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Visa and Immigration Information for Summer Pre-College Programs

Updated May 9, 2022

The following information is for students admitted to the University College Pre-College summer programs. Please read below for more information about immigration and visa regulations, and contact the Tufts International Center at ICenter.Summer@tufts.edu with any questions.

Visa options for study at Tufts in one of the Pre-College summer programs may vary depending on your individual situation and the program that you plan to attend. Please read through the information below and also refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at the bottom of this page.

(1) F-1 Visa Sponsorship Eligible Programs

For Summer 2022, Tufts University offers F-1 student visa sponsorship for students who have been admitted to the following summer programs:

Other programs, including the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Bootcamp, are currently not eligible for F-1 visa sponsorship. However, attendance based on one of the other visa options listed below may be possible. If you have been accepted to one of the above Pre-College summer programs you must take steps to apply for a Form I-20 from the International Center. Form I-20 is a certificate that shows you have been accepted to a full-time program and that you have sufficient financial resources to cover the program expenses, including tuition, fees, insurance, and living expenses. Please refer to the table below for information regarding the amount of funds you must be prepared to document for your I-20. Once your admission is confirmed by the Pre-College Programs office, you will receive instructions to get started with the I-20 application process.

Category Tufts Summer Research Experience Tufts College Experience
Program Fee (including Tuition, Room and Board) $11,250 $11,250
Materials Fee $200 N/A
Health Insurance $168 $168
Personal and Miscellaneous Expenses $300 $300
Estimated Total $11,918 $11,718

Once you have your Form I-20 from Tufts University, you will receive instructions for applying for an F-1 visa at a US consulate. Please note that citizens of Canada do not need to apply for visas to enter the US, but should have a I-20 from Tufts to come to the US in F-1 status in order to attend one of the above programs.

(2) B-2 Visitors (Tourist) Visa

For other programs that are not eligible for F-1 visa sponsorship, you may be eligible to come to the US using a B-2 visitors visa (or under the visa waiver program for certain countries, also known as 'ESTA'). The B-2 visa is intended for short-term tourism trips to the US, but it may also permit recreational study that is short-term, part-time, and not-for-credit. You may also be able to attend programs that are largely focused around campus visits, summer camps or bootcamps, and similar academic enrichment activities. Do not use the B-2 visa if you plan to take classes that are full-time, for college credit, or part of a degree program as these are generally not permitted under B-2 status.

You can apply for B-2 visa at your local US consulate.* Due to the nature of this visa, which is essentially for independent tourism and short-term visits to the US, Tufts is not able to sponsor or support individuals in this process. Pursuing a B-2 visa is your decision alone. Please consult the US embassy or consulate in your country if you have any questions about the necessary documentation for visiting the US as a B-2 visitor.

*Note that B-2 visas are typically issued as B-1 / B-2 visas, with B-1 status involving visits for business and B-2 status granted for visits for tourism / pleasure.

(3) Students Already in the US

If you are already in the US, you may able to apply for and attend a Pre-College program without needing to take additional steps to secure visa sponsorship through Tufts. For example, students who already have F-1 visa status based on attendance at a high school or another college may participate in a Pre-College program as a part of their normal summer vacation activity, as long as they are planning to return to their original school in the fall term. Students already in the US with other types of visas that permit study, as well as undocumented students, are also eligible to apply for any program of interest.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Pre-College Summer Programs