Most US colleges and universities will let you know if they’ve accepted you about 2-3 months after you submit all application documents. So you got your acceptance letter – congratulations! Here’s what to do next.
- Confirm your enrollment – Most educational institutions will ask you to confirm your enrollment by a specific date and may require you to pay a deposit fee of $50-100 to hold your place. This is often credited to your tuition when you register.
- Confirm you received your visa form – In your admission packet, you should receive a document (SEVIS Form I-20A-B or Form DS-2019) that you will need to apply for your visa. If you do not receive this, contact your school and ask for it. SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) is an automated tracking system that track international students in the US and keep educational institutions, US immigration services, and US consular posts overseas informed of your status.
- Confirm housing reservations – If you will be living on-campus, you should receive information on housing requirements. Some colleges have this information online, so if it’s not included in your admission packet, go to the school website or contact your school and get your housing situation confirmed asap. If you don’t confirm – and pay your housing deposit – you may find you don’t have a place to stay when you get to the US.
- Notify any other accepting colleges of your decision – If you receive more than one acceptance letter, follow up with the schools you don’t wish to attend quickly so they can offer your spot to another student.
Once this stuff is taken care of, you are ready to start planning your travels to the US.
