Studying in the US

To study at an American college, university, or high school, you need the F-1 student visa. Also, you have to prove that you have the financial means to pay the tuition, which is quite high for foreigners most of the time, without being forced to work illegally. The tuition (for foreigner) is between $8,000 and $15,000 a year, depending on the university, costs of living between $7,000 and $9,000 a year.

Before applying to a university, you should usually take the TOEFL test (Test of English as a Foreign Language), and depending on the college also the SAT test (test on general knowledge, combined with a test on English grammar, mathematics and logical thinking).

You can get information about the test dates in Germany from the America Houses or our cooperation partner Council e.V. under 0190-572727 (1.21/Min).

In case the university is willing to take you in, it has to issue you a form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Non-Immigrant F-1 Student Status). This form will also state what costs you will roughly have to pay for your first year. You will then have to prove to the consulate in your home country that you have that kind of money. For that, you need letters from your bank, tax assessment notes or similar proof of your financial independence. In case you don't have the money yourself, immediate relatives can sign an Affidavit of Support and then have to prove that they have the financial means by providing bank statements etc. Friends can also sign an Affidavit of Support, but quite often the immigration officers won't accept this. If everything turns out to be okay, the consulate will issue you the F-1 Student Visa.

Working while you are studying

Despite the fact that you have to prove that you don't need to work while you are in the US, there are options for those who would like to earn some extra money or just gain work experience in the US.

As an F-1 student, you can work on campus for 20 hours a week, during semester break you may even work full time. Typical on-campus jobs are working in the cafeteria, in the library, in a university store or as a tutor, or you can do an authorized internship.

If you participate in the so-called Work Study Program, you will be allowed to work in jobs related to your field of study 9 months after you start at university, but you need INS authorization.

You may work off campus in a job related to your field of study anyway, for a maximum of 20 hours a week (to be proved by your course advisor via form I-538), however, in this case the time you spend on that job will later be deducted from the time you usually have for your internship after graduation. That means, if you work 20 hours a week for 4 months, 2 months of full-time work will be taken off your internship.

In the case of economic emergencies, you may get a special permit allowing you to work 20 hours a week in any job. However, you must be in that situation through no fault of your own, e.g. by suddenly losing your scholarship, high medical bills, high inflation of your home currency etc. Furthermore, you must have been studying for one year at least and your grades must be good. The time you are working with this special permit will not be taken off your internship.

By the way - these regulations do not apply if you are studying in the US on a green card. The tuition as well will be significantly cheaper then (at least starting with your second year in the US), only the fees US citizens are paying, which are usually no higher than between $1,000 and $2,000 per semester. Also, you may work wherever and as much as you want and earn money. You can find a good overview over the colleges in the ‘Complete Book of Colleges' that analyses more than 1,000 colleges according to a number of criteria and gives you some tips for your application. You can also order this book from us.

Internship for graduates

After graduating from college or obtaining a higher university degree, a student may apply for an internship that is related to his field of study. Usually, the Foreign Student Advisor, who has already been responsible for you the entire time you were studying at the university, will handle this. You will not need a new visa for this, your F-1 Visa will simply be extended.

However, the entire thing is subject to strict regulations: The internship or job must be done 14 months after graduation at the latest and may be no longer than 12 months in total.

It may be possible to apply for the H-1 Visa during the internship, however, this may be very complicated and you should ask a lawyer for help.

A useful guidebook for finding an internship is ‘The Internship Bible,' published by Princeton Review, that you can also order via our company.