GEMS Blog for Advisors

March 5, 2019

2019 Best Practices for Student Visa Requests and Department Funding

GEMS is approaching our peak period for processing Summer and Autumn 2019 I-20s for F-1 visa applications. Please help us process your new students’ I-20s as efficiently as possible; if you are offering department financial support (e.g., RA/TA/Fellowship/International Tuition Waiver) to an international graduate applicant:

  • complete the Graduate Funding Detail page. To access, go to MGP >> View Applicants >> the student’s application >> Funding Info tab. (We can’t process the I-20 without this departmental funding information entered here.)

2019 Estimates

The Financial Ability Requirement page has been updated with estimated total expenses for the 2019-2020 academic year. Please note that the official 2019 numbers have not yet been updated by the Office of Planning & Budgeting, so you may wish rely on your 2018 numbers while expecting that small increases are likely.

Overview of the Visa Request and Funding for International Applicants guide:

  • Page 1: How to assist students with questions about the I-20 and resource links.
  • Page 2: How to enter funding into MGP (RAs/TAs; Fellowships; International Tuition Waivers; Non-Resident Differential Waivers).
  • Page 3: A chart that explains the award breakdown for RA/TA positions and which numbers to put into the Funding Detail Page if offering an assistantship.
  • Page 4: An example of a MGP funding page for a student receiving an RA.

Contact:

If your students have questions about the visa process or forms, please share our new Admitted International Graduate Students page with them. If you have questions, please contact us at gemshelp@uw.edu or call our advisor hotline at 206.897.1487.