Before International Student Services (ISS) can issue the Form I-20 (F-1 students) or Form DS-2019 (J-1 students) that is needed to apply for the appropriate student visa to enter the U.S. (or to transfer your SEVIS record from another U.S. school), you must provide documentation that shows you have the required financial resources for your program.
At a minimum, you must be able to show proof of funds that cover the total estimated cost of attendance for the first year of study at LSU. Your source(s) of financial support should be dependable for the duration of your program. The estimated cost depends on your program:
Please be aware that LSU Online degree programs do not allow for F-1 or J-1 sponsorship. This means that ISS cannot issue Forms I-20/DS-2019 for students admitted to an LSU Online program.
Acceptable proof of funding
When gathering your financial documentation, please keep the following in mind.
- Bank statements, preferably in the form of a one-page letter from your financial institution, must meet the following criteria:
- Must be legible and translated into English.
- Must be less than six (6) months old.
- Must display both the name of the financial institution and the name of the account holder.
- Must display the available balance and the type of currency for the account.
- Please do not include the transaction history for the account.
- If the bank statement is not in your name, you must also include a signed Letter of Permission (see sample attached).
- Loan certificates or letters must include your name and the amount of the loan approval.
- Please note that we cannot accept loan applications.
- Award and support letters from employers and institutions (including LSU funding letters) must be on official business letterhead, be signed by the person/entity making the award, and include the amount and duration of the financial support.
- The total combined value of all provided financial support documents must cover your total estimated cost of attendance for your program. If the available sponsored funds do not completely cover your costs, you will be required to show proof of additional financial support to receive an LSU I-20 or DS-2019.
We Cannot Accept the Following:
- Income/salary statements
- Tax returns or tax documents
- Charted accountant statements
- Funds and assets that are not in a liquid form or are not immediately available
- Cryptocurrency
- Insurance policy statements
- Lines of credit
- Bank statements from business accounts without an accompanying letter of support from the business owner on business letterhead
- Property assessments
How to Submit Proof of Funding
Once you have been officially and unconditionally admitted for the current Intake cycle, ISS will email you with instructions on how to complete and submit an Initial I-20/DS-2019 Request to ISS.