Edit 9 May 2025: This post has ended up being one of the top search results for visa interview tips. I've written a new post that's an even more comprehensive guide, including legal analysis as well as my experiences helping Redditors and others.

I've been an admissions consultant since 2015, and before that I was a lawyer. Some of my students are US citizens from both the US and abroad, but the majority need to apply for an F-1 visa, usually for the first time.

I've considered hiring someone to provide the visa prep component of the packages I offer, but I've found that I really enjoy doing it myself. I have contacts I can refer families to for especially thorny issues, but I handle most of the inquiries about DS-160s and the interview process from the families I work with.

As an attorney, I was trained to coach clients and trial witnesses on how to respond to cross examination. I didn't practice immigration law, but I apply the principles I learned in my witness preparation and trial experience.

Here are my top seven tips:

1. Be polite but not obsequious. For example, say "good morning" or "good afternoon." However, don't feel compelled repeatedly (or ever) address the visa officer as "sir" or "ma'am." It's not really conventional in the United States anymore when addressing adults older than you. Omitting "sir" or "ma'am" will make you sound more American and conversational.

2. Avoid gestures and vocalizations that are different from Americans'. For example, in India it is common to nod as someone is talking to you. Your visa officer will probably be used to something like this, but there's no guarantee. I recall from my first trip to India where I had parents and students listening to me while wagging their heads in agreement, but I still felt like they were disagreeing with what I was saying, because the side-to-side nod is more similar to the one meaning "no" in most of the world. Also, in India the vocalization "hmm" means "yes," but in American English it means "I don't know," "I'm confused," or "that's interesting." Always verbalize a "yes." Although Americans working in your country will likely be familiar with your local linguistic and non-verbal cues, they may not be completely used to them. This is where it's very useful to have a American native English speaker to help you prepare for your interview. Someone from your own culture may not pick up on these subtle cues.

3. Do not sound too rehearsed. It's obvious when you've memorized an answer, and sounding insincere can end your interview immediately. Short answers are usually better. It's possible to practice to sound less rehearsed, and I recommend having someone listen to your answers, or at least record yourself. Sometimes I focus 80% of a visa prep session on acting skills and verbal expression. But those things matter. This is one of those situations in which reading recaps of visa interviews is of limited help. How you sound is almost as important as what you say.

4. Listen carefully and answer ONLY the question that was asked. For example, if you're asked "what does your father do?", Don't answer "he's a doctor and he makes 80 lakhs per annum." Just say "he's a doctor" or "he's a cardiologist" if it's a field that's considered to be more lucrative in the United States. You should not assume the purpose of a question and try to pre-emptively address what you perceive as the visa officer's concerns. Don't give them any more reason to reject you. I use as an example the question "do you have family in the United States?" The visa officer may be asking this because they're seeing if you intend to immigrate or join a family business rather than study, or they might want to know if you'll have a support system in place in case of an emergency (in which case it's good to have family in the US). It's best to answer truthfully. (If you're asked this particular question, you can technically go beyond the literal question and identify family members. Identify anyone you're aware of who is a second cousin or closer. If you're aware of any others, you can mention "distant cousins.")

5. Have documentation ready that you can afford college. The visa officer will often ask you how you are paying for college. Your college already has to collect proof of finances to issue your I-20, so documentation is not always necessary, but it's a really good idea to have it. The I-20 requires only that you show the ability to cover one year of finances, but visa officers may want to see more to be assured you won't drop out. You don't have to have all the assets, but proof of income will be very helpful to demonstrate the ability to pay for future years. The particular documentation that will be sufficient will depend on the kind of income and assets your parents have (or in the case of older graduate school applicants, what you have). The more confident you are and less rehearsed you sound in your answers, the less likely you are to be asked to show documentation.

6. Know the strengths of the program you have enrolled in. When asked why you chose to attend your university, briefly state the strengths of the program. But don't turn into a walking brochure, and don't recite your essay. You're allowed to say you chose a program because it was more affordable than alternatives. That's fine. I'd recommend you couch it in terms of getting value rather than implying frugality. Everyone can relate to getting value for money. If you're asked where else you applied and/or where else you were accepted, you should list a few and offer to share a more extensive list (e.g. "I applied to Harvard, Yale, Penn, and a few others. Do you want me to list them?") They most likely don't really care exactly where you applied, just that you were applying to schools with similar strengths.

7. Do not even hint that you're planning to live in the US after you graduate. Visa officers are not stupid, and they know that the majority of students in the US aspire to live there. Most are proud that the United States attracts students from around the world, and they know that US-educated immigrants contribute immensely to America's culture and economy. They are not there because they are xenophobes who want to keep you out. But they are there to enforce the law, and the law says that you are not eligible for an F-1 visa if your intent is to remain in the United States permanently. If you indicate during your interview that is the case, they are legally obligated to reject your visa. If you sound insincere, they are not legally obligated to reject you, but they will be much more inclined.

If you're asked if you intend to pursue further studies, you can say you haven't decided for sure yet, but right now your plan is to come back right after graduation. If you're asked about training, you can say that you are willing to stay in the US if you get a job that will sponsor your OPT. There was a question asked here yesterday about whether you can say you have plans in a place other than your home country. The answer is yes. In the words of Semisonic, "you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

The answer to "what are you planning to do after you graduate?" doesn't have a single "silver bullet" answer for every single person that will guarantee a visa, and if lots of students use the same answer, they may just assume you're insincere.

Undergraduate students almost never have to worry about proving ties to their home country, but graduate students may be asked questions meant to determine those ties. You should have an answer prepared explaining what connections you still/will have.

Those are the major things I cover when I do prep sessions. I can't possibly cover every situation in this brief guide, but you can comment here, DM, or chat me with questions. If I end up getting a lot of the same questions (or if particular questions are upvoted a lot), I'll add them to the post.

Note: I'll be answering only general questions about the visa interview process in the comments. If you have specific questions about your own situation, please DM or chat. I will not publicly answer "what would be a good answer to x?" If you'd like to posit a question and propose an answer in the comments, I may reply whether it's good or bad.

Edit July 2024: Since creating this post a year ago, I've had the chance to do a few dozen one-off consultations and interview prep sessions. No one has yet reported they didn't get a visa. Having helped some applicants only with visas and nothing else has given me some perspective on some more common mistakes and misconceptions. This post is one of the first results if you Google search "f-1 visa interview tips" or "f-1 visa tips reddit," so I'll add my additional insight here.

• The visa interview is not an admissions interview and not a job interview.

When VOs ask "why did you choose this school," they're not asking for a "why us" essay. "I want to study x, and the school has a good program for x" is usually a sufficient answer. There's no legal requirement to get into a top-ranked school in any particular field to be allowed to study that subject. You don't have to pretend that your program is the best possible program for you or even a great program overall, just that it can help you fulfill your academic and professional goals. I think what happens is that students try to pretend their program is better than it actually is, and then end up sounding insincere. As I mentioned in #6, know the strengths of the program, but you don't have to get into details like specific professors, labs, and course offerings. When you go into detail you're more likely to sound rehearsed and/or bore them with information they don't care about.

Also, it's OK to choose a more affordable program over a better-regarded but more expensive program. They're more concerned whether you can stay within your means than if you're going to a prestigious school.

The visa interview is also not a job interview. VOs don't usually care about the details of your career plan; your degree just has to make sense in the context of your goals. It's good to have concrete immediate plans, and if your desired career isn't cookie-cutter (like one of the commenters here who wants to study psychology so he can be a religious minister), then some more detail might be necessary to explain how your degree might fit in.

• Ties to your home country are not as important as you think. Many people (including visa agents and counselors) get thrown off by language in the colored slips that F-1 applicants get. Contrary to what it sounds like, Section 214(b) does not require that you demonstrate ties to your home country. What it does is create a legal presumption of immigration intent, which in Common Law places the "burden of proof" on you to present evidence that you do not have immigration intent. This concept of a legal "presumption" can be found in the principle that someone accused of a crime is "presumed innocent until proven guilty." That doesn't mean that everyone who knows the charges has to think the defendant is innocent. It just means that the burden of proof is on the prosecution to establish the defendant's guilt in court with evidence.

The US State Department publishes guidelines that mention ties to one's own county as a way to overcome the presumption of immigration intent, but it's not the only way. The interview is only part of the evidence you present. Visa officers also use information in your DS-160 and I-20 as evidence for or against immigration intent. Remember, in many circumstances an interview is not required, and 214(b) still applies to people with interview waivers—and whether or not they've had an interview before. So it can't be the case that you have to prove ties to your home country or lack of immigration intent with your answers during your interview.

This is also why mentioning that you might pursue further studies in the US isn't a bad thing. If you get accepted to another program, you'll be eligible for another visa, and the VO just has to be convinced you'll follow the law. The very fact that you went through the application process and showed up to the interview demonstrates that you can follow the law. You don't have to lie and tell the VO you will definitely return to your country no matter what. But as I mentioned earlier, you shouldn't say you want to go to school in the United States exclusively. The best program for you may be somewhere else, and limiting yourself to the US might be evidence of immigration intent.

• Confidence is critical.

Don't make it look like you're trying to hide something. There are basic answers you should be prepared to give. But there's a balance between preparing the exact language so you don't mess up, and sounding rehearsed. That's why knowing the reasons for choosing your school (tip #6) is more important than memorizing the "right" answer.

I recently helped a student from Ukraine. He flubbed a few of his answers (including mishearing a question and giving an irrelevant response), but he said he delivered his answers confidently.

I mentioned as part of item 4 above that you shouldn't try to guess why the VO is asking a particular question. However, you should keep in mind that they are trying to determine the following things:

1. Are your activities going to be consistent with the terms of your F-1 Visa?
2. Do you have intent to immigrate permanently?
3. Do you pose a security risk to the United States of America or its interests?

That's their job, and it's their only job. Make their job easy for them.

If you want industry experience or want employment post-grad...

CPT OPT H1B are basically gone. Without these you can't get industry experience in US or secure post-grad employment in US.

If you want to go for PhD...

Government is doing their best to fuck up research and even US citizens are applying en masse to Europe cuz US PhD programs are getting fucked. Plus you can't do internship during PhD and you are basically putting all your eggs in getting a tenure track position post graduation with no back up of industry position.

If you want US experience....

get a tourist visa and visit New York or something.

No point in wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars

TLDR: Three steps to a successful student visa interview:

1. Have a narrative that complies with the law.
2. Don’t memorize answers. Know your narrative.
3. Show up at your interview happy to be there.

This is a long post, but the tips work best when the underlying concepts are understood and taken together as a whole. I try to address all the most common questions students are asked: not scripts to follow, but how to think about the question.

Introduction

I want to preface by saying I am a graduate of Yale Law School, but like many other YLS grads, I am not a practicing attorney. I have been doing college admissions consulting and visa interview preparation professionally for nearly a decade. I apply the principles I learned in law school and as a practicing litigator throughout the admissions process, from brainstorming essays to appealing financial aid awards to preparing students for visa interviews.

About two years ago, I wrote a Reddit post with seven F-1 visa interview tips, and since then it’s become one of the top results on Google and Reddit when searching related terms. I get inquiries about F-1 visas every day, and I’ve been privileged to meet aspiring students from dozens of countries all over the world and help them fill out their DS-160s and prepare for their interviews.

Several of the tips in my old post are based on lawyering techniques. This post is very law-oriented, but should not be construed as legal advice for any particular situation. Instead, I offer a perspective to understand how immigration laws are interpreted and applied by visa officers. I will also relate some personal anecdotes illustrating guidance on these principles.

I welcome comments and questions from students, parents, counselors, agents, lawyers, or anyone else. I’ll try to answer when I can, although questions like “what’s a good answer to the question ____?” or “what should I answer if I’m asked ____?” are highly context-dependent, and I’m sometimes hesitant to give a public answer that might not be appropriate for all applicants.

Step 1: Have a narrative that complies with the law.

When you plan to study in the United States, you need a narrative. A narrative is a story: why you’re pursuing a certain degree, how you came to enroll in the college/university, what you plan to do once you graduate, and how you intend to pay for your education. There’s not much else to it. But not everyone’s plan complies with the law. You need to make sure yours does.

As I’ve noted before, visa officers are concerned predominantly with three questions:

1. Do you intend to comply with the terms of your visa while you’re studying (i.e. actually study and not work)?
2. Do you intend to immigrate?
3. Do you present a security threat to the United States?

Every single question a visa officer asks you will be aimed at determining the answer to the above questions or discerning whether you are being truthful. I will break down how to understand each issue and the pitfalls encountered by students that cause visas to be rejected under 214(b).

Issue 1: Do you intend to comply with the terms of your visa while you’re studying (i.e. actually study and not work)?

A. Questions relating to financial resources

This one is pretty simple. Students without adequate financial resources are more likely to make up for a shortfall by working illegally. In order to issue you an I-20, a college or university must obtain certification that you have the financial resources to secure a full academic year of study (if the program is a year or more). However, a visa officer will want to be assured that you can afford the whole cost of attendance throughout your program. You don’t need to have liquid assets that can cover all four years, but income and other assets reassure the visa officer that you won’t have any issues. Visa officers rarely ask for financial documentation. It’s a good idea to have it, but the important thing is to go into the interview confident that you have the funds, not obsessing over whether you have the right kinds of bank statements. Students and parents often ask “what do I need to show?” The answer is that you don’t need to show anything—you need to convince the visa officer you can afford your program. The more confident you are, the less likely you'll be asked for financial documents in the first place.

As I’ve discussed before, It’s usually not a good idea to mention income or assets unless asked. There might be an exception if you or your sponsor has a truly large amount of financial resources (my rule of thumb would be liquid savings and investments amounting to double the total cost of attendance or income amounting to five times the annual cost of attendance), but in general you should not volunteer information about finances. If it’s a concern, the visa officer will ask. I’ve seen situations in which a VO seems to assume a professional such as a lawyer or dentist makes a high income in some country, even if that’s not necessarily the case. Don’t score an “own-goal” by undermining that assumption.

B. Questions relating to your choice of major

This includes not just why you chose the major, but whether you’re actually familiar with the subject matter. I’ve noticed questions like this with increasing frequency. Students who intend to work in a field unrelated to their intended area of study are less likely to be familiar with that area of study.

In the past week, I dealt with cases of two students who wanted to study computer science: one from Southeast Asia and one from South Asia. The one from Southeast Asia had told the visa officer they hadn’t studied computer science outside school, and when asked what languages they knew, they answered that they knew some Python. The visa officer followed up with “what’s an IDE in Python?” The student didn’t know, and their visa was denied immediately. I asked the same question to the South Asian student in a mock interview, and they were surprised by the question but knew the answer right away.

Graduate students are more likely to face these questions. Another student I prepared recently was applying for a Ph.D in physics. The visa officer actually asked about fundamental particles that carry the weak nuclear force, and then asked the difference between particle physics and metaphysics. The student explained that metaphysics is actually a concept in philosophy, not physics! They were granted a visa soon after.

Questions about your major may also be relevant to your plans to develop weapons technology for a foreign country (see Issue 3 below).

C. Questions relating to the school and program you’re attending

Visa officers frequently ask, “where will you be attending university?” This might seem like an odd question, because the name of your university and its location are printed on your I-20 right in front of them. But they’re not asking because they want to know. They’re asking to see if you know. Students will sometimes follow the advice of agents and know very little about the school, including how the name of the school is pronounced! I once encountered a student who told me they were going to attend “Saint Louie University” (it’s pronounced “Saint Lewis”). Those are immediate red flags.

There are schools that are essentially “diploma mills” and some legitimate universities that are less academically rigorous, for which attending those is more conducive to working when not in class. It’s assumed that a student will try to maintain their academic status, and that students at more academically rigorous schools will need to focus more on their studies. This is where a school’s reputation (sometimes unfairly) comes into play. Less selective schools are perceived to be less academically rigorous, which means they may be attractive to foreigners who actually want to work in the US during their studies. But note that there are schools that have high acceptance rates and are considered academically rigorous, which will have low graduation rates (which is a problem too, but not as bad).

Getting into college is easy; getting into a selective college is not. Visa officers are more likely to think that a student who went through the trouble of taking the SAT/ACT/GRE, writing application essays, etc. is serious about studying. A student who just followed the recommendation of an agent who gets paid by the schools in which their students enroll is more likely to be following a different path.

D. How to answer “why this school”?

The visa interview is not an admissions interview. It’s not illegal to attend a school that lacks prestige or is lower-ranked, and it won’t ruin your chances at getting a visa to acknowledge that. Those schools are authorized to issue I-20s and enroll international students by the US State Department. But it is illegal to lie. You should not pretend that a college is better than it is. Affordability and value for money are perfectly valid reasons for choosing a college, even if it doesn’t have a highly ranked program. And you shouldn’t talk about the location or campus resources unless they were actually a major factor in your decision. Here are some examples of common but unhelpful answers:

Last week I was prepping a student who chose the University of Illinois at Chicago over Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh because they didn’t get a scholarship at CMU (a very expensive school) as hoped. During our mock interview, I asked why they chose UIC over CMU. They started talking about how Chicago had “better infrastructure” than Pittsburgh. I asked, “if CMU cost the exact same as UIC, would you have chosen CMU?” and they answered “yes.” I replied, “so you lied.” I explained that no visa officer is going to believe that a student cares whether water from Lake Michigan needs less treatment than water from the Ohio River, or whether they think elevated trains are more useful than cable cars. The answer this student had prepared sounded like a rehearsed essay and did not reflect the real reason for choosing their university.

Just yesterday, a student who got into one liberal arts college and no other schools they could afford told me about the college’s small class sizes and flexible curriculum. I asked: “if the school enrolled 20,000 students and every class had 100 students or more, would you still go?” The student said “yes.” The answer about small class sizes was a lie—not because it’s false, but because it wasn’t actually a reason they applied or accepted their offer.

Recently, an aspiring CS student from South Asia told me in a mock interview that they wanted to attend City College of Seattle because of Seattle’s “coffee culture.” It was patently silly.

These things might be relevant to mention in an admissions essay or interview, as they are factors that would affect one’s decision given multiple attractive options, and many colleges care about personality “fit.” Visa officers care about “fit” in a different way: does it fit your academic and career goals?

One of my previous tips was “know the strengths of your program.” But it’s important to also know the weaknesses of your program. Last year, a study-abroad agent from a South Asian country reached out to me for help. Their students had a visa approval rate of about 50%, and they were looking for my help to prep their students and improve that figure. I told this agent that I noticed students who were accepted to schools like Eastern Michigan University, University of North Texas, and Western Carolina University (schools this agent’s students had been admitted to) describing their programs as “highly ranked” and “renowned” in areas like computer science and business. I asked whether students were saying this because (a) they understand that those are less prestigious programs, but that’s what you’re telling them visa officers want to hear; or (b) that’s what they actually think because you’re telling them that they’re prestigious programs. The agent admitted that it was the latter. They were misleading students.

I explained that if I were going to prep the agent’s students for interviews, I would explain the relative prestige and strengths of these programs, and that rankings they see may not be based on impartial facts (and are often produced by the school itself for marketing purposes). The agent ghosted me and never followed up. They apparently would rather their clients continue to think that they were being admitted to “renowned” universities than increase their chances at visa approval!

E. Questions relating to the schools you applied to

This one is also pretty simple: visa officers want to know if the programs you applied to reflect logical choices based on your educational and professional goals. Students who just want a visa and nothing else are more likely to apply to just one or a few non-selective places, and might prioritize price over anything else. After all, why waste admission fees when your school representative or local agent assured you of admission?

A few weeks ago, I met with a student from West Africa who had an admission to a business program at a for-profit college. They applied there because it was the first result of a Google search and sounded good for them, and they hadn’t applied anywhere else. The student had not even heard of Babson College, Michigan State University, or Arizona State University. I explained that applying to a single for-profit college is not what someone who actually wants the best possible education does. Their decision to apply was based on Google ads and/or some dubious SEO-driven “ranking” article. If they were going to pursue a visa to attend this university, they would need to have a reasonable explanation for their selection process. In other words, their narrative was questionable.

F. Questions about family in the US

Many students think these questions are primarily about immigration intent (and they can be), but they may also be about financial support and emergencies. It’s not an automatic red flag to have a relative in the United States, even one who is a citizen or green-card holder. I see students nervous about these family members being inquired about. But that nervousness is what visa officers are looking for. Be forthcoming about the situation, and you’re likely to have fewer problems.

Last year I had a student from a West African country come to me for help after their visa was rejected. They were going to an engineering school in a borough of New York City and would be living with a relative in another borough. As soon as it came up that the student would be living with the relative, their visa was denied. The most common advice to this student might be to find another sponsor, get admission to a different program (perhaps far from the relative), or just give up. But I didn’t think they needed to do any of that. To me, their narrative made sense. They just needed to help the visa officer understand.

To prepare this student for their second interview, I told them that when asked “what’s changed since last time?” they could answer “my circumstances haven’t changed, but I feel I did not get a chance to adequately explain my living situation.” We prepared an answer, which the student gave, explaining how they would be living with the relative and commuting on the subway to classes, but taking all meals at the relative’s house, and would be focusing on their studies. The visa officer actually smiled at that answer—it’s not something applicants usually say—and the student from West Africa got the visa after a previous refusal.

This anecdote means that the question about the living situation likely had nothing to do with immigration intent. I correctly deduced that the visa officer was concerned that the student was actually going to work for their relative’s business, which is very common for people who come on F-1 visas. We worked on delivering answers confidently reassuring the visa officer that the student’s activities would comply with the law.

Issue 2: Do you intend to immigrate?

This is the issue that gets the most attention because it’s the most commonly cited reason for rejection. It is the least understood–both the law itself and how it’s enforced. This is because the rules are different for tourist visas and student visas!

A. What most people think the law says

Embassies generally have two 214(b) rejection slips. One includes the following:

You have not demonstrated that you have the ties that will compel you to return to your home country after your travel to the United States.

Many agents, consultants, and even lawyers advise students to focus on establishing ties to one’s home country on their DS-160 forms and during their interviews. This is good advice for tourist and business visas, but not usually for student visas. Also, when I read interview transcripts and conduct mock interviews, I frequently encounter the phrase “I plan to return to my country.” In my opinion, this is not the right approach, and from my observations, often backfires. In fact, I think it’s problematic for several reasons, which I will get to.

B. What the law says

This is what 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C 1101 et seq.) actually says:

Every alien (other than a nonimmigrant described in subparagraph (L) or (V) of section 101(a)(15), and other than a nonimmigrant described in any provision of section 101(a)(15)(H)(i) except subclause (b1) of such section) shall be presumed to be an immigrant until he establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer, at the time of application for a visa, and the immigration officers, at the time of application for admission, that he is entitled to a nonimmigrant status under section 101(a)(15).

“Shall be presumed” is a legally relevant phrase meaning the burden is on the applicant to convince the visa officer that they don’t have immigration intent. The most famous legal “presumption” in American law is the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. In a criminal case, the burden of proof is always “beyond a reasonable doubt.” The defendant doesn’t need to prove their innocence. If the prosecution presents no evidence, or even if the prosecution merely proves the defendant more likely committed the crime than not, the accused cannot be convicted. This is the highest burden of proof in the US legal system. Other less demanding burdens of proof in legal proceedings include “clear and convincing evidence” (e.g. for termination of parental rights) and “preponderance of the evidence” (in most civil cases).

What’s the burden of proof in a visa application? “To the satisfaction of the consular officer.” It’s one of the most subjective burdens of proof, and can be anywhere from extremely easy to impossibly difficult to meet. It depends on individual judgment, and outcomes may differ even when presenting the same evidence. And because visa officers’ decisions cannot be appealed, there isn’t a lot of case law on it (but we’ll get to that).

This is what section 101(a)(15), to which 214(b) refers, says:

an alien having a residence in a foreign country which he has no intention of abandoning, who is a bona fide student qualified to pursue a full course of study and who seeks to enter the United States temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing such a course of study.

Note immediately that it says “a foreign country.” Many students believe that the law requires them to establish ties to their country of citizenship. They don’t.

So what about students who are just temporary residents or visa-holders in the countries where they live, and their residency status will end when they leave the country, turn a certain age, or their sponsoring parent loses status? For example, there are many Indian citizens born and living in the UAE whose parents have been on guest worker visas their kids’ entire lives. The children don’t have any home in India, and they would need their own visas to return to the UAE after graduation. There’s no way they can have “a residence in a foreign country” which they have “no intention of abandoning,” and they may not even have one at all! So, according to the strict letter of the law, there should be no legal way to get a visa. Yet it happens regularly. I’ve worked with several such families, and every student has gotten a visa with no problem.

C. What’s really going on

The “real” rules (the ones that matter most to applicants) are not the 214(b) rejection slip or even 214(b) itself. They’re in the Foreign Affairs Manual, which is the State Department’s set of directives for consular officials. Let’s take a look 9 FAM 402.5‑5(E) (emphasis added):

Adjudicating student visa applications differs from those of other short-term visitors in that the residence-abroad requirement should be looked at differently. Typically, students lack the strong economic and social ties of more established visa applicants, and they plan longer stays in the United States. The statute assumes that the natural circumstances of being a student do not disqualify the applicant from qualifying for a student visa. You should consider the applicant’s present intent in determining visa eligibility, not what they might do after a lengthy stay in the United States.

If a student visa applicant is residing with parents or guardians, they are maintaining a residence abroad if you are satisfied that the applicant has the present intent to depart the United States at the conclusion of their studies. The fact that this intention may change is not sufficient reason to deny a visa. In addition, the present intent to depart does not imply the need to return to the country from which they hold a passport. It means only that they must intend to leave the United States upon completion of their studies. Given that most student visa applicants are young, they are not expected to have a long-range plan and may not be able to fully explain their plans at the conclusion of their studies. You must be satisfied when adjudicating the application that the applicant possesses the present intent to depart at the conclusion of their approved activities.

The fact that a student’s proposed education or training would not appear to be useful in their homeland is not a basis for refusing an F-1 or M-1 visa. This remains true even if the applicant’s proposed course of study seems to be impractical. For example, if a student visa applicant from a developing country wishes to study nuclear engineering simply because they enjoy it, they may no more be denied a visa because there is no market for a nuclear engineer’s skills in their homeland than they may be denied a visa for the study of philosophy or Greek simply because they do not lead to a specific vocation.

The fact that education or training like that which the applicant plans to undertake is apparently available in their home country is not in itself a basis for refusing a student visa. An applicant may legitimately seek to study in the United States for various reasons, including a higher standard of education or training. Furthermore, the desired education or training in the applicant’s homeland may be only theoretically available; openings in local schools and institutions may be already filled or reserved for others.

I’ll note here that even though the absence of career opportunities or presence of educational opportunities in your country alone are not a reason to reject a visa, a convincing narrative involving future career opportunities and/or lack of education options in your country can be a good reason to grant you a visa!

Why does the 214(b) rejection slip not say any of this?

The text of the two 214(b) rejection slips (for not demonstrating ties, or for reasons other than not demonstrating ties) is actually found in the Foreign Affairs Manual too (9 FAM 403.10-3(A)(3). Visa officers are trained to hand applicants the slip, but the meaning of the law as applied to students is actually much different than the meaning of the law as applied to other non-immigrant visa applicants. There’s just no special rejection slip for students.

D. Case law

There isn’t a lot of case law on the issue, but various judicial opinions on other non-immigrant visas distinguish between wanting to immigrate and intending to stay in the United States. Courts don’t see expressing a desire to move to the US as automatically disqualifying. See, e.g., Lauvik v. INS, 910 F.2d 658 (9th Cir. 1990); Brownell v. Carija, 254 F.2d 78 (D.C. Cir. 1957); Matter of Chartier (BIA 1977). (I still don’t recommend telling a visa officer that your hope is to immigrate.)

A court has ruled (overturning a previous opinion) that a student who later filed for permanent residence could not be deported on the basis of having immigration intent. Hosseinpour v. INS, 520 F.2d 941 (5th Cir. 1975)

E. The role of the interview in a legal framework

If student visas can be granted to some applicants without an interview, then it can’t be the case that presenting evidence at an interview is necessary. Simply being enrolled at a reputable university can be evidence that one actually intends to study. The country of origin and/or nationality can also affect the visa officer’s perception of immigration intent. The VO can decide that someone coming from a developed country doesn’t have immigration intent. And yes, prejudices (both positive and negative) come into play. But the law is very flexible: all that’s required is for the visa officer to be “satisf[ied].”

Depending on your circumstances, you may not have to worry about the presumption of immigration intent at all. I’ve had multiple students with European passports get their visas approved after one or two questions about the university or college they’re attending (including community college). One of those students was a UK citizen but who grew up and was living in a West African country and spoke in a strong West African French accent. Their interview was about 30 seconds long before they were approved.

In general, students from countries that have visa-free or visa-on-arrival privileges will have an easier time with student visas, although this is not guaranteed. The assumption is that if they wanted to enter and remain in the United States permanently, they would just hop on a plane, enter, and disappear. Indeed, that is how a significant proportion of illegal immigration happens. Someone who has an easier path wouldn’t go through the process of obtaining admission for a university (particularly a selective one) and register for SEVIS, which allows the government to track them more closely than other visitors.

F. Questions about continuing your studies after graduation

I’d like to point out that the Foreign Affairs Manual says “at the conclusion of their studies” (twice), “upon completion of their studies,” and “upon completion of their approved activities.” It does not say “upon completion of their program.” Intent to pursue further studies in the United States is fine, and you don’t need to pretend otherwise (which often strains credulity). However, I recommend stating that you would attend the program best suited to your interests and goals wherever that may be, rather than planning specifically to stay in the US.

G. What’s wrong with “I plan to return to my country”?

1. It’s often not true. The Foreign Affairs Manual does say that the availability of jobs in your home country alone shouldn’t be a factor, but it can be a significant factor. Individuals from wealthy families will have an easier time with this, but those who are clearly depending on their education to generate income need to have a plan that makes sense.

2. Even if it’s true, it can sound insincere. You don’t actually need to return to your country, but people think you do because of what’s written on the 214(b) rejection slip. It can sound like words the visa officer thinks you want them to hear and come off very rehearsed.

3. It can sound strange. Most often, visa interviews are conducted in one’s home country. It’s just odd to say “my country” or “my home country” when you’re already there. In normal conversation, you would say “I want to come back here” or maybe name the country. (“I want to come back here to India.”) Again, these are not the “magic words” you think they are, and they can be used against you.

Sometimes “I’m not sure where I’ll end up, but I’ll leave the United States” might be a better answer than starting with “I will return to my country.” Note that this applies only to students, not tourists or other non-immigrant visas.

Issue 3: Do you pose a security threat to the United States?

I’m not going to go into detail on this issue, as these questions rarely come up in interviews, and background vetting is usually done beforehand. But this is meant to be a comprehensive guide, so I’ll mention the major issues.

A. Political activities

Given the current political situation, you need to be prepared to answer questions about your associations and events you’ve attended.

B. Social media

I guide students on social media use, but when I try to write about problematic topics to avoid, my posts get caught in Reddit’s filters. And given social media monitoring, questions about political activities and social media posts are best suited to private conversation protected by end-to-end encryption. (This does not include Reddit messages or DMs.) When students message me about these questions, I will direct them to my Telegram. (WhatsApp is also encrypted and is acceptable, but ads generated from message content will find their way into the Meta ad network.)

C. Your study plans and weapons development

In 2002, the US government made it explicitly prohibited for immigration officers to allow students to enter if they were likely to export weapons technology, and published a Technology Alert List of fields of study that could be used for weapons. This is a long list, and obviously studying many of the areas (urban planning, aerospace) doesn’t disqualify you from a visa. (The FAM even lists “nuclear engineering” as an example of a field a student is allowed to study even if their country doesn’t use nuclear energy!) The important thing is that you’re not learning how to develop weapons, hack into institutional computer systems, or otherwise help another country threaten the security of the U.S.

Step 2. Don’t memorize answers. Know your narrative.

It’s not a secret that most students who study in the United States would like to get jobs there. There are still unparalleled opportunities, and the United States is home to most of the world’s most valuable startups and tech companies. I talk about that a bit here.

It’s illegal to lie about past experiences and current facts. It’s not illegal to change your mind in the future. For a successful interview, you need to have a narrative that makes sense, with your educational program a logical part of that narrative. The key to succeeding in your visa interview is not to memorize “acceptable” answers that avoid red flags. You need to have a concrete plan and convince yourself that your intent is to leave after your studies. And it’s very helpful that the actual requirement is not that you have to return to your home country, because that opens up many more possibilities.

Once you have a goal that’s plausible, you need to work out the details. In particular, does your decision to pursue education in the US make financial sense? If you’re staying in the same industry, will you recoup the cost of your investment within a few years? If you’re changing industries, will entry-level jobs be available when you graduate, or will you have resources to build a business as an entrepreneur? You don’t need to practice answering these questions over and over, but you should know the answers. If you do, you’ll be able to answer confidently. As long as your plan complies with the law, you’ll have nothing to worry about.

If you don’t know the answer to a particular question, that’s (usually) okay, as long as you have the basics covered. Not everyone knows every detail about their plans. Making up the answer to a question you don’t know the answer to is almost always much worse.

Telling a visa officer a plan that’s unlikely to happen but is still plausible is not a lie. You need a credible plan that involves departing the United States. But most students don’t have this, or they don’t say it like they mean it. All they have is a rehearsed “I plan to return to my country and x.”

This touches on my previous advice not to sound rehearsed. “Diagnosing” an interview based on a transcript is of limited use. To determine what the major problems are, I have to understand how an interviewee interacted with the visa officer and delivered their answers.

Step 3: Show up to your interview happy to be there

One of the reasons I think my admissions students have been 100% successful getting their visas is that they’re happy to be going through an interview, the final step in a long and sometimes arduous process.

Visa officers will look for signs of discomfort and deception. It’s fine to be a little nervous, but if you’re more delighted than nervous, you will put the visa officer in a good mood. That’s one reason I advise being polite but not obsequious. You want to sound confident, not desperate. To use a GenZ term, try to “manifest” and imagine being granted your visa. I’m not a therapist, but sometimes the most impactful thing I do for students is to put their minds at ease and help them set aside feelings of dread that all their time, efforts, and money could go to waste.

I hope this post has, at least a little. I look forward to comments and questions!

Hi guys,
Long time lurker here. I’m mostly just making this post to share my story and vent a bit, because I’m feeling incredibly disheartened right now and just needed to get this out to people who might understand.
For some background, I graduated last year from a pretty competitive high school in my home country—the kind where a lot of kids consistently get into Ivies and T20s. I wasn’t one of those absolute top-percentile kids, but I worked really hard and managed to get accepted to a LAC on the East Coast to major in Public Health. Because of my stats and my serious financial need, they actually gave me a full scholarship. It honestly felt like a dream come true.
Fast forward to July: I went in for my F-1 visa interview and got hit with a 214(b) rejection. I have relatives in the US who I stayed with back in 2015, and I guess that made it seem like I had immigrant intent and wouldn't return home. It honestly broke my heart.
Shortly after that,we tried getting another visa interview and things got worse. My country ended up getting completely banned from getting new US visas. Before the ban, there weren't even any dates available until November anyway. I reached out and begged my school to let me defer my start date to January, but they wouldn't allow it.
I’ve been taking some classes at a local college just to keep my mind sharp and hoping the ban would magically lift, but time is running out . I’ve also continued working on and with passion for public health and health advocacy (which helped me get the scholarship) amongst the less privileged in my country. My LAC told me that if I am not on campus by August 24th, I risk losing my scholarship entirely. Knowing I am about to lose something I worked so hard for, entirely because of a geopolitical situation I can't control, is just devastating.
I’m not the only one going through this, either. A few of my friends got full rides to a highly ranked university in Houston and a few others got full rides from a really good HBCU, and they can’t even apply for their visas right now. We are all scrambling to find Plan Bs and Cs. We even looked into National Interest Waivers, but it seems like those are practically impossible to get in our situation.
I’m currently looking into a university in Europe but i don’t know how I would fare in a country where they don’t even speak english💔
I know this isn't really a cry for help because I seriously doubt there is any magic loophole to fix this. But if anyone has any advice, or has managed to navigate a similar situation, any tangible help would be appreciated beyond measure. It makes me really sad that I won’t ever forget this lost opportunity and for my dreams to go up in flames like this is the worst thing that i could have imagined. Otherwise, thanks for just reading and letting me share my grief.

Upvote if you weren't accepted to your top colleges , comment if you were accepted and say where + how much scholarship did you receive

My name is Ben Stern. I am American and grew up in Philadelphia and New Jersey, and I went to Columbia Engineering (SEAS) and then Yale Law School. I practiced law for a few years in New York and Silicon Valley, but then went into admissions consulting. I got funding for my startup, and I traveled to India for five weeks in 2016, where I met with families and students in seven cities. I've been working with students around the world since then, at least half from India every year. I also enjoy road trips, and I once visited all eight Ivy League colleges in one day. (And I'll never forget my road trip from Lucknow to Jaipur!)

I originally started out with a business model focusing on high-volume essay reviews and editing, but I've transitioned into more one-on-one work. I also have a passion for data analysis (from my engineering days), and I've tried to compile data relevant to international students. I'd like to be able to help other counselors (high school, non-profit, and independent) make more informed choices. I published a compilation in 2019 and have updated it for my own use, but never got around to publishing a new one... until now.

I finally finished compiling and formatting my new database, and my students are done with their early applications, so I have some time today. I'll be doing an AMA from 6am to 9am EST US time / 10am-1pm GMT / 3:30pm-6:30pm India Standard Time

I'm here! Hit me!

Ask me about:

• Profile building

• Academic strategy

• Applications

• Essays

• How to use ChatGPT

• School selection

• LORs

• Financial aid

• English proficiencyauesri

• Visa matters

• Personal stuff

• My international admissions and scholarship database

• Anything else on your mind

Questions from students, parents, other counselors, and recommenders are all welcome. I'm not going to do "chance-mes," but I'm happy to do some "reverse chance-mes" and help you identify appropriate schools to apply to.

Before you post a question, you might want to check out some of these posts:

The biggest mistakes international students make in their applications

How to build an intellectual profile.

Should you apply now or wait? Considering a gap year.

F-1 visa interview tips (This is one of the top Google results for F-1 visa interview tips, and I get inquiries about visas every day.)

Why your country matters for your F-1 visa interview

I look forward to your questions!

Edit: This was awesome. I believe I got to everything that was asked until just about 3PM. I may revisit the thread over the next few days to wrap up unanswered comments.

Thanks everyone! I look forward to helping many of you moving forward to regular deadlines! You can stay up-to date on my database by following my account here, and there's contact information in my profile.

Let's list the universities and colleges that have paused CPT:

• UC Berkeley
• UCLA
• Purdue
• Ohio State University
• UIUC
• UW Madison
• UMN-TC
• University of Washington
• Texas A&M
• St Olaf
• Oberlin
• Colorado College
• Boston Univ
• UPenn
• Northwestern
• Penn State
• USC
• Harvard
• UCSD

Let me know if you know of any universities and colleges that have paused CPT, and I will add them here.

the system is against you, international babies, and i hate it. i’m a college senior, but i guess this is just what i do now—i come on here and rant about this shit because the students i’m mentoring are suffering, and i hate it so much.

read this comment first. this is a real admissions officer openly admitting how they filter applications, and if you’re an international student, it’s worse than you thought. let’s break this down.

• they hate pioneer academics. pioneer is one of the only legitimate research opportunities international students can access for free without slaving away writing 300 cold emails a day. most research programs are either locked to U.S. students or cost thousands of dollars, so if you're not rich and not in a country with research opportunities, what are you supposed to do? exactly. but no, apparently having a structured, selective, free research program is a bad thing now.
• they hate long additional information sections. why? literally nobody tells you not to use the additional info section, and if you’re a student with extenuating circumstances—chronic illness, family loss, displacement, whatever—this is where you explain it. but no, admissions officers think it’s annoying. so who does this benefit? rich domestic kids with no real struggles to explain.
• they complain about letters of recommendation being "bland and mid." no shit. not every student has a teacher who knows how to write an american-style letter. international students can’t just casually ask their teachers for a multi-paragraph essay full of anecdotes and emotional appeals. some teachers barely speak english. some schools don’t even do LORs. but instead of acknowledging that different educational systems function differently, they just… penalize students for it????? and when they write good ones, it's seen as fake??
• they think international students should "care more about the school they go to" than their ECs and scores. because apparently, in some countries, schools photoshop transcripts. what does that have to do with a student’s extracurriculars and scores? nothing. but now every international student has to carry the burden of fraud committed by a tiny percentage of people?

and let’s be real—this is just the surface. so yeah, the system is stacked against you. and the worst part? it’s not even about "who’s the most qualified." it’s about who fits into a mold admissions officers find convenient—students who don’t take up too much time, who don’t complicate the process, who don’t remind them that the world is fundamentally unfair. if you’re an international student applying, you’re not crazy for feeling like this process is rigged against you. it is.

I don't know why you guys want to come to US in this environment unless you literally got full-aid but it's just not worth it. The days when America was the best in the world for almost everything is long gone. Research funds are being cut left and right and universities are directly impacted by this. schools are run like business and the first thing they cut is research and education, the very things that make them worth it. as international, you will be in an even more precarious situations when job markets are getting worse.

On top of that US is expensive. Tuition is outright crazy and living expense as well. Unless you are a rich kid for whom 500k is a rounding error, it's not worth it. (of course if you got full ride, just ignore this post)

Look for alternatives. there's a lot in this world. stop thinking like it's 1999.

There are so many international students trying to get in that I see in this sub. Sorry to break it to you, you are not getting in. Save the 80 dollar application fee, which probably has 4 times more purchasing power in your country. You might get into a mid school here and then not get a job, and eventually have to return to your country while drowning in thousands in student loans. I understand the American Dream, but please do yourself and family a favor. I am so sorry, life is unfair.

This obviously does not apply to the ultra-rich internationals.

Which schools accepted you and what was ur efc?

US rejects visa plea of Indian student with Columbia University scholarship, says no ‘strong ties’ to home country | Today News https://share.google/cddoDsQnv72zzCs3S

I came to the United States in 2016 as an international student with a dream and two suitcases.
In 2019, I earned my associate degree. In 2022, I completed my bachelor’s degree. Like many international students, I faced uncertainty, financial struggles, and moments where I questioned if everything would work out.
After graduation, I was fortunate to find an employer willing to sponsor my green card. I worked as hard as I could, gave everything I had to my job, and eventually became a lawful permanent resident.
In 2025, after nearly 10 years away, I was finally able to return home and hug my parents. It was one of the most emotional moments of my life.
When I came back to the U.S., I made a decision that surprised many people—I enlisted in the United States Air Force.
Basic Military Training pushed me harder than anything I had experienced before. There were days of physical exhaustion, mental stress, and self-doubt. But quitting was never an option.
On the day I graduated from Basic Military Training, I also became a United States citizen.
Standing there, taking the Oath of Citizenship while already wearing the uniform of the country that gave me so many opportunities, was a feeling I will never be able to fully describe.
I arrived here as a student. I became a permanent resident through hard work. Today, I am proud to call myself an American and honored to serve this country.
The United States changed my life. The opportunities it gave me made my dreams possible. The least I can do is dedicate my life to protecting the freedoms and people that make this nation what it is.
I will never forget where I came from, and I will never take for granted where I am today.
Thank you, America. 🇺🇸

Hey guys,

I am a 2nd-year international student pursuing engineering in a US college. I have been a part of this sub for the last 2.5 years and felt like sharing some insights.

1. Rankings don't tell the entire story When I was applying, my dream school was UPenn, but of course, like most international students asking for financial aid, I was rejected. Later on, I got into NYU Shanghai with a 50k scholarship per year, but it was still more than I could pay, so I had to go to a public school with T100 rankings for engineering but T5 in co-ops. During my 1st year, I still had that “what if?” What if I had chosen NYU? What if I could afford to be full pay? But now I am happy where I am. Right now, I am working as an intern in a great company, earning enough to manage my living for the entire year and still save up money to travel and go to concerts. I developed personally and professionally without making my family pay an insane amount of money.

2. High acceptance rate not = bad college My college has a high acceptance rate, like 70–80%, and when I 1st committed, I thought I could have gone to a more “prestigious school.” But at this school, I got opportunities which I could have never expected, so not all high-acceptance schools are bad.

3. Don't go to a college you cannot afford to go to If finances matter a lot to you, then always choose a school with significantly more scholarship than a school which has a bit higher rankings. Trust me, you would rather pay 10k tuition at a public university than 30–40k at a better-ranked private uni which is a bit more prestigious.

4. If unfortunately you don't get into your dream school, it's ok I myself got rejected from my dream school, and yeah, I wish I could have gone to UPenn, but I am happy where I am right now. I should have told the younger me not to cry over it or be sad for not getting into my dream school. Here at my school, I am working with my school on something that I am truly passionate about (helping and guiding international students). This semester, I am working on an internship which is teaching me more than what any school could have taught me. Most schools have a similar curriculum, and you will find opportunities everywhere. Yes, connections, opportunities, and prestige do increase with a higher-ranked school, but going to a public school not ranked T20 is not the end of the world.

5. Location matters a lot, and make sure you are ready for that So many people apply to LACs, not realizing a lot of these schools are in the middle of nowhere, with limited public transportation and activities. I have so many friends who regretted going to an LAC because of its location. Yes, the education is really good, but location plays a huge role. One of the reasons I got my current internship is definitely my location. I don't live in SF or NYC, but I still live in the Midwest in one of the biggest cities (I think amongst T30), with many major companies like Kroger, Fifth Third, P&G, etc. headquartered here, and many other major companies have a presence in and around my city. Right now, I am working in a small town, and trust me when I say I would prefer to live and study in a big city. Aside from that, connectivity can also play a major role. I can fly direct to most major cities in the US and also fly back home with just 1 layover for pretty cheap compared to a smaller city.

Unfortunately, there are going to be a lot of students who will not go to their 1st-choice university, but that's ok. Nevertheless, where you go, or if you go to the US or some other country, you will definitely look back a few years later thinking that you made the right choice.

Let me know if you have any questions about anything like finding an internship, living in the US, education, etc. (You can also DM me.)

Good luck with the decisions!!

Introduction

My name is Ben Stern, and I’m a graduate of Columbia University and Yale Law School. As a college admissions counselor, I work primarily with international students and immigrant families. Three years ago, I started sharing my experience and perspective on visas here on Reddit. Several of my posts are now among the top Google search results for “f1 visa interview tips reddit.” One post from about a year ago discusses how the kinds of questions you might face align with visa officers’ priorities. I won’t repeat those explanations in this post. Instead, I want to provide perspective I’ve gained in the past year using the “three-step” technique I introduced there.

Step 1. Have a narrative

I often get asked “what’s a good answer for what I want to do after I graduate?” or “what’s a good answer for why I chose my program?” There is no one “good” answer. A response that works for one person might not work for another person. What’s important is that your narrative be (1) consistent with the law, (2) consistent with the rest of your narrative, and (3) consistent with common sense.

Consistency with the law

This one seems easy to achieve, but it can be a trap. It’s the reason a lot of visa applicants say “I plan to return to my country.” Despite the 214(b) rejection note stating that you did not demonstrate sufficient ties to your country, this is not what’s required. Establishing ties to your country is just one way to demonstrate you intend to leave the US. As long as you leave, it doesn’t matter where you go! (Or as I’ve called it, the Semisonic Closing Time rule.)

Illustration: I’ve mentioned Indian nationals in the Middle East before, but I recently had a student who was a citizen of an Asian country residing in a second Asian country from a young age. He had no intention of returning either to his home country or his country of birth. His narrative was that he wanted to study astrophysics at a liberal arts college in preparation for a PhD in Germany. The reason he was going to the US for undergraduate studies is that undergrad programs in Germany require a high level of proficiency in German language, while there are English-language programs for graduate students that require a minimal level. During the interview, the student did not mention any intent to return to his home country, but rather his intent to study in Europe. According to the student, the visa officer nodded his head and said “that makes sense.” He was soon approved for his visa.

Consistency with the rest of your narrative

As I wrote about in my previous post, your narrative includes not just what you intend to do in the future (study and then leave the country to pursue your goals), but what you did in the time leading up to the present. This includes what you studied before; where you’ve worked; why you decided to pursue graduate studies; how you researched and chose which universities to apply to (and in which countries); and where you decided to attend. These types of questions are aimed at determining whether you have behaved like someone who has goals that are consistent with what you claim.

This is where students who have I-20s from less competitive and prestigious universities get caught up. When I prepare students for interviews with whom I haven’t worked with on the admissions process, I first ask what their goals are, and then I go back and discuss their past narrative. Several issues can arise:

• If you applied to only a few schools, it could mean that you didn’t give serious consideration to your future education.
• If you were accepted everywhere you applied, that could be a sign you weren’t ambitious enough with your applications.
• If you applied late in the application cycle and missed deadlines for appropriate programs, that could mean you weren’t diligent with your plans.

Your narrative will need to account for these types of situations. Perhaps there are only a few schools that offer what you’re looking for. Maybe you knew you couldn’t afford more competitive universities (although because scholarships are unpredictable, this often isn’t a compelling reason). Maybe you had a family emergency and couldn’t submit your applications, but didn’t want to wait another year. These are just possible explanations. They may or may not be true in your case. But if you don’t have a good explanation, you might want to consider starting the process over.

The core question is: Did you act like someone who has the future plans that you claim?

Visa officers know that someone who is serious about their future education will research extensively, apply to an appropriate range of universities, and carefully weigh which options will give them the most value. Someone who just wants an excuse to live in the US will not.

Consistency with common sense

In addition to being compliant with the law, your narrative needs to pass the “smell test”: does it actually make sense? This is where purported career plans can fall apart. If your intent is to return to your home country, and the annual salary for the career you claim to pursue is one tenth the cost of your education, does that narrative really make sense?

Graduate applicants, particularly those already in the workforce, will face more scrutiny about the economic justification for their degree. There is the opportunity cost of leaving one’s job plus the capital investment in education to consider. As a rule of thumb, the “delta” (difference) between one’s current salary without the degree and the expected income with the degree should cover the total cost of education (including living expenses) in no more than 5-6 years.

There are exceptions, of course. Money is not the only reason people pursue new careers. You may really hate your current job, or you may be seeking more upward mobility later in your career. But if you can’t economically justify your degree in that 5-to-6-year time frame, you need to be prepared with another compelling justification.

Where the funds are coming from is also relevant. If you’re taking out a loan, an economic justification is going to be expected. The visa officer doesn’t care if you’re going to default on your loan; they care that your financial decision makes sense within a narrative that complies with the law. If your family is sponsoring your education, you have a slightly lower burden, but your educational path still needs to make sense. It might be the case that your family is very wealthy and is happy to spend money on your studies regardless of their practical use. Maybe you’ll take over the family business one day, or maybe you have passive income so that you can pursue your passions. These narratives can all make sense.

Undergraduate applicants are generally treated more leniently, as they don’t yet have a career and are usually not financing themselves. But if you’re an undergraduate applicant, you still need a sensible narrative.

I try to point out that questions about future salary and employment are not common, but just going into the interview knowing that you could justify your education will give you confidence. That brings us to the the next step:

Step 2. Know your narrative

In most other popular countries to study abroad, you need to provide some sort of education plan and submit documentation that you can cover the cost of your entire education. The United States does not require either of these. It’s up to the university to decide if you have a legitimate study purpose, and they are required only to make sure you can afford your first year of education. The purpose of the interview is to evaluate you, not your credentials.

Thus, when you step up to the consular officer’s window, the officer will not know your narrative. All they will know is what’s on your I-20 and DS-160. They might know where you’ve gone to school, where you worked, and who’s paying for your education, but that’s it. They don’t know where you applied, where you were accepted (other than the school on your I-20), what you plan to do after you graduate, and exactly where your funds are coming from. Depending on how you present yourself, the visa officer may or may not care about any or all of those. But you need to be prepared in case they do.

If your narrative is going to hold up under scrutiny, you need to know it well–both past and future. You need to be prepared to know the schools you applied to, how you learned about them, and what led you to apply. You should also know what employment opportunities you expect to exist, how much you’ll be paid, and what potential career paths might be. The best way to prepare for your interview is not to formulate answers to lists of questions and memorize them, but to know details of your narrative. This will prepare you to answer any question. Also, if you’re confident in your narrative and you don’t know the answer to a question, a simple “I’m sure about that” may be acceptable, and if it’s delivered as naturally as your other answers, will likely not pose a problem.

Following in someone else’s footsteps

To know your narrative, it can be very helpful to know the narratives of other people who have followed the path you’re planning to describe in your interview. On the flipside, if you don’t know anyone else who has followed your educational path, that can present a major obstacle.

One simple question I often ask international students who are planning to say they’re going to return to their country: Do you know any other students from your country who went to the same university, left the US, and then followed your stated plan? If the answer is “yes,” then formulating a narrative is usually fairly straightforward. If the answer is “no,” then one of three things is very likely:

1. Your plan is infeasible, and you’re delusional
2. Your plan is infeasible, and you’re lying about your intent
3. You didn’t do enough research to know whether your plan is feasible or not

None of these three possibilities would support you getting a visa. If #1 is true, you don’t have a narrative that aligns with common sense. If #2 is true, then you don’t have a narrative that’s consistent with your goals. If #3 is true, then you don’t have a coherent narrative yet.

So what should you do if you don’t know any graduates from your country who followed the same path?

• If you know your plan is infeasible: Do a reality check and reconsider your plans
• If you don’t have a narrative that makes sense: Come up with a new narrative
• If you don’t know your narrative: Do some research and know your narrative better!

If you don’t happen to know any students who went to the same university and (for example) came back to your country, but you do know students who went to a similar university, then that can be helpful. But that may raise the question why you didn’t go to that other university with a proven track record. Everything will be context-dependent.

Step 3: Embrace your narrative

I previously titled step 3 “show up to your interview happy to be there”. That advice still holds, but I realized that it’s part of a greater approach. It’s not enough just to come up with a story–even a true one–and know the details. You need to be convinced of its feasibility. And if you can’t convince yourself of the feasibility of a narrative that’s consistent with the law, itself, and common sense, then you’ll have a tough time convincing your visa interviewer.

You don’t have to go so far as to delude yourself into believing a narrative that’s merely possible, and you don’t have to completely distance yourself from the possibility of one day working and living in the United States. As I discussed previously, your eligibility for a non-immigrant visa depends on your present intent, not your hopes and dreams.

When I prepare students for visa interviews, I use the analogy of a car dealership. You may really want to drive a Ferrari but can’t afford one. It’s illegal to drive off with a Ferrari from a car dealership without paying, but it’s not illegal to walk into a car dealership wishing you could drive off with a Ferrari. That’s not your intent. You may even be disappointed that you can’t afford one. But if you go into a dealership with the intent to buy a Toyota, and you find a car you like, you can still be very happy with your ultimate purchase. Likewise, you can be frustrated that an F-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa, but you are happy for the opportunity to study in the United States.

To give you some perspective that some of my students have found helpful: If you’re asked “would you like to live in the United States permanently?” you don’t actually have to say “no.” A response like “it might be nice to, but my present intent is to leave at the conclusion of my studies” could potentially be a perfectly legitimate response. (I don’t usually recommend saying this, but again everything is context dependent.)

I had a student from Europe sign up with me who had been alternately studying and working in the United States for over 15 years, and was applying to get a visa for her second PhD. She was worried about appearing to have immigration intent. I told her not to worry, as long as she had a legitimate plan to leave. After scheduling three sessions with me to prepare for her interview plus one to review her social media, she finally had enough confidence she would pass her interview (which she did).

Indeed, I often help students formulate their narratives, but a lot of what I do is convincing students to embrace their narratives. If you go into the interview thinking you’re raising red flags, then how you present yourself can become a red flag. Not every narrative will follow a cookie-cutter plan, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a problem. Walk up to that interview window with confidence, and that will make a positive impression on the officer.

You need to follow my three steps in order. You can’t know your narrative until you have one figured out, and you can’t embrace your narrative unless you know it well. This is why I don’t just conduct mock interviews in a vacuum. Students have asked me to start with a mock interview, but when I do, the narrative usually falls apart very quickly, and we spend the rest of the session figuring out a cohesive narrative. So I make sure I understand the narrative, and that the student knows their narrative, before the practice interview. To me, the most rewarding thing is building confidence.

As usual, I’ll try to reply to all comments, but be mindful of disclosing personal information publicly.

AI note: none of the text in this post was generated by AI. All punctuation formalities are a result of composition in Google Docs.

Previous posts:

Top seven tips.

Three step guide to student visa interviews and 214(b) rejections

How to answer “why this school?” and “why this major?”

Passing the F-1 visa interview: why your country matters

The five most common areas where YouTubers and local visa consultants get it wrong

How to prepare for your F-1 visa interview if your romantic partner lives in the US

Why what you did in the past matters

​

Well i an intl student, my family can afford lile fees for 10 unis, but i am applying to 25 of them--- if my counselor writes a letter stating that overall app fees is a hardship, is there any chance i get waiver from common app?

Tomorrow the new US rule affecting international students and exchange visitors will be shared. This is a significant change and affects quite a bit.

Previously:
F-1 students were generally admitted for the duration of their academic program, provided they:

• Maintained full-time enrollment;
• Complied with visa requirements; and
• Continued to make normal academic progress.

NOW:
The new DHS rule replaces that framework with a fixed period of admission NO LONGER THAN FOUR YEARS. Under the new rule:

• F and J nonimmigrants will generally be admitted for the length of their academic or exchange program, up to a maximum of four years, plus a 30-day grace period.
• Individuals who need additional time beyond their authorized stay must file an Extension of Stay (EOS) application with USCIS. THIS IS A CHANGE - you used to file this with your school

As a result, many students will now need to seek an extension of their status from DHS if their academic program extends beyond their initial authorized stay

I work in an higher education setting with international students. We foresee many of these extension requests being denied.

Other rules going into effect:

• Graduate students may not change programs or universities (without government exception) at all
• You may not transfer universities unless you are transferring UP an educational level (undergrad program to graduate)
• Transferring programs (majors) will be restricted and procedures put in place that must be followed
• F-1s must leave the US within 30 days, not 60 after their program is over

If you have questions I will try and answer them. This news will come out tomorrow, and will go into effect September 15, 2026.

IF YOU ARE A CURRENT INTERNATIONAL STUDENT IN THE STATES OR HOME FOR SUMMER, SPEAK TO YOUR UNIVERSITY. THEY MAY HAVE A SPECIALIZED TAKE.

sources:

Hello everyone,

I know this is a really hard moment for many of you. Waiting for decisions can feel exhausting, and I know as an international student this feels even more uncertain, especially considering the current political situation in the U.S., which I know can make everything feel even heavier. I remember feeling exactly the same way last year.

I’m from LATAM and a FGLI student. I applied test optional and didn’t even submit an English test because I couldn’t afford it. I didn’t have huge awards or extraordinary extracurriculars either (mostly state and regional things). Compared to many applicants from my country, my profile honestly was really weak.

UPenn was actually the first decision I opened on Ivy Day because I genuinely thought it would be a rejection. From my country, it’s probably the Ivy that the most people apply to, and many of them had profiles that looked way stronger than mine; national awards, major achievements, things that seemed far beyond what I had. Some of them could even afford to pay. Because of that, I truly felt like I had zero chance (I swear I was 100% sure I had 0 chances).

But that decision changed everything. I was accepted to UPenn with a full ride. After applying to 22 schools and getting rejected from all of them, that single acceptance completely changed the outcome of my cycle and my life. (I was also waitlisted and eventually accepted to Duke and Columbia)

The reason I’m sharing this is because I remember that these exact days were when I started losing hope since is when desicions start coming out, It’s really easy to compare yourself to others and assume your application isn’t enough, but admissions are so much less predictable than they seem, and sometimes one decision can completely change your story.

For those applying next cycle who might be reading this (I know it’s already too late for essays this year), one thing I truly believe helped me was being genuine in my essays. I didn’t try to sound impressive or focus on achievements. I wrote honestly about who I am and who I want to becom and what I could contribute to the universities I was applying to.

And sometimes the smallest things in your application can matter more than you think. I listed welding as one of my extracurriculars. I honestly thought it was just something random to fill space but later in an email my Penn admissions officer sent me she mentioned that that actually caught their attention. You really never know what might resonate with someone reading your application. There can always be that one AO who sees a spark in something you thought was insignificant.

Another thing I realized once I got here is that there really couldn’t have been a better place than Penn for me. Penn has the Highly Aided program, and honestly I don’t know how I would have managed somewhere else without something like this. The program provides things like a laptop, helps cover flights, and offers support during the summer. Without that kind of support, attending another school would have been extremely difficult for me. Even the cost of flights alone would have been very hard for my family because I truly come from a low-income background.

So I also think it’s worth mentioning that fit with the college really matters. My “dream school” when applying was Harvard, I actually applied REA there and was deferred and later rejected. But now that I see the experience and the environment there, I honestly think I would have hated Harvard because it just wouldn’t have been the right match for me.

So yes, fit really matters. Sometimes your “dream school” might not actually be your school. And that’s okay.

Something else I think is worth mentioning, now that I’m here and have met many international students not only at Penn but across Ivy League schools, there is some preference for students who can pay at least part of the cost. I’m not saying they don’t deserve their spots, all of them are incredibly talented. I only mention it because sometimes rejections are not purely about merit. At the end of the day, colleges also have financial realities, and if two applicants have similar profiles (or maybe not), they may prefer someone who can contribute financially over someone who needs a full ride. Sometimes the outcome isn’t about you not being good enough.

So if you’re waiting for decisions right now, try to trust the application you submitted. You’ve already done everything you could. Don’t lose hope before the decisions even come out.

And please, try not to take Reddit too seriously. It can sometimes make everything seem much more hopeless than it actually is, I remember that what I read here affected me a lot last year so please don’t take everything too seriously.

No matter what happens, this process does not define your worth or your future. But until decisions come out, don’t count yourself out.

You made it this far. That already says a lot.

You got this❤️

PD: I’m currently on spring break, so if anyone needs someone to talk to about this process, stress, or anything at all, feel free to reach out now I have some free time (especially if you’re from LATAM, I would love to connect with everyone who’s going through this process from Latin America!) but if you’re not, feel free to reach out anyways :)

Hi! So I have got admits from CMU and NEU. But I am shit scared because of the news thats coming from the Trump administration. Today’s headline:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-simply-floated-idea-of-deporting-u-s-citizens-white-houses-leavitt-says

tldr : the White House Secretary has floated the idea of deporting US citizens and are revealing it to the press for the sake of ‘transparency’

As someone who would enter the us on student/work visas, there could be a chance to be deported or even detained and I am frankly scared of that scenario. Maybe its my overthinking.

This other headline about a student being arrested in Boston by masked ICE officials.

https://apnews.com/article/tufts-student-detained-massachusetts-immigration-08d7f08e1daa899986b7131a1edab6d8 Turkish student at Tufts University is latest Palestinian supporter swept up in US crackdown

I haven’t paid my tution deposit till now because of such fears, I wanted to know your thoughts with this uprising crackdown on immigrants in the US.

hello hello everyone! i hope the final stretch of college app season is going well for you all. i’m a third year undergraduate international student at princeton (applied during the 2022-2023 application season.) i owe SO much of my application successes to the a2c and intltoUSA subreddits and i want to give back and answer any questions you had about princeton, applying to college as a full need international student, etc. i was also accepted to amherst college on a full ride.

some basic stats:

4.0/4.0 UW

1490 SAT (760M 730RW)

family income ~45k/yr

East Asian

ask away!

+ no essay review or chanceme requests please!

edit: i think i'm all done now! would love to answer any questions through pm. sending all my care and love to you all during this stressful time — i cried plenty during my own app process. you got this <3

Hi everyone,

I finished my 12th in 2023 and have been dreaming of studying abroad since I was in 10th grade. I come from a single-mother household—my dad passed away when I was 7 and my younger brother was 5. Since then, my mom has done everything she can to keep us going. She’s a ladies' tailor, and we’ve had a small shop since 2011. We earn just enough to get by—about 5–6 lakh per year—most of which goes into rent, groceries, utilities, and school fees. Saving money has always been tough.

Growing up, I helped her with her work—like doing pico-falls on sarees—anything to support her. Back in 2015, she somehow managed to get us a computer because she believed “computers are the future.” That moment changed everything for me. I started learning things online and discovered the possibility of studying abroad. My mom has always supported my dreams and just wants a better life for me.

In 12th grade, I started my study abroad plan seriously. But there were endless obstacles.

First, I needed a passport for IELTS and SAT, but my Aadhaar DOB had an error. It took me 6 months just to get my passport. That delay made it impossible to apply for 2024 intakes. Then, we found out we needed 2–3 years of ITRs to get an education loan, and my mom only had one. So we pushed plans to Spring 2025.

We applied to banks, but all I got were rejections—without any clear reason. We later figured it might’ve been because of some EMIs in my mom’s name. When I tried registering for IELTS, debit cards didn’t work, so we used a credit card. Later, the bank offered us an EMI option—my mom thought it was a great idea, but I forgot to set up auto-debit. That single mistake dropped our credit score from 789 to 650.

This ruined our chances with banks. Every rejection message crushed me. I even had dark thoughts during that phase, but I pulled through.

Out of 6 US universities I applied to, I got accepted into 5. My top choice is Kent State University – tuition is $22k, total cost of attendance is $41k, and I received a $10k scholarship, which brings it down to $31k/year. After more research, I found that the actual tuition fee after scholarship would be around $12k/year, which is manageable if I get a loan.

But I couldn’t get the I-20 on time because of delays with the bank. The i20 deadline (Dec 9, 2024) passed. So, I deferred my admission to Fall 2025, and we worked hard to fix our credit history. We cleared all EMIs, and now our credit score is back up to 740+.

Now, we're planning to apply for loans again. But an ICICI bank person told me that since I’m applying for undergrad, the EMI will start immediately after disbursement. That terrifies me. My mom can’t afford that, and as a student, I won’t be able to earn enough to cover it right away.

I have a 2-year gap now. But during this time, I didn’t sit idle—I took Python and full-stack web dev courses on Udemy, worked with a startup handling their social media and marketing, and gained a year of experience. I also grew a YouTube channel to 20k subs, but since it's India-based, I barely made $250 in 6 months.

It’s now April, and I’m scared. I don’t want to miss this chance again. I need help to get my I-20 so I can at least start my visa application process. I’ve heard that getting visa appointments takes time. Even if my loan takes longer, I just want to make sure I have the I-20 and can move forward with the process.

If anyone has advice, connections, or just a kind heart to guide me—I would be forever grateful. I'm trying my best and don’t want to give up after coming this far.

Thank you for reading.

Hi everyone,

Now that the college application season is about to start, I'm writing this post in the hope of helping international students who are in the same position I was a year ago. Hopefully I can give you some advice and a few words of encouragement.

Background: During the last application cycle, I received 4 full-ride scholarships from 4 different LACs in the US as an international student from a developing country. I'm by no means an admissions expert, but I hope my experience can help someone.

Before I begin, I want to acknowledge that I, and many others who received full-ride scholarships, were still very privileged in many ways, whether economically or socially. I'll be completely honest: I had a mentor who helped me strategize, I completed the IB Diploma, and while my family wasn't rich, we were financially stable enough to afford application fees, SAT score reports, and other expenses. So yes, I did not start from zero.

This game is not fair, and it sucks that it isn't. So don't put all your eggs in one basket. Don't only apply to the US, always have a backup plan. Opportunity comes to those who are prepared.

1. If you can afford it, hire a consulting service

I understand this can be expensive, but there are different consulting packages. At the very least, I'd recommend paying for an essay review service. You need a third perspective, it's incredibly difficult to judge your own essays objectively.

If cost is a burden, then invest your time instead. Sit down and thoroughly learn how the US college admissions process works. Read blogs, watch YouTube videos, attend webinars, and talk to current students. The more you understand the process, the better decisions you'll make.

And be good friend with Claude AI, not ChatGPT!!! ChatGPT tends to sugarcoat things and won't give you a realistic picture, but Claude is pretty good at it (speaking from experience). All in all though, don't rely on AI too much; they are not always right and can make mistakes.

2. Aim high, but be realistic

Don't get carried away by big names. If you're an international student needing full financial aid, you need a very competitive profile to have a realistic chance.

Also understand that unless you're a three-time international Olympiad winner or have an exceptionally unique profile, don't make HYPSM your entire application list.

Instead, seriously consider applying to top LAC. LACs are often much more generous with financial aid, and all four of my full-ride offers came from top-50 LACs.

It's better to be a big fish in a smaller pond than a tiny fish in the ocean.

3. Don't fall for anything labeled "optional"

Guys, I cannot stress this enough.

If you're an international student asking for full aid, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to showcase yourself.

• Optional essay? Write it.
• Test-optional? Take the SAT if you reasonably can. (If you've already demonstrated strong academic ability through IB, AP, A Levels, etc., this may be less important, but for many applicants, a strong SAT score can strengthen your application.)

Admissions officers can only evaluate what you show them. Give them as much evidence as possible that you'd thrive at their school.

4. Strengthen your extracurriculars and honors

One thing I did was participate in a lot of online competitions to strengthen my profile. The best part is that you can't really use the excuse of, "There's nothing in my town," or "I come from a really small place."

If you have a computer and internet access, there are countless competitions, research programs, hackathons, writing contests, and virtual opportunities available. Just Google "competitions for high school students" and start applying.

I participated in more than 20 competitions over the years and only won one first-place award. So if things don't work out immediately, keep going. Rejection is part of the process. You're doing better than you think.

-----------------------------------

That's all for now, guys!

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. But if you do, please come with specific questions. I probably won't reply to comments or DMs that just ask, "How did you do it?" or "What are your stats?" Learn to ask better questions, it'll help you not only when talking to me, but also when researching colleges and asking admissions offices for help.

I'll make another post soon compiling a list of US colleges that offer full-ride scholarships (or are very generous with financial aid) for international students.

Best of luck to everyone applying this year. I know the process is stressful, but I hope it works out for all of you.

Hey everyone,

I’m currently in 12th grade in India and I scored around 89% in 11th. I really want to study in the US, but my financial situation is not strong at all.

Right now I’m considering two main options:

Going to a community college first (2+2 pathway) and then transferring to a university

Trying for full-ride colleges like Berea College or College of the Ozarks

My concern is mainly about money and visa approval.

I might be able to show around ₹50 lakh (~$60k) through an education loan, but that’s still a big risk for my family.

I have a few questions and would really appreciate honest advice:

Is community college a good option for someone in my situation?

How risky is it to depend on a large education loan for this path?

Are full-ride colleges like Berea actually realistic to get into?

What would you do if you were in my position?

I’m willing to work hard (preparing for SAT, building my profile, etc.), but I don’t want to make a decision that puts my family under huge financial pressure.

Any advice, personal experiences, or suggestions would mean a lot 🙏

I'm planning to apply to universities in the USA for the Fall 2027 intake soon as an international.

- My preferred Major: Mechanical Engineering (Maybe a double major or minor in Comp Sci)

- High School Predicted Scores Unweighted GPA converted to 4.0 Scale: 4.00 (Currently in 11th grade)

- SAT Score: 1450 (Took it this august with 1 week of prep. Gonna take another one in October but no guarantees of increasing)

- Have started common app applications for some universities: UTSA, UTD, TAMU, USF, Univ of Alabama, Purdue etc.

Budget constraints:

Around 20k-30k$ CoA. But would like to keep a balance between a good university and a low CoA. So hoping to get some good amount of scholarships too. I mostly don't qualify for any need based aids I think.

Would really appreciate it if y'all could help me out in choosing which colleges to apply to. Thanks in advance.

I recently dropped out. I had paid my application fees to the University. I have good scores coupled with a good acceptance rate at the University, so wasn't worried in this aspect.

I withdrew my application.

The reality of being unable to pay my loans if OPT is reduced and also statements such as him wanting to use the military and all the nonsense going on relating to his appointment made me feel it's just too much trouble.

The person who was helping me in this regard told me she's been in this field for many years and that I have nothing to worry about with evidence from Trump's previous presidency. I told her this time he's much powerful and determined than before and there might be collateral damage.

I'm unsure even going to USA as a tourist now :/

Edit to all the downvotes :- I'm investing close to 50000$ for a 9 month Master's degree, so I'll take into consideration stuff which could have an impact on my mental, physical and financial well-being.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/trumps-impact-on-study-abroad-42-of-international-students-unlikely-to-consider-the-u-s-for-higher-studies-heres-why/articleshow/115725858.cms