Before UTEP can issue your I-20 or DS-2019, you must prove that you have the financial resources to attend UTEP for a full academic year and to afford living expenses for 12 months.(Note: Summer is attendance is optional unless you are beginning your program in the summer. If you will be attending UTEP in the summer, then you will need additional funds above the listed amounts to pay your tuition).
For degree seeking international students (F-1), the Offices of Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions will issue your I-20.
For exchange students and scholars (J-1), the Office of International Programs will issue your DS-2019.
In order to complete this step, you must complete the Confirmation of Financial Resources form with signatures as well as supporting financial documents no more than 6 months old. The chart below shows you how much it may cost to attend UTEP for one academic year.
If you are a Mexican national, then you should be aware that there is an in-state tuition waiver program at UTEP called PASE (Programa de Asistencia Estudiantil) for which you may qualify. If you apply for PASE and are approved, then your cost of attendance will be reduced. Also, if you have been offered a graduate assistantship, you will most likely be given in-state tuition, and so it is not necessary to complete the PASE form.
If a student has received an academic appointment (teaching or research assistantship) at the graduate level, it is safe to use the corresponding funding as a means of financial support, and such funding may be listed on this form. However, most types of student employment on campus cannot be guaranteed, and therefore cannot be utilized as a funding source for the purpose of this form.
If you are a married student and plan to bring your spouse and/or children on an F-2 or J-2 visa, an additional amount of funding must be available for your spouse and each child. (Note: your spouse may apply for work permission only if you hold a J-1 visa, but must be only for professional development reasons. Spouses of F-1 visa holders are not permitted to work under any circumstances). You are also required to provide copies of your marriage license for dependent spouses, copies of birth certificates for dependent children, and copies of the passport for each dependent.
Cost of Attendance Worksheet:
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Part-Time Border Commuter Students (does not apply to J visas, as they must enroll full time):
If you are a Mexican citizen, you have the option to attend school as a part time border commuter student with the F-3 visa. The following table indicates the estimated cost of attendance for part time students. Please see the following page for more information on Border Commuters.
Border Commuter Students (Part Time studies)
| Undergraduate | Graduate | |
| With PASE approval | $ 960 | $ 1,144 |
| Without PASE approval | $ 2,019 | $ 2,196 |
Documenting your income:
Financial statements or bank letters must show the name of the account holder, account number, type of currency, amount of account balance, and date of issue. Statements (except for statements written in Spanish) should be translated to English. Funding sources must be liquid (able to be immediately withdrawn / cashed). Types of acceptable funding sources include checking accounts, savings accounts and certificates of deposit that have reached their maturity or will reach maturity prior to the start of the students’ first semester. Property, life insurance, pension plans, stocks and bonds or any other non-liquid investments are not acceptable sources of funding. Any documents you submit will become property of UTEP and cannot be returned to you. You should prepare an original set of documents for your visa interview.
On campus employment:
If you have received an academic appointment (teaching, research or graduate assistantship) at the graduate level, you may use the corresponding funding as a means of financial support, and such funding may be listed on this form. However, most types of student employment on campus cannot be guaranteed, and therefore cannot be utilized as a funding source for the purpose of this form.
Dependents (spouse and children only):
If you are a married student and plan to bring your spouse and/or children on an F-2 or J-2 visa, an additional amount of funding must be available for your spouse and each child. You are also required to provide copies of your marriage license for dependent spouses, copies of birth certificates for dependent children, and copies of the passport for each dependent. Note: you are not required to demonstrate funding for support of US citizen dependents to OIP; however, your dependents should be prepared to demonstrate such funding at their visa interviews.
Spouses of F-1 visa holders are not permitted to work under any circumstances. They also may not study with the intent to obtain a degree. If they wish to study, they must apply for a change of status to F-1. J-1 dependents can study. However, they can only work with authorization from the Department of Homeland Security.
Border commuter students
This only applies to Mexican students. If you are admitted as a border commuter, you are required to live in Mexico and may not work until after accruing one academic year of status. Eligibility for curricular practical training is required. You may not bring dependents on the F-2 visa. At the US consulate / embassy, you will interview for the F-3 visa. If you are approved with part time funding and later decide to attend full time, you will have to submit new financial documents.
With the F-3 visa, you can study part time or full time. The length of the I-20 determines whether you must study full time or part time. Part time studies will result in the issuance of an I-20 with a length of one term and must be renewed before it expires. Full time studies will result in the issuance of an I-20 valid for the length of the entire program.
Once you have completed the “Confirmation of Financial Resources” form and have obtained the correct documentation, please send the documents to OIP in one of three ways:
1) Scan & e-mail documents to oip@utep.edu
2) Fax documents to (915) 747-5794
3) Mail documents to:
Office of International Programs
The University of Texas at El Paso
Union Bldg East Rm 203
500 W. University Ave.
El Paso, TX 79968-0619
USA
Your documents will be reviewed. If the appropriate documents were submitted and you demonstrated sufficient funding, you will be approved for the financial resources portion of your application to UTEP.
After you have completed this step along with all of your other admissions requirements, the appropriate office will issue you your I-20 or DS-2019.
If you are applying to UTEP from outside the U.S.:
- If you don’t already have a passport, apply for a passport from your home country.
- UTEP will notify you once you have completed all admission requirements, and you will then pay the SEVIS I-901 fee online at https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/. To pay online, you will need your passport, SEVIS ID# from your I-20 or DS-2019, a credit or debit card with an accepted logo, and a printer so that you may print a receipt of your payment.
- Make an appointment with the United States Embassy or Consulate most convenient for you. You will need to follow their guidelines as to what documents you need to prepare for your visa interview.
- Additional instructions for applying for your visa can be found on these websites at http://sa.utep.edu/oip/ and http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/.
If you are transferring to UTEP from another U.S. University or College:
- Let your current school know that you are planning to transfer. Complete their required transfer out forms and select a SEVIS record release date.
- Complete a “Transfer to UTEP” form (located at http://sa.utep.edu/oip/forms/) and have your international student advisor at your current school fax the form to UTEP Office of International Programs at 915-747-5794.
- Provide copies of your current I-20 or DS-2019, passport, and visa to UTEP Office of International Programs.
Situations that require you to fill out another form and submit new documentation:
- You deferred / postponed your attendance to UTEP and you will begin your studies in a different academic year than the year in which you originally applied. The academic year at UTEP runs from fall to spring to summer semesters. For example, Fall 2012, Spring 2013 and Summer 2013 are part of the same academic year.
- You changed education level
- You are absent from UTEP for more than one academic year
- You were granted an F-3 visa and want to apply for an F-1 visa
- You would like the funding which appears on your I-20/DS-210 to be updated
- Other special circumstances
A new I-20 or DS-2019 will not be issued to you until you have met the financial requirements again.
Click here to download the Confirmation of Financial Resources Form
and click here for the Spanish version Confirmation of Financial Resources Form (Spanish)
Office of International Programs
203 Union East Bldg * (915) 747-5664 * oip@utep.edu * Hours: Monday-Tuesday 8-6 Wednesday-Friday 8-5