Updated: May 4, 2022
Newly admitted students will receive an email invitation sent to their Tufts email to complete the Visa Certificate Request on the International Center Portal. Upon receiving the invitation, students must complete the request by the School deadline. The deadlines are in the U.S. Eastern Standard Time.
All Tufts University Schools (exceptions noted below): deadline- June 30, 2022
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Visa Certificate Requests are processed in the order in which they are received.
Important: You cannot request a visa certificate until you have been admitted to a full-time program and paid your enrollment deposit confirming that you will come to Tufts. You will receive instructions from your admissions office regarding enrollment deposit requirements and deadlines.
The International Center is required to verify that you have adequate financial resources to cover the estimated tuition, fees, health insurance, and living expenses for at least the first academic year of your program. In addition, while you are only required to provide documentation for one year of studies, you should develop a plan for any future years of study if your program will last more than one year. You must take into account the fact that opportunities to get additional funds after starting your program - whether through on-campus employment, scholarships, or financial aid - may be extremely limited.
F-1 and J-1 students must show that they have enough funds to cover the full-time tuition, fees, health insurance, and living expenses (including room and board and personal expenses) for their programs. You should begin by reviewing the Estimate of Expenses (EOE) for your program. You must be able to document the amounts indicated on the EOE for your program.
*Tuition and relevant costs are subject to approval by the Board of Trustees of Tufts College in May 2022.
Family Members: If you will be joined by F-2 or J-2 family members while at Tufts, you must show an additional $6,000 per year for your spouse and $3,600 per year for each unmarried dependent child under the age of 21. Eligibility for F-2 or J-2 dependent status is restricted to your legal spouse and/or unmarried dependent minor children under 21.
Once you have your estimate of expenses, you will need to prepare acceptable financial documents that show you have enough funds to cover your expenses while at Tufts. Failure to provide acceptable financial documents will lead to delays in the issuance of your I-20 / DS-2019 visa document.
Important Note: the information on the financial documents you provide will be included in your US Homeland Security SEVIS record and used to certify your eligibility for your F-1 / J-1 visa. By submitting these documents to the International Center, you are attesting to the availability of financial resources to fully support your education at Tufts. Knowingly providing documents that are not genuine, accurate or representative of your financial means and resources may lead to serious immigration consequences, including a finding of visa fraud and/or termination of your ability to enter or remain in the US as an F-1 or J-1 student.
Types of Financial Documents Accepted
Financial documents should be prepared as attachments and can include any combination of the following. Documents should be in English or accompanied by an official or unofficial translation. Documents should be dated within the past six months upon the date of submission to the International Center.
The following types of documents are NOT accepted for purposes of establishing eligibility for F-1 / J-1 status:
You do NOT need to submit the affidavit if your financial resources are from your own personal accounts and/or from a Tufts University letter scholarship, grant, or financial aid package. In these situations, a personal bank statement and/or a Tufts scholarship or financial aid award letter are sufficient.
Prepare the following Visa Certificate Request materials. Because you will be uploading these documents into the International Center's immigration portal, prepare these as clear electronic copies (scans):
*While Tufts does not require copies of any previous I-20 / DS-2019 forms as a part of the Visa Certificate Request process, you should keep copies of all previously-issued I-20s / DS-2019s even after completing your transfer to Tufts.
You may be able to choose between F-1 and J-1 student status. In most cases, J-1 student status is reserved for students whose primary source of funding is from a government or university scholarship or similar (non-family or non-personal) source.
To learn more about the differences between F and J student status, go to our comparison page.
This section is for international students who are already in the United States in F-1 or J-1 status at another institution and who plan to start a new program at Tufts. In all cases you must currently be maintaining valid status and have an active SEVIS record with your current sponsor.
F-1 Students: To qualify for an F-1 Transfer, you must begin classes at Tufts within 5 months of completing your studies or your post-completion Optional Practical Training at your previous institution. Talk to your International Student Advisor at your current school about your plans. You will need to set a SEVIS Release Date, which is the date your current school will release your SEVIS record to Tufts. Tufts cannot produce a Form I-20 visa certificate for you until your SEVIS record is released to us.
If you qualify for an F-1 Transfer, you will be prompted to provide your International Student Advisor's contact information on the Visa Certificate Request form. In addition, your current advisor will receive an Approver Form email notifying them of your transfer request. Upon your advisor completing and submitting the form, your Visa Certificate Request will be updated with the Transfer-in information.
J-1 Students: You must notify your current J-1 sponsor that you plan to transfer to Tufts before your current J-1 program expiration date. Your current J-1 sponsor and the Tufts International Center will need to coordinate the transfer so that there are no gaps between your two J-1 programs. Your current sponsor will need to complete the Tufts J-1 Student Transfer Form and return it to you so that you can submit it with your Visa Certificate Request. In addition, you will need to set a SEVIS Release Date, which is the date your current J-1 sponsor will release your SEVIS record to Tufts. Tufts cannot produce a Form DS-2019 visa document for you until your SEVIS record is released to us.
Download the J-1 Student Transfer-in Form
If you are already in the US in F-1 status and are only transferring your status from your current school to Tufts, you do not need to have a valid visa or get a new visa to complete the transfer process. A US entry visa is needed only to enter the US, but does not affect the transfer process for students already in the US. You are also not required to leave the US to get a new F-1 visa just because you are changing schools. However, if you plan to travel internationally before or after starting your program at Tufts, you must have an unexpired F-1 visa (even if it was issued for your previous school), along with your I-20, to re-enter the US.
J-1 students completing a transfer to Tufts's J-1 program similarly do not need to get a new J-1 visa if already in the US. However, please consult with the International Center if you do plan to travel internationally, either before or after your arrival at Tufts.
If you are already in the US but in another status, and wish to change to F-1 (or J-1) student status, you will need to take additional steps after you have received your Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 from Tufts. There are two options for changing your status:
While Option 1 is generally recommended as the fastest and most efficient method to obtain student immigration status, it may not suitable or advisable in every situation. Please consult with an international student advisor about the advantages and disadvantages of each option. For more detailed information about Option 2, change of status within the US, go to our Change of Status information page. If you decide you would like to change your status from inside the US, you will need to request a "Change of Status" I-20 when submitting your Visa Document Request to the International Center.
Update: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, international travel to and from the US is highly limited; in addition, US consular operations remain closed or on limited operations. As a result, for the present time, more students may wish to consider change of status options for pursuing student status.
You are not required to apply for F-1 (or J-1) student status if you already have another US immigration status that permits you to study. We recommend that you consult with your current immigration sponsor to determine whether your current status has restrictions on study or employment or will expire before you complete your program. In particular, students in the following situations should take note:
If you have any questions about your current status and the steps needed to obtain F-1 or J-1 student status, please contact an International Center advisor.
You must activate your Tufts email and username (also known as your UTLN) before you can submit your visa document request. Once you have activated your email and username, wait at least 24 hours before submitting your document request. Please refer to instructions from your Admissions office - in most cases you should receive an automated email with information about activating your UTLN after you have paid your deposit. Tufts utilizes Two-Factor Authentication for many student information services, so you will also need to install a mobile phone application for Two-Factor Authentication, such as DUO MOBILE, in order to log into the International Center Portal for the first time.
Once you have paid your deposit and activated your Tufts UTLN, you will receive an electronic notification from the International Center Portal to access your Visa Certificate Request. Upon accessing the Portal, you will be instructed to upload your materials, confirm your biographical, immigration, and address information. Once you submit your Visa Certificate Request, you will receive an automated confirmation email and your request will be sent to an International Center advisor. If our office has any questions, you will be contacted directly. Otherwise, your visa certificate will be processed within 7 to 10 business days after your completed request has been received.
Once you receive your visa certificate from the International Center, you will receive instructions about your next step, which is to apply for your visa. Before doing so, you should review and understand your visa certificate and make sure the information on your form is accurate. To assist you, refer to these guides below:
The International Center issues two different kinds of visa certificate (or "certificates of eligibility") to students: Form I-20 for F-1 students and Form DS-2019 for J-1 students. You will need a visa certificate to apply for an F-1 or J-1 student visa, to enter the US as an F-1 or J-1 student, and while studying in the US in F-1 or J-1 status.
A visa is a sticker that is placed in your passport. It is issued at US consulates outside of the US. You need a visa to request permission to enter the US for a particular reason, such as full-time study.
In addition to the F-1 and J-1 visas, there are a variety of other types of visas such as the B-1/B-2 visitor's visa, the H-1B temporary worker visa, among others. While you can have many different types of visas in your passport, you can only use one type of visa to enter the US at any given time.
A valid F-1 or J-1 visa is only needed to enter the US. Once you are inside the US, your ability to stay in the US depends on whether you are maintaining valid F-1 or J-1 student status.
Citizens of Canada are not required to apply for visas to enter the US. However, if you are a Canadian citizen and plan to come to the US as an international student at Tufts, you will still need a visa document such as a Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 to be able to come to the US to study.
The F-1 student visa is the most common student visa. Tufts offers F-1 visa sponsorship for most undergraduate and graduate programs and some post-baccalaureate, certificate, and English-language programs. F-1 students are required to study on a full-time basis.
F-1 students can be joined by a F-2 spouse and/or unmarried minor children under 21. F-2 family members cannot work while in the US. F-2 children can attend kindergarten through high school, and can study at the college / university level on a part-time basis only.
To qualify for J-1 student status at Tufts, one of the following must apply:
In certain cases, you may be subject to the two-year home residency requirement.
J-1 students can be joined by a J-2 spouse and/or unmarried children under 21. J-2 family members can study on a part-time or full-time basis and can apply for employment authorization after coming to the US.
To request express mail delivery of your visa certificate, refer to our Express Mail page for instructions. Note: international undergraduate students receiving Tufts international undergraduate financial aid do not need to submit an express mail request through this system. You will be notified about express mail options directly.