IMPORTANT INFORMATION

F-1 STUDENT VISA AND FORM I-20 INFORMATION

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program that administers the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). It ensures that government agencies have essential data related to nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors to preserve national security. SEVP provides approval and oversight to schools authorized to enroll F nonimmigrant students and gives guidance to both schools and students about the requirements for maintaining their status.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is a web-based system for maintaining information on nonimmigrant students in the United States. It is the core technology for the DHS in this critical mission. SEVIS collects current information from nonimmigrant students continually during their course of stay in the United States. 

If accepted by an SEVP-certified school, foreign students may be admitted to the United States with the F nonimmigrant status. Records of these nonimmigrant admissions and continued participation in these educational programs are maintained in SEVIS. Furthermore, SEVIS enables SEVP to assure proper reporting and record keeping by schools and exchange visitor programs, thereby ensuring data currency and integrity. SEVIS also provides a mechanism for student and exchange visitor status violators to be identified so that appropriate enforcement is taken (i.e., denial of admission, denial of benefits or removal from the United States).

An F-1 student visa allows a student from a foreign country to temporarily live in the United States for a defined period of time while studying at a school, college, seminary, or conservatory, which is authorized by the U.S. government to accept international students.

An applicant may be eligible to apply for the F-1 visa category, provided they meet the following criteria:

• The applicant must be enrolled in an “academic” educational program, a language-training program, or a vocational program
• The school must be approved by the Student and Exchange Visitors Program, Immigration & Customs Enforcement
• The student must be enrolled as a full-time student at the institution
• The student must be proficient in English or be enrolled in courses leading to English proficiency
• The student must have sufficient funds available for self-support during the entire proposed course of study
• The student must maintain a residence abroad.

ADMISSION

UNAM-SAN ANTONIO ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• All applicants must be 18 years old.
• All future student visas holders must register for an Intensive English Program and a Conversation course, which amounts to a mandatory 18.5 hours of study per week.
• Students are required to study full-time while on a student visa to maintain active legal status in the US.
• Student visa holders are not allowed to register for Quarter courses or Private courses.
• Students who do not study at least 18 hours per week, risk forfeiting their student visa.

Please keep in mind that the purpose for the proof of income which you must provide the US government for your visa, is to confirm that you have the resources to follow through on any financial responsibilities involved in accomplishing your purpose for being here. If you hold an F1 Visa, your purpose for being allowed to stay in the country is being a student. This means that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services expects you to already have a budget set aside for taking care of all financial obligations to the school before you even arrive. It is expected that you would consider this your first financial priority.

Steps in the Application Process:

• Complete and submit step #1 of the “How to apply” page to receive authorization of your Acceptance Letter from the Evaluation Committee
• Fill out the application: online or print version 
• Pay the application fee: $120 USD 
• Send your affidavit of financial support with a bank statement
• Send a copy of the photo page of your passport

After these items have been collected, we will send you an acceptance letter to UNAM-San Antonio, the Form I-20, and information concerning the next steps in the process.

Make an appointment with the US embassy or consulate in your country. Take with you the acceptance letter, the Form I-20, the proof of financial support, the receipt for the SEVIS fee payment, and all other information that the embassy/consulate asks for.

If Approved

If you have been approved for a student visa, please contact us to let us know of your approval. You will receive an email with instructions on how to proceed to the school and complete the registration process. The enrollment process will have to be done in person.

If Not Approved

If you have not been approved for a student visa, please contact us to let us know. You may wish to try again for a visa in order to start UNAM- San Antonio at a later date. To reapply for a student visa, you will have to wait at least 6 months.

TRANSFERRING IN

Transfer students who have F-1 student visas are subject to the same rules and policies as other F-1 students at UNAM-San Antonio. Transfer students should contact the English Department at UNAM- San Antonio for more information.

IMPORTANT DATES

All documents must be received before the posted deadline. Incomplete and late applications are not guaranteed admission to UNAM-San Antonio*.  Currently we are not accepting applications for our Summer II Session.

Session 2025

Application Deadline

Applications received after these deadlines are not guaranteed admission to UNAM-San Antonio for the following session. However, they will be considered for subsequent sessions. Please contact us for more information.

UNAM-San Antonio will be closed on the following dates.

For questions about the application process, please contact:

Laura Carreón
Executive Assistant to the Director
UNAM San Antonio
Office: (210) 222-8626 ext. 222
Fax: (210) 225-1772