A student must first be accepted by Georgia State before he or she can apply for a Form I-20 to process his or her student visa. Please refer to the International Student & Scholar Services Applying to Georgia State area for detailed procedures.

You should always use your legal name as written in your passport when filling out your admissions application or other Georgia State documents. Your I-20 will be issued according to the name in your passport. Inconsistency regarding your name can cause confusion and possible problems securing your visa.

From an immigration perspective, you are not considered an international student as you are a U.S. permanent resident and do not need a student visa. However, you may be classified an “international applicant” because of your overseas educational background. For details, please contact the appropriate admissions office.

H-4 visa holders are eligible to study without changing status to F-1. However, you are not eligible for any employment such as a Graduate Assistantship. If you plan to change your visa status to F-1, please talk to our international advisor. For other visa holders, please refer to the chart below for study eligibility. If your current visa status is not listed in the chart, please contact ISSS at [email protected] for more information.

No. Financial documentation is only required for Georgia State to process your immigration paperwork (Form I-20), not for your academic admission. The two processes are separate. If you are academically admitted to Georgia State, ISSS will invite you to upload your financial documentation via an online system called iStart. After reviewing a complete set of financial documents, ISSS can approve and process your form I-20 for pick up in ISSS or shipment to your home.

No. Admissions does not review financial documents. You will upload your financial documents via an online system called iStart for review by ISSS after you are academically admitted to Georgia State.

Yes, you can. However, keep in mind unpredictable processing times for the I-20 and Visa to avoid waiting too long for a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA).

First, the admissions office will review your academic documents for academic admission. After admission to Georgia State, ISSS will contact you about the immigration process and how to upload your financial documents for review by ISSS. Once a completed set of financial documentation is reviewed and approved, your I-20 will be issued within five business days. ISSS will not review incomplete financial documents.

Yes. New financial documents are required for ISSS to issue you an I-20 from Georgia State. You will need to follow the SEVIS transfer process to complete your I-20 transfer before you can receive a new I-20 from Georgia State.

Unfortunately, international students are not eligible for federal financial aid. However, Georgia State does offer possible scholarships and graduate assistantships to help with your financial needs. If you are an undergraduate student, you can contact the Scholarship Office for more information. If you are a graduate student, you may contact your department for information regarding available graduate assistantship opportunities.

Deferring your admission is sometimes possible, but you should contact the admissions office for details on the appropriate procedures.

Along with your I-20 or DS-2019 form, you should have received a welcome packet from ISSS with information regarding visa application procedures and International Student Orientation. If you have not yet received it, please contact [email protected]. Do not schedule your international travel until after receiving your visa from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. For more information on next steps, please see the ISSS website.

Yes. Georgia State admits all academically qualified undergraduate students, regardless of immigration status. To be classified as in-state for tuition purposes, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia requires all students applying to Georgia State to provide verification of their lawful presence. For details, see: Policy 4.3.4 Verification of Lawful Presence