Visa Information
New students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents will need to obtain visas. Generally, you obtain a visa through a U.S. consulate in your area, so you will need to identify which consulate you will be working with. Contact a U.S. embassy or consulate in your country for details
Most international graduate students enter under F-1 visas. To apply for one, you will need (1) a completed Financial Certificate, (2) a completed I-20 form, and (3) the letter from the Laney Graduate School offering you admission and specifying the terms of admission and support (this is the letter you accessed through your CollegeNET account). Instructions for (1) and (2) are below. Once your program receives the certificate and the I-20 form, we will process issue an I-20 so you can apply for your visa.
When you go to apply for your visa, you will need a few more items, such as a passport and payment for fees. Please visit the International Students and Scholar Serveis pre-arrival pages, and especially the one on obtaining a visa.
A few students enter under J-1 visas. These are mainly for students who come via a sponsored exchange, or who are sponsored by a funder who requires a J-1 visa. If you think you need a J-1 visa, please contact Emory’s International Students and Scholar Services.
Obtaining a Visa
1. Complete a Financial Certificate.
Before the university will issue documents in support of visas, international students must demonstrate their ability to cover the full cost of educational and living expenses, either from personal resources or from a combination of personal resources and financial awards, including tuition scholarships and fellowships from the Laney Graduate School.
Usually, doctoral students are able to demonstrate their ability to cover the full cost entirely or almost entirely through support awarded by the Laney Graduate School or other funders.
Complete the Financial Certificate form (at right), and submit it and required support directly to your program.
2. For F-1 visas: Complete the I-20 form (at right).
Page 1 of the form asks preliminary questions and provides a checklist of documents that you’re required to send to your program. Your answers determine how your I-20 will be processed. Any financial documents you send must be current and official. If you have a sponsor or agency supporting you, then documents should show their names on statements.
If you’re transferring from another US institution to Emory, you must still complete this form and refer to item 4 below.
3. Send the Financial Certificate, the I-20 form, and all supporting documents to your program.
Your program will complete the documentation, and then the Laney Graduate School will issue the I-20 required to support your visa application. We will send it directly to you.
4. If you are a transfer student, have your immigration record transferred electronically through SEVIS to Emory University.
If you are studying at another university in the U.S. and will be transferring to Emory, you will need to follow a special set of procedures and use a special form. You'll find instructions on this website.