TWU Home > Student Life > International Education

Processing the SEVIS I-20

The SEVIS I-20 cannot be sent to you until you have been admitted to Texas Woman's University. If you are accepted to TWU, and the International Education Office verifies and approves your Financial Statement, the SEVIS I-20 will be sent to you.

Financial Requirements
TWU can prepare an SEVIS I-20 for international students because it complies with U.S. governmental regulations. Those regulations require TWU to receive official certification from an international student's bank, financial institution, or sponsor verifying that sufficient funds are available for the 9-month academic year. Original documents are required. The list below shows types of sponsorship and documentation required for all undergraduate and graduate international students seeking SEVIS I-20:

Estimated Expenses

BEFORE YOU BEGIN, PLEASE STUDY THE ESTIMATE OF ANNUAL EXPENSES. The amounts below represent the minimum estimated expenses for each student for one year at Texas Woman's University. The budget does not allow for luxuries or for tuition costs above the minimum required hours. Tuitions below are based on a full-time course load of 12 credit hours for undergraduate students and 9 credit hours for graduate students. Room, board, and living expenses are based on the estimated cost of living for 12 months in the North Texas area. Optional summer tuition costs are also not included in the estimate below.

A student who is provided free room and board by a relative or close friend living near the school will not need money for housing or utilities and will require cash for food only or lunches on school days. Free room and board has a cash value of $5,445.

Student planning to bring a husband, wife, child, or children in F-2 status, or who have F-2 family with them in the U.S. now, must show an additional $3,500 per year to support the spouse and $2,500 per year for each child.

Tuition and Fees are subject to change without notice. Each price is an estimate only. Sponsors will want to provide for more money, if possible.

Financial Statement Forms
Two documents are enclosed for your use in proving adequate finances: The Affidavit of Sponsor, for sponsors offering cash support, and the Affidavit of Free Room and Board. You may photocopy the Affidavit of Sponsor if you will have more than one sponsor.

Download the The Affidavit of Sponsor Form (PDF)
Download the The Affidavit of Sponsor Providing Free Room and Board Form (PDF)

What is a SEVIS I-20 and why do you need one?

The SEVIS I-20 is a U.S. government form, but it can be issued only by specially appointed school officials. It is not issued by the government. It states that the student whose name is on the form has been accepted for a full course of study after applying to school and submitting all required academic documentation. It also states that the school has seen documents proving that you have enough money to live and study in the U.S. without working with no permission or suffering from poverty. Without a SEVIS I-20, it is not possible to obtain a student visa or to keep lawful F-1 status when transferring from one school to another in the U.S..

Transfer students do not have to receive our SEVIS I-20 before coming to this school and attending classes. Though it is best to qualify for the SEVIS I-20 as soon as possible, you will not need the form until the second week of classes, unless you wish to travel outside the U.S. before classes begin.

Students who are outside the U.S. should not worry about their visas at this time. Since you cannot get a visa without gaining admission to a university and obtaining the SEVIS I-20, your priority must be to gain admission to Texas Woman’s University and to provide us with the financial documentation we require before we will issue the SEVIS I-20.

We are very strict about proof of financial ability. Too little money causes pain and distress for students. We insist that students and their families look closely at the cost of living and studying in the U.S. and make careful plans to be sure the student's needs are met. We also want to be sure that requirements of the most demanding U.S. consuls are met so our students' visas will not be denied for financial reasons.

Does everyone need an I-20?
No, some foreign students do not need SEVIS I-20s. If you are a dependent spouse or child in A, E, G, H-4, I, L-2, M-2, N, O-3, P-4, R-2, or TD status, neither the law nor the school requires you to have a SEVIS I-20 or be in F-1 status to attend school full-time or part-time, as long as the principal continues to remain in status. However, you cannot be a dependent child in E, F, H, I, J, L, M, N, O, P, R, or S status after your 21st birthday or if you marry. Principals in A, E, G, H, I, L, O, P, Q, R, or S status may attend school without changing status as long as their "principal activity" is not school. Persons in TPS status may also go to school. If you have no legal status, you may attend school, but you are not eligible to change status and do not need a SEVIS I-20.

12 rules to follow to get a SEVIS I-20

1. Financial documents by the sponsors or student must be submitted by mail or hand delivered and our responses will be in writing, by mail. Our decision will be made after looking at the documents with care and thought. All students are treated the same, whether they come from countries in which visas are "easy" or difficult to get. To the best of our ability, we try to see the documents as if we were particularly tough U.S. consuls. We have not helped a student by saying "yes" to financial papers if a consul later says "no" to the same papers.
2. Your sponsor's income is more important than your sponsor's bank statement. Do not expect bank statements to convince us of a sponsor's ability to give the amount of money promised. Bank statements are very poor evidence of the ability to give a student money, unless the balance is a very large one. Proof of a sponsor's income should be on the employer's letterhead, on income tax returns or receipts, or estimated by a bank or private accountant when the sponsor is a self-employed businessperson. The income of a company is not the income of the owner of the business and will not be accepted as proof of income. You must provide an official statement of the salary paid to the owner/sponsor.
3. We will not accept letters from banks or anyone else saying that a sponsor has enough money to support a student. Only this office can decide how much is enough. When a sponsor wishes to keep his bank balance or income private, we will accept official documents saying that the savings or income is "more than an amount that is clearly sufficient".
4. All papers must be sent together. When partial financial documentation is received, it will be returned to you. Families should designate one family member to collect all papers and submit them to us together.
5. Each sponsor must submit an affidavit stating exactly what is to be provided. All questions on affidavit forms must be answered. Affidavits must be signed by the sponsor in the presence of a notary public. The notary public must sign, and the official seal of the notary public must be on the affidavit. Affidavits that have been changed in any way will be rejected unless each change has been signed by both the sponsor and the notary. There are notaries in all countries, though the names for them may be different. They are officials licensed by the national or regional government to take sworn statements for courts of law or to witness contracts and property deeds.
6. Sponsors should not promise too much money. Some sponsors believe that the more money they promise, the more likely we are to say "yes". A common cause for rejection of documents is that we do not believe the sponsor can afford to give us as much as promised. You should promise only what you intend to give and should give only as much as you can afford.
7. Both the U.S. government and Texas Woman's University require recent documents (less than six months old).
8. Do not send faxes or copies. Except for tax documents, leases, and deeds, all papers must be originals. Copies are rejected and returned. Originals will be attached to SEVIS I-20 issued for visa applications and returned to students who are outside the U.S.
9. Every dollar of needed support must be proven through student bank statements, proof of sponsor's income, or a lease or deed. A sponsor must promise every dollar not provided by the student personally, in an affidavit of support. We do not care how many sponsors there are, whether they are U.S. citizens, or where they live. It is usually easier to get an F-1 visa when at least part of a student's support comes from outside the U.S.
10. Students can sponsor themselves, either partially or in full. No affidavits are needed for the student's own money. Recent bank statements in the student's name must be provided, and statements from at least a year earlier to show us that the money was not borrowed and recently deposited. Remember, however, that the law requires financial support for your entire program, in addition to readily available cash for the first year. Unless you have enough cash to support yourself and your studies in the U.S. for entire program, your cash will soon be used up. You will probably need a sponsor with an income to show that you can finance the entire educational program.
11. Scholarships may be used to qualify for SEVIS I-20. We must have award letter from the private or government scholarship board stating how much money is to be given and for how many years.
12. Free room and board is worth more than half the dollar amount to support a student for a year. When a family member near the school gives a student a free place to live and/or free meals, the student needs far less in cash from other sponsors. Affidavits of free room and board must sent with a copy of the property deed or rental lease. Such affidavits will not be accepted if the place to live is too small or located too far from the school.

PLEASE NOTE: The SEVIS I-20 cannot be sent to you until you have been admitted to Texas Woman's University. Admission by TWU does not guarantee you will receive your SEVIS I-20. If you are accepted to TWU, and the International Education Office verifies and approves your Financial Statement and Affidavit of Sponsor, we will send you the SEVIS I-20.