Estimated Cost of Attendance

All financial documents submitted to ISS for the purpose of Form I-20 or DS-2019 issuance must meet all of the basic requirements outlined below:

• Must be dated within the last 6 months from the date the document is reviewed by ISS
• Personal and Third-Party funding documents must be liquid assets, such as checking and savings accounts
• All funding documents MUST be clear and legible. Photocopies or scans are acceptable, but original documents may be requested at the discretion of ISS.
• Must be official and appear legitimate
• Letters must be printed on official company letterhead or stationary. This requirement applies to Texas A&M University funding as well.
• Financial statements must clearly identify the document source (i.e. a monthly mailed statement, an online statement, a statement by request, etc.)
• Must contain the following information presented in English:
  • Name of the Account Holder(s)
  • Type of Account (checking, savings, etc.)
  • Current Balance (within the last 6 months) including type of currency
  • Name of the Financial institution
  • Branch Location or Address (If the financial institution is an online bank, the address can be the address of the financial institution's headquarters)

Please be advised that if the above minimum requirements are not met by the financial document submitted, ISS will not accept the document. It is strongly preferred that the entire financial document be written in English, but at minimum the fields listed above must be in English in order for ISS to accept the document.
 
It is NOT required for financial documents to include balances in U.S. Dollars but the currency type does need to be specified in English on the financial document. ISS will use the OANDA currency converter to convert any foreign currency into $USD using the date we are reviewing the request.  You can review the OANDA Currency Converter by navigating to https://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/.

Funding Types ISS Will NOT Accept

• Statements regarding property, jewelry, cars, or other non-liquid assets
• Statements related to investments, such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
• Statements from Chartered Accountants
• Pay Stubs
• Trusts
• Passbooks
• Tax Returns
• Retirement Accounts
• Prepaid Cards
• Credit Cards
• Insurance Documents
• Income earned through J-2 work authorization

• Norwegian Loan Funds or Lånekassen (ISS considers these to be Sponsored Student Funding)
• J-1 Reciprocal Exchange Students are allowed to use loans from home universities

ISS will not accept any other type of loan until after it has been received and deposited into the individual's account. Deposited loans must be shown in personal funding documents in order to be accepted by ISS.

Notice Regarding Prodigy Loans: ISS will no longer accept Prodigy Loans as an acceptable financial resource for immigration document issuance after December 31, 2020. 

• Current and former international students who are already in F-1 or J-1 status may no longer use Prodigy Loans as a financial resource for immigration document issuance if their request is submitted to ISS on or after January 1, 2021.
• International students seeking to attain F-1 or J-1 status beginning in Spring 2021 term may continue to use Prodigy Loans as a source of personal funding even if their request is submitted on or after January 1, 2021.
• International students seeking to attain F-1 or J-1 status beginning in Summer 2021 term or later may not use Prodigy Loans as a source of funding for immigration document issuance.

Will ISS Accept Certificate of Deposits (CDs) or Fixed Deposits (FDs)?

Yes, with the following considerations:

1. ISS will only accept the initial deposit amount listed on a Certificate of Deposit or a Fixed Deposit rather than the maturity amount and
2. In order to be accepted by ISS, the maturity date of the deposit must be within 1 year of the date ISS will be issuing the Form I-20 or DS-2019 or within the length of time covered by the student's academic program, whichever is less.

Personal Funding

All Personal Funding documents must comply with the “ISS Basic Requirements for Funding Documents” outlined above.

If the student is listed on the financial document as an account holder, then they only need to submit financial documentation that complies with the “ISS Basic Requirements for Funding Documents” above. No additional documentation is needed from the other account holders.

If the funding is part of a family business account AND the student is listed as an account holder, then they only need to submit financial documentation that complies with the “ISS Basic Requirements for Funding Documents” above. No additional documentation is needed from the other account holders.

If the student is not listed as an account holder (i.e. bank statement of family member or friend) then these funds will be considered Third-Party Funding.

Third-Party Funding

All Third-Party Funding documents must comply with the “ISS Basic Requirements for Funding Documents” outlined above.

If a student is being funded by a third-party, documents must be accompanied by EITHER an “ISS Declaration of Financial Support Form ” completed and signed by one of the account holders OR a signed letter from one of the account holders stating that the student may use the funds from the submitted financial document(s) for their educational expenses.

If the funding is part of a family business account and the student is not listed as an account holder (i.e. bank statement of family member or friend), the following documents are required:

• A Bank Statement or Letter for the Business Account
• A Declaration of Financial Support Form OR a Signed Letter from one of the Account Holders
  • If the name of the account holder who is identified on the financial support form or letter submitted to ISS is NOT listed on the financial document for the business account, then ISS will also need to receive a letter from the business/company on official letterhead to confirm that they are willing to sponsor the student.

Texas A&M University Funding (Assistantships, Fellowships, Scholarships and Grants)

All Texas A&M University Funding documents must comply with the “ISS Basic Requirements for Funding Documents” outlined above.

If a student is being financially supported by a unit at Texas A&M, ISS needs to receive an offer letter that describes the financial support in detail.

The financial offer letter must be printed on department letterhead and must include the following:

• The student's name
• The date of issuance of the offer letter (As stated in the Basic Requirements section above, the offer letter must be dated within the last 6 months from the date the document is being reviewed by ISS.)
• The contact information for the employing department or office 
• The applicable date(s) or academic term(s) of the offer (ISS cannot accept financial documentation for past terms as evidence of financial support for current or future terms. In order to calculate the financial benefit of a University funding offer, the offer must apply to current or future dates/terms.)
• The specific dollar amount(s) being awarded, including any applicable salary or pay rate
• The frequency by which the financial support will be distributed (once, each semester, monthly, bi-weekly, etc.) 
• The benefits (i.e. insurance), if any, that accompany the financial offer (If the letter does not specify insurance or any other benefit, ISS cannot assume they are included.)
• Any waivers or contributions toward the cost of the student's tuition and/or fees.  It is best to very specific with wording in the letter. Some examples include.
  • The student is receiving a waiver of the out-of-state tuition only and they can pay tuition at the in-state rate 
  • The student's tuition is being paid but they are still responsible for fees 
  • All the student's tuition and fees will be paid 

Students who receive funding assistance from Texas A&M University are urged to work with their departments to better understand their aid package. In some cases, aid packages from departments do not cover all necessary expenses in order for ISS to issue the Form I-20/DS-2019. If Texas A&M University funding does not fully cover the student's estimated cost of attendance for at least 1 year, the student will be required to show additional financial resources to make up the difference. This could include personal funding, third-party funding, or sponsored student funding.

Sponsored Student Funding

All Sponsored Student Funding documents must comply with the “ISS Basic Requirements for Funding Documents” outlined above.

If a student is being financially supported by a sponsoring government agency, major corporation, or other sponsoring agency, ISS needs to receive an offer letter that describes the financial support in detail: 

• The student's name
• The student's academic program 
• The date of issuance of the offer letter (As stated in the Basic Requirements section above, the offer letter must be dated within the last 6 months from the date the document is being reviewed by ISS.)
• The contact information for the sponsor 
• The applicable date(s) or academic term(s) of the offer (ISS cannot accept financial documentation for past terms as evidence of financial support for current or future terms. In order to calculate the financial benefit of a sponsored student funding offer, the offer must apply to current or future dates/terms.)
• The specific dollar amount(s) being awarded, including any applicable salary or pay rate
• The frequency by which the financial support will be distributed (once, each semester, monthly, bi-weekly, etc.) 
• The benefits (i.e. insurance), if any, that accompany the financial offer (If the letter does not specify insurance or any other benefit, ISS cannot assume they are included)  
• Any waivers or contributions toward the cost of the student's tuition and/or fees. It is best to very specific with wording in the letter. Some examples include:
  • The student is receiving a waiver of the out-of-state tuition only and they can pay tuition at the in-state rate 
  • The student's tuition is being paid but they are still responsible for fees 
  • All the student's tuition and fees will be paid 

In addition to the information listed above, ISS will also need the following information from each sponsor. This can be included in the financial offer letter or provided as a separate document(s): 

• Does the sponsor require the student to be in F-1 or J-1 status?
  • If the sponsor requires that the student be in J1 status they must provide the majority of the student's funding (i.e. 50.1% or more) for a minimum of 2 years (24 months) 
• How is the funding provided to the student?
  • ​For example, through third-party billing or directly to the student? 
  • Lastly, if the sponsor wants the Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 to be issued for a specific period of time, the period of time must be stated in the offer letter or in another document that the student provides to ISS in the Terra Dotta system. 
    • If this is not specified, then ISS will refer to our other policies to determine the length of Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 to issue for the student. 

If the sponsor funding does not fully cover the student's estimated cost of attendance for at least 1 year, the student will be required to show additional financial resources to make up the difference. This could include personal funding, third-party funding, or Texas A&M University funding.

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*

  
*An additional amount must be added to the “Student Only” total for each F-2 or J-2 dependent that will accompany the F-1 or J-1 student. Please use the following table to determine the additional required amount.

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*

  
*An additional amount must be added to the “Student Only” total for each F-2 or J-2 dependent that will accompany the F-1 or J-1 student. Please use the following table to determine the additional required amount.

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year Beginning in Summer where Summer Enrollment is Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Year beginning in Fall or Spring where Summer Enrollment is Not Required*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Fall OR One Spring Semeter*

Student Only Total Funding per Program - One Summer Term*