U.S. Immigration regulations require that OISS verifies your financial resources to cover the estimated fees and living expenses for the first year of your program before issuing your visa documents. These numbers are estimates. Your yearly expenses may be different, but this is the minimum amount OISS must verify for immigration.
Estimated Annual Cost
The adjusted current University estimate of the cost of attendance including tuition, fees, and living expenses for international students is:
- Undergraduate Students: $74,438
- Graduate Students: $56,339
- MTM Program: $95,186
- Students with Dependents: Married students add $4,000 if accompanied by a spouse. Students bringing children add $2,000 for each child.
These amounts are estimates and your actual expenses may be higher or lower. Early in the admission process, we encourage you to look into housing options for current cost of living rates. Please contact UCSB's Housing department for questions about living on campus and UCSB's Community Housing Services about living off campus.
OISS is required to verify funding for the first year only.
However, you may want to gather evidence to show financial support for your entire program, as American embassies and consulates may require this type of evidence before issuing your visa.
After you have been admitted to UCSB and have returned your Statement of Intent to Register (SIR), the next step in getting your visa to come to UCSB is to show that you have the funds to support you through the first year.
Work-study opportunities for international students are limited. Most grants or scholarships are limited to U.S. students, and some visas include restrictions on the type of work you can do in the U.S.
Acceptable sources of funding:
Student applying for an F-1 visa typically provide proof of funding for their first year from the following sources of funding:
- Personal funds
- Sponsor funds
- Government or sponsoring agency (includes CONACYT, etc.)
- UCSB Funding
Accepts forms of financial proof:
OISS accepts the following forms of financial proof from your sponsor(s):
- Bank account statements translated to English
- Proof of guaranteed loans
- Financial award letters
- Other official documents outlining liquid assets
Instructions for submitting your proof of funding:
Proof of funding is uploaded through the UCSBGlobal platform when you submit your request for a new I-20 document. Part of the I-20 review process is looking at the uploaded documentation. If the OISS advisor has any questions about your financial proof, then they will reach out to you via your UCSB email address. Financial documentation is not uploaded to any government databases - it stays within UCSBGlobal only. Emailing OISS to ask about financial documentation may end up delaying your request, so feel free to upload what you have and wait for an OISS advisor to follow up with you if needed.
When you are submitting your request, you will be prompted to indicate:
- Your program (education) level, such as undergraduate or undergraduate
- Your source(s) of funding
You should be prepared to upload one or more of the acceptable forms of financial proof outlined in the section above.
If you indicate that a sponsor (such as a friend or family member) will be providing funding, you must also upload a Sponsor Endorsement Form in UCSBGlobal. You only need to upload a Sponsor Endorsement Form if you have a financial sponsor. If you do not have a financial sponsor (i.e. your proof of funding is in your name alone), then you do not need to upload this form.
Example 1: Student uploads a bank statement in their name alone, with an amount that meets the required minimum amount — no Sponsor Endorsement Form needed.
Example 2: Student uploads a bank statement that belongs to their parent (financial sponsor), with an amount that meets the required minimum amount — Sponsor Endorsement Form needed.
Requirements For Proof Of Funding
Here are some further requirements that must be satisfied, based on the type of funding source:
|
Funding Source |
Requirements |
| All Types of Funding |
|
|---|---|
| Personal Funds |
|
| Sponsor Funds |
|
| Government or Sponsoring Agency |
|
| UCSB Funding |
|