Visa & documents
The F-1 interview: prepare properly, tell the truth, bring the documents
This part of the process belongs to the US government, not to A-State. Here is what you must do yourself, what consular officers are really assessing, and how to prepare honestly — no scripts, and no one who can promise you an outcome.
Before the interview
Four things you must complete before the interview
The order matters: you cannot pay the SEVIS fee without an I-20, and your DS-160 is incomplete without your SEVIS number.
- 1
First
Receive and sign your I-20
The university issues the I-20 once your passport copy and financial documents are in. Check your name, date of birth, program, program start date and SEVIS number (it begins with N). A single error means a reissued form — tell the admissions office rather than correcting anything yourself.
- 2
Once you have the I-20
Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee
Pay online at fmjfee.com using the exact SEVIS number printed on your I-20. The amount is whatever the US government currently charges — read it on fmjfee.com itself rather than trusting a figure quoted on a forum. Print the receipt and take it to the interview.
- 3
The application
Complete the DS-160
The DS-160 is the nonimmigrant visa application, filed online at ceac.state.gov. Enter everything exactly as it appears on your passport and I-20, upload a compliant photo, save your application ID and print the confirmation page with the barcode. What you write here is the basis for the questions you will be asked — an inaccurate or incomplete answer here is far more damaging than a clumsy spoken one.
- 4
Booking
Pay the visa fee and book your appointment
After the DS-160 you pay the visa fee and book through the appointment system used by the US embassy or consulate in your country. Fees and appointment availability change over time — check the official page directly. Book as early as you can once your I-20 is issued.
Official sites
Where each step happens
| Step | Official site | What you need in hand |
|---|---|---|
| SEVIS I-901 fee | fmjfee.com | The SEVIS number from your I-20, passport, an international payment card |
| DS-160 application | ceac.state.gov/genniv | Passport, I-20, a compliant photo, your education and work history |
| Visa fee and appointment | The appointment site of the US embassy or consulate in your country | DS-160 confirmation number, passport |
| Student visa rules | travel.state.gov | Nothing — read this before you start |
This table deliberately carries no amounts and no waiting times. The SEVIS fee, the visa fee and appointment availability are set by the US government and change; the only reliable figure is the one shown on the official page on the day you act.
Source: travel.state.gov — Student Visa · ceac.state.gov — DS-160 · fmjfee.com — SEVIS I-901 · ice.gov — SEVP/SEVIS · Updated Aug 22, 2026
What to take to the interview
- Your passport, valid as required (check the current requirement on the official page)
- The original signed I-20 and your A-State admission letter
- The DS-160 confirmation page with the barcode, and your appointment letter
- The SEVIS I-901 payment receipt
- Transcripts, diplomas and English test results if you have them
- Financial documents: bank statements or balance letters, sponsor income documents, and proof of your relationship to the sponsor
- Photographs meeting the published specification
The officer may look at few of these, or none. Take them all anyway — if you are asked for something you left at home, there is no way to produce it in the moment.
Three questions
What the officer is actually assessing
Interviews are usually short. In those few minutes the officer is looking for answers to three questions, and every smaller question serves one of them.
Are you a genuine student
That you know what you will study and where, why you chose that program, how long it lasts, and that your English is good enough to follow it. Someone who genuinely chose their own program can answer this without rehearsing.
Can you fund the study
That you know roughly what a year costs, who is paying, where the money comes from, and that your documents match what you say. The figure on your I-20 and the figure you give out loud should not disagree.
Do you have reasons to return home
US law presumes that an applicant for a nonimmigrant visa intends to immigrate, and it is the applicant who has to show otherwise. Family, a career plan at home, and economic and social ties are all things you should be able to describe naturally.
In the room
How to answer: honestly, briefly, on the point
Tell the truth, even when it is not flattering
Modest grades, an earlier refusal, a family that sold property to fund your studies — all of these can be said plainly. Misrepresentation on a DS-160 or in the interview is a serious matter that follows you for a long time. An imperfect record does not.
Answer the question, then stop
Two or three sentences is usually enough. Long or circling answers make the officer work to find the thing they actually asked about.
Do not memorise a script
Officers interview hundreds of applicants a week and recognise a recited answer immediately. Understand your own case well enough to answer any phrasing, instead of remembering one.
If you do not know, say so
If you are asked about a detail you have not memorised, saying you are not certain is better than guessing. A wrong financial figure causes far more trouble than admitting you would need to check.
Outcomes
After the interview: three outcomes
Approved
The officer keeps your passport to place the visa foil and tells you how it will be returned. Check your name, date of birth, visa class and expiry as soon as you get it back, and report any error promptly. Remember that a visa lets you travel to a US port of entry and ask to be admitted — it is not admission itself.
Administrative processing
Your case has not been refused, but it needs more time or more information before a decision. This is an internal US government process; the duration is not published in advance and it cannot be expedited by you or by us. Follow whatever instructions you are given and keep the university informed in case your start date has to move.
Refused under section 214(b)
This is the most common refusal for student visas: the officer was not persuaded that you qualify for a nonimmigrant category — usually on ties to your home country or on funding. It is not a permanent ban, and there is no blacklist.
214(b)
After a 214(b) refusal: what can genuinely change
You may apply again. But reapplying with the same case and the same answers usually produces the same result. These are real changes, not tricks:
- Your funding has genuinely changed: a clearer source of money, complete documents, a sponsor whose income can actually be evidenced.
- Your study plan is sharper: you can say why this field, why this university, and what work it leads to when you go home.
- Your circumstances have changed: you graduated, you have an English test result, you have a job or a new tie at home.
- You understand your own case better than last time — not more sentences memorised, but better understood.
- If none of the four above has changed, talk to the admissions office before you book again; deferring your intake and preparing properly is sometimes the better move.
Source: travel.state.gov — Student Visa · studyinthestates.dhs.gov · Updated Aug 22, 2026
F-1 interview FAQ
How much are the SEVIS and visa fees?
We do not print the numbers here because they are set by the US government and can change at any time. Check fmjfee.com for the current SEVIS I-901 fee, and the site of the US embassy or consulate in your country for the visa fee. The admissions office will also confirm them with you when you reach that step.
How long does it take to get an interview appointment?
Appointment availability varies by location and by time of year, so we do not quote a figure. Check the appointment system directly and book as early as you can once you have your I-20 and SEVIS receipt.
What language is the interview in?
Usually English for F-1 applicants, since part of what the officer wants to see is that you can study in English. Speak slowly and clearly; nobody is marking your accent.
Should I hire an agency to "handle" my visa?
No. No agency can influence a consular decision, and a case assembled by someone else on your behalf is a serious risk — you are the one who has to answer for every detail in it. File your own DS-160, with guidance from the admissions office.
If I am refused, do I lose my place at A-State?
Your admission and I-20 can usually be moved to a later intake. Tell the admissions office as soon as you have a result so the university can adjust your I-20 and program start date.
Does a visa guarantee I can enter the US?
No. A visa allows you to travel to a US port of entry and request admission; a US Customs and Border Protection officer at the airport makes the admission decision. See our arrival page for what to hand-carry.
Related
Read next
What the F-1 visa is
The student visa category in full: who qualifies, what it allows, what it does not.
→The I-20 and proof of funds
The document the university issues so you can apply — and how to read every field on it.
→Arrival and entry
From visa in hand to check-in with the international office in Jonesboro.
→Maintaining F-1 status
What you have to keep right for the whole of your programme.
→Enrollment timeline
Ten steps from choosing a major to orientation week.
→Ask the admissions office
Something specific to your case? Send us the details.
→Ready to study in the USA at A-State?
Book a free 1-on-1 session with our admissions team — pathway, scholarships, documents and visa in one meeting.