Financial Planning for Application

If you are planning on coming to BYU-Idaho as an F-1 international student, you must obtain an I-20 from the International Services office in order to be eligible to apply for a student visa and legally enter the U.S. to study. You will apply for an I-20 as part of the admissions process – that means you can only be admitted as an on-campus student if International Services determines that you are eligible for an I-20.
Financial preparation is essential to your efforts to plan to come to campus. As part of the I-20 application, U.S. immigration law requires you to provide documentary evidence of financial support. This evidence must show that you have enough funds for the entire duration of your university experience. International Services reports to immigration the average annual cost of attendance for international students. This amount is currently $22,250 for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and $27,000 for non-members. This means that if you are planning to attend school for 4 years as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you will need to provide proof of funds for $22,250 per year for 4 years ($89,000 in total). This proof can come from you or a sponsor. Please keep in mind that if you come to campus and you or your sponsor do not have enough funds to cover your expenses, you will be asked to return home and complete your degree online.
The table below is a rough breakdown of the cost of attendance you will see in the Education Financial Plan you will see in the I-20 application. Please note that dependents needing an F-2 visa will require an additional $9000 per year of funding support for 1st dependent, $4500 for any additional.
Type of Expenses | Member | Non-Member |
---|---|---|
Tuition and Fees | $4,800 | $8,600 |
Health Insurance | $1,608 | $1,608 |
Personal Living Expenses | $9,066 | $9,066 |
Housing/food | $7,812 | $7,812 |
Books | $572 | $572 |
Additional Expenses | Member | Non-Member |
---|---|---|
IERF evaluation | ($180-$200) | ($180-$200) |
English proficiency test fees | ($150-$250) | ($150-$250) |
Immigration fees | SEVIS fee $220-$350 | SEVIS fee $220-$350 |
Foreign deposit | $4000 members | $6000 non-members |
Visa application | $160 | $160 |