Visa Information
International students who want to study in Seattle need to have appropriate visa status. For full-time study, students normally apply for an F-1 student visa.

Important steps for getting an F-1 visa:

1. Send your application for a certificate program at least three months before the final application deadline to allow enough time to get your student visa. Once you are admitted to the program, the Certificate Program Coordinator will send you a Request for I-20 Form (does not apply to BUSIP, IBEP, or ETH). After we receive your completed Request for I-20 Form, $50 admission fee, and supplemental documents, we will send you your I-20 (Visa Eligibility form).

2. Contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to schedule an F-1 visa interview appointment.

3. Pay the I-901 SEVIS Fee ($200).

4. Take your I-20 and supporting documents to the interview.

If you are an F-1 student who is enrolled full-time in another program, you may take any certificate program or course in addition to your other full-time studies.

If you are in the U.S. on some other type of visa (not F-1), you may also be able to study in certificate programs which do not have 18 hours of instruction per week. If you have questions about your eligibility to attend school with your current visa, please contact us.

Please note: Full-time study in non-degree programs requires students to have 18 or more hours each week of classes. Only the following certificate programs have this level of intensive study:

• Accounting (Summer Intensive)
• Business Administration Summer Intensive
• Business for International Professionals
• Health Informatics and Health Information Management

For visa-related questions, please call 206-685-6361 or e-mail aid@extn.washington.edu.