In order to receive a Form I-20 or DS-2019, the student must show sufficient funding to cover their estimated cost of attendance for at least 1 year or for the time remaining in their academic program, whichever is less. ISS will accept any combination of the types of funding outlined on this webpage: Personal Funding, Third-Party Funding, Texas A&M University Funding, and/or Sponsored Student Funding. It is not required for one single financial resource to show the entire estimated cost of attendance.
ISS cannot accept any documents that contains a Social Security Number (SSN). If you submit a document containing an SSN, ISS will return this document to you and delete it from our system.
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:
- 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
- Clear and legible - Photocopies or scans are acceptable, but original documents may be requested at the discretion of ISS.
- Official and appear legitimate
- 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 - It is strongly preferred that the entire financial document be written in English, but at minimum the fields listed below must be in English in order for ISS to accept the document.
- Name of the Account Holder(s)
- Current Balance (within the last 6 months) including type of currency
- Name of the Financial institution
Please be advised that if the above minimum requirements are not met, ISS will not accept the financial 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 uses the OANDA currency converter to convert foreign currency into $USD using the date we are reviewing the request. You can review the OANDA Currency Converter at https://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/.
Funding Types ISS Will NOT Accept
Under no circumstances will ISS accept the following types of documents as proof of financial resources:
- 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
ISS typically cannot accept the following documents except in the specific situations described:
Income Letters
Income letters cannot be used as a means of financial support for newly admitted students unless the student has an offer of employment from Texas A&M University that accompanies admission to a graduate-level academic department, like a graduate assistantship.
PPF/Provident Fund Accounts
PPF / Provident Fund Accounts cannot be used
unless they are part of a bank letter. They
will not be accepted in any other format, such as part of an employer letter.
Loans
ISS will only accept the following loan offers as proof of financial resources for the purpose of I-20 and DS-2019 issuance for F-1 and J-1 international students. ISS will not accept documentation for any other loans. If a student will receive a loan not included in the list below, they can submit it as evidence of personal funds after it has been received and deposited into the student's bank account.
- 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
- Specific loans that have been vetted by Texas A&M University’s Scholarships & Financial Aid. The funding from these loans is provided directly to Texas A&M University on the recipient’s behalf.
Certificate of Deposits (CDs) and Fixed Deposits (FDs)
ISS can accept CDs and FDs, with the following considerations:
- ISS will only accept the initial deposit amount listed on a Certificate of Deposit or a Fixed Deposit rather than the maturity amount, and
- 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.