Admitted International Students

Congratulation on being admitted to Wagner College! We hope your time at Wagner College will be academically and personally fulfilling.

As an international student, you need to be in legal status that allows you to study and enroll at Wagner College. The college is able to sponsor full-time students in F-1 or J-1 status (when eligible). Below you will find information about applying for F/J sponsorship from Wagner College and what to expect as you move through the process.

To obtain a visa and enter the U.S. in the international student status, you require a certificate of eligibility: Form I-20 (F-1) or DS-2019 (J-1.)

After you have been accepted your admission offer, our office will send you a letter about required documentation, timelines, and instruction for applying for your I-20/DS-2019. Once you provide all the documents listed below to our office, it will take 10-14 business days for our office to review your application and create your I-20 or DS-2019. If anything is missing or additional documentation is needed, you will receive an email with instructions from our office. The Center for Intercultural Advancement will send you a confirmation email once your I-20 or DS-2019 has been created and mailed to you.

F-1 or J-1 Sponsorship from Wagner College

If you are already in F-1/J-1 Student status sponsored by another school and plan to transfer your SEVIS record to Wagner College, please review the information below for instructions:

  1. Complete the Transfer Student Verification Form – International Students      
  2. Complete the Certificate of Finance Form from down below (Include a photocopy of the biographical page of your passport)
Intl certificate of finances

Note: If you are currently in F-1 at a different institution (including English language study during the summer), you might be able to transfer your SEVIS record to Wagner College.

To apply for an F-1/J-1 visa, you will first need a document showing that you are eligible. For F-1 students, the visa eligibility document is called I-20. For J-1 students, the visa eligibility document is called a DS-2019. There are several steps involved in applying for F-1/J-1 status:

  1. Complete the Information I-20 form (Include the biographical page of passport)
  2. Complete the Certificate of Finance Form

Applying for F-1/J-1 visa stamp

Once you have your I-20 or DS-2019, you may apply for the related F-1 or J-1 visa by following these steps:

  1. Pay the SEVIS fee and print your SEVIS receipt
  2. Make a visa appointment and go to consulate/embassy to get an F-1 or J-1 visa.

Documents to take with you to the US Consulate/Embassy

  1. I-20/DS-2019
  2. SEVIS I-901 receipt
  3. Supporting Financial Documents
  4. (Recommended but not Required) Acceptance Letter or any documents you have received from Wagner’s Admissions Office.

Financial Documents is any documents you need to prove that you (or the college) will support you financially during your stay at Wagner. These documents can be: Parent Income Statements and/or proof of scholarships you receive from Wagner.

Please visit https://www.ice.gov/sevis/students for more information.

  • Register for full-time enrollment at Wagner. For F-1 students, this generally means registering for 4 courses in one semester (Spring or Fall) and 5 in the other semester (Spring or Fall). If you think you might be an exception, please speak to your academic advisor and consult the Center for Intercultural Advancement.
  • Do not work without work authorization. Both F-1 and J-1 are authorized to work on-campus up to 20 hours during the academic year. If you want to work off-campus please visit our work off-campus page, then consult the Center for Intercultural Advancement. Working without a valid work authorization may lead to losing your status as a student.
  • Make sure to get your I-20/DS-2019 signed. Before you leave the US, always check with the Center for Intercultural Advancement if you need to get a signature. As a general rule, your I-20/DS-2019 should be signed every 6 months.
  • Visit the Intercultural Office during the first 1-2 weeks of each new semester so that your Designated School Official can update your SEVIS information.
  • Make sure you have proper documents when you travel. The most important of these documents are
    • Passport
    • I-20/DS-2019
    • I-94
  • Have your passport unexpired for at least 6 months into the future. 

In some occasions, F-1 students may need to extend their stay in the US to complete their coursework before leaving the country.

Eligibility for F-1 visa extension:

  • Have a valid F-1 visa status
  • Have a passport that will continue to be valid throughout the intended stay period
  • Have a strong medical or academic reason for your request of extending your visa, some of such reasons are:
    • Documented Illness
    • Change of major or research topic
    • Unexpected changes in the course of study

Note: There are some reasons that USCIS does not consider to be valid for visa extension:

  • For mere personal benefit, such as improving your GPA
  • To resume your degree after an academic suspension
  • To participate in an non-required Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

How to apply?

  • Make an appointment with the Center for Intercultural Advancement Director
  • File the Form I-539
  • Pay the application fee, $370
  • Provide evidence for your reason for extending your visa
  • Submit the I-94 with the Form I-539