must first discuss the change with the Graduate Program and then submit the petition to the Graduate School. The Graduate School will allow one (1) term (semester or 12-week term) change requested by the program, and one (1) requested by the admitted student, contingent upon the approval of the program's Director of Graduate Studies. Any further changes will require a new application to the Graduate School. The graduate school publishes deadlines to defer, which are typically one month prior to the start of the semester. If you do not have your visa by the deferral deadline we suggest you defer to a new term.

For more information, please contact the Graduate School here: http://gradschool.umd.edu/about-us

You will receive an email at that time inviting you to complete the I-20 application process on iTerp.

For Fall 2023 admission, the application process for the I-20 will open in February 2023.

For Spring 2024 admission, the application process for the I-20 will open in September 2023.

Please go to the Student Financial Services and Cashiering office’s website to view your bill and/or payment. If you cannot find what you are looking for, then please contact the office directly for more information.

Student Financial Services and Cashiering - https://billpay.umd.edu

Please see the UMD Office of Student Financial Aid for information regarding financial resources for international students: http://financialaid.umd.edu/resources-policies/international-students

To obtain your SID

⦁ International students can receive their SID by contacting the Office of Undergraduate Admissions Technical Support email: admit-tech@umd.edu

⦁ Graduate students can view the last five digits of their SID on the Enrollment Form in their TerpEngage Application.

To set up your Directory ID

⦁ You will need:

• The last five digits of your SID
• Your date of birth (Month-Day-Year)
• Your last name

Click on this link https://identity.umd.edu/?new_user