International Graduate Students
Welcome to Boston University!
We understand that receiving an I-20 form is important to your enrollment at COM.
All international students will need to take the following steps to attend BU and receive an I-20 form and F1 visa:
Next Steps
- Accept your offer of admission and pay your nonrefundable tuition deposit through the applicant gateway portal.
- Create your BU email address. You must have a BU email to receive your I-20 form.
- Provide the required documentation below and upload it through the applicant gateway portal.
- Receive an I-20 form from BU's International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) and apply for an F1 visa. Please refer to the ISSO site on Documents & Procedures for more information: (www.bu.edu/isso/getting-started/documents-procedures/).
Keep in mind...
- Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the Applicant Gateway and click the Blue button labeled “I’m Done Uploading My Documents” to submit your documents.
- The Graduate Affairs staff at COM will review your required documents before sending them to the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) at BU. The ISSO office will issue your I-20 to your BU email address. All I-20 forms are sent via email to students' BU email addresses.
Questions to Consider
Are you currently living in the US or studying at a university in the US?
- International students who currently have an I-20/visa from another US university will also need to submit the following documents so their current visa can be transferred to Boston University.
- Please review this page to learn more about transferring your SEVIS immigration record to BU.
Did you defer your Fall 2024 admission to enroll in Fall 2025?
- If you submitted documents for your I-20 form last year before deferring, you will need to submit updated financial paperwork... and a new International Student Data Form to the ISSO.
Are you bringing a spouse and/or children (dependents) with you to the United States?
- Dependents require additional paperwork and financial support. Please be sure to submit all paperwork at the same time.
Upload Documents Required to Receive an I-20 from BU
All documents should be uploaded via the application Collect Documents Gateway. This is similar to the portal you used to pay your $400 deposit. Please select the correct link:
MA Emerging Media Studies
MFA in Film and Television Studies
MFA in Screenwriting
MS in Advertising
MS in Journalism
MS in Media Science
MS in Media Science: Marketing Communication Research
MS Media Ventures
MS in Public Relations
MS in Television Producing/Management
MA Emerging Media Studies
Ph.D. Emerging Media Studies
Required Documents to
Obtain an I-20 Form
- International Student Data Form (ISDF):
https://www.bu.edu/isso/files/2024/03/ISSO-ISDF-updated-3-22-24.pdf
Fill out the following information completely and accurately:
- Enter your name exactly as it appears on your passport.
- Enter your date of birth in the American format: month, day, and year (MM/DD/YYYY). For example, May 12, 2000, should be written 05/12/2000.
- Enter your city of birth. Place of Birth (City/Country)
- Answer every question.
- Sign and date the form.
- Please print the fillable PDF, sign the form in ink, and scan it as a PDF again. Uploading the fillable PDF to the gateway may delete the typed information and appear blank.
- A copy of the biographical page of your passport: This is the page that has your photo and your personal information. In some countries, this may be two pages. Please make sure the scan or photo is a high-resolution photo so we can clearly see your photo and information.
- Declarations of Financial Support/Required financial documentation demonstrating your ability to pay for your expenses at Boston University:
See this section of the ISSO's website that outlines the financial support needed: https://www.bu.edu/isso/getting-started/documents-procedures/requiredfinancialdocumentation/.
The United States Government requires that all students provide documentation of the availability of adequate funding for tuition, fees, and living expenses to issue the immigration documents necessary to obtain a student visa. All financial documents submitted for evaluation will become the property of Boston University and will not be returned to the student.
It's important to know that the evidence of financial support is only needed for issuing the I-20 and helping with the student visa process. It won't be used to pay your tuition bill. The tuition estimate amount of $69,670 only includes two semesters of tuition fees for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. It doesn't include the cost for the rest of your master's program, which may span three or four semesters. Please keep in mind that the figures are estimates for immigration document processing and will not reflect exact tuition, fees or living expenses.
While we prefer students to submit bank statements in USD, we understand that this may not be possible and we can do a conversion from another currency to USD if necessary.
- If you have a scholarship and/or assistantship, you can deduct your fall and spring merit scholarship and/or assistantship stipend from the TOTAL EVIDENCE OF FINANCIAL PROOF REQUIRED: $97,778.00
. Expenses are outlined here - www.bu.edu/isso/getting-started/documents-procedures/requiredfinancialdocumentation/expenses-crc/
- For example, if you received a $10,000 scholarship for the fall 2025 ($5,000) and spring 2026 ($5,000) semesters and a $1,000 assistantship stipend, you can deduct $11,000 from the TOTAL EVIDENCE OF FINANCIAL PROOF REQUIRED $97,778
USD. ($97,778 USD - $11,000 (scholarship + assistantship stipend) = $86,778 USD)
- Sponsorship Form: If the financial documentation (bank statement…) is not in your name, you will need to submit a sponsorship form. A letter of sponsorship indicates that the sponsor is willing and able to support the prospective student financially for academic fees and living expenses throughout study at Boston University and also indicates the relationship of the sponsor to the applicant.
- Students who plan to support a dependent(s) must provide evidence of additional funds. A dependent is defined as the student’s spouse or child (under the age of 21). Please add the following figures to the total estimate listed above when a student will be accompanied by dependents.
Additional Documents are required if you are or have previously lived or studied in the United States
- Copies of all previous I-20 forms
- A copy of your Visa as it appears in your passport
- Most recent I-94 port of entry form: If you do not have your most recent I-94 available, you can use the U.S. government website https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home#section
How to Apply for a Visa
