Student guide to United States

F-1 student visa is the standard route, J-1 covers exchange and training, M-1 covers vocational. F-1 application begins after I-20 receipt from your admitting institution. SEVIS fee ($350 as of 2026) is paid online at fmjfee.com before the consular interview. Demonstrate financial capacity for at least one academic year (typically $50K-$80K including living costs at private universities). Officials look for "non-immigrant intent" — show ties to home country.

F-1 students are exempt from FICA (Social Security and Medicare) for first 5 calendar years. Required to file Form 8843 every year regardless of income. If you earn from on-campus employment or OPT, file Form 1040-NR. Tax treaty between India-US allows partial income exclusion — claim under Article 21(2). Most universities offer free Sprintax licences during tax season.

Need-blind admission at Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Yale, Amherst — financial circumstances genuinely don't affect admission decisions for international students at these institutions. Need-aware but generous: Stanford, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, UPenn. Fulbright Foreign Student Program (USIEF in India administers) is the flagship federal scholarship. Tata Scholarship at Cornell, Inlaks Foundation, JN Tata Endowment also funded paths.

Open student bank accounts before semester start; major options are Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Capital One. Most require SSN once obtained, but some (BoA, Chase) allow opening with passport + I-20 + university enrolment letter. Avoid international wire fees by using Wise or Revolut for parents' transfers. Build credit early via secured credit card (Discover IT Secured is popular for international students).

On-campus housing is typically guaranteed for first-year undergraduates only. Off-campus: explore university-affiliated grad housing first (Cornell Maplewood, Stanford Escondido), then private leases via Zillow/Trulia/Padmapper. US lease terms are 12 months with full rent paid even if you leave early — landlords typically require 1.5-2.5× monthly rent as security. Co-signers (often required for international students without US credit) can be your university or a service like Insurent.

Health insurance is mandatory at most US universities — institutional plans cost $2,500-$5,000/year. Waiver allowed if you carry equivalent comparable plan from outside (rare for international students). Use the on-campus health centre for primary care; emergency rooms are extremely expensive ($1,500+ per visit) — verify your plan's urgent-care alternatives.

TOEFL iBT (100+ for top schools) or IELTS (7.0+) usually required. Duolingo English Test increasingly accepted. Some institutions waive English requirement if previous degree was English-medium. International Teaching Assistantship requires SPEAK test or equivalent at most universities — failing this can disqualify funded TA positions.

Indian/South Asian groceries widely available in metros (Patel Brothers, Apna Bazaar) and increasingly in college towns. University meal plans are flexible — most allow vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher requests. Cooking facilities in graduate housing make meal-plan opt-out economical. Cost of grocery: $200-$350/month for self-cooked, $400-$700/month for meal plan + occasional eating out.

Campus safety varies enormously by location. Urban campuses (Columbia in Morningside Heights, USC in South LA, U Chicago in Hyde Park) have specific neighbourhood considerations — university-sponsored shuttles after dusk are universal. Suburban and small-town campuses (Cornell, Dartmouth, Bowdoin) generally have very low crime. Sign up for university SafeWalk programmes; download Rave Guardian or LiveSafe campus apps.

Indian Students Association (ISA) at every major US university — Facebook/WhatsApp groups become primary social network. Cricket leagues in major metros. Diwali / Holi celebrations university-supported at most schools. Indian Embassy in Washington DC + 5 consulates (NY, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta). Alumni networks (IIT Alumni USA, IIM Alumni, BITSAA) are dense and helpful for jobs and immigration.