Select from the options below for detailed application instructions:
- You are an Initial F-1 Visa Student if you currently reside outside of the United States and require an F-1 student visa to enter the country.
- You are a Transfer F-1 Visa Student if you already have an F-1 visa and you are currently studying at another school in the United States with an active I-20.
- If you have a different visa type, please select the Other Visa Types, Green Card Holders, US Citizens option.
You must be at least 18 years old on your first day of class to study at ALPS.
Please don’t hesitate to contact our admissions staff with any questions!
Our dedicated staff will quickly respond to your questions with individualized advice and information.
You are an initial F-1 visa student if you currently reside outside of the United States and require an F-1 student visa to enter the country.
- Complete the ALPS application form
- Submit the non-refundable F-1 student application fee
- Submit a copy of your passport photo page
- If you have any F-2 dependents, please also submit copies of their passport photo pages.
- Submit a financial document / bank statement
- Your financial document / bank statement can be sent to ALPS via email.
- This must be an official letter from the bank, on paper which has the name of the bank printed on it, signed by a bank official, showing that there is enough money available for your tuition and living expenses. Or, it can be a bank statement from a bank in the US.
- Your financial document must show a balance of at least $2775 USD (or its equivalent in foreign currency) per 4-week session that you plan to study. For example, if you plan to study for 12 weeks, you must show a balance of at least $8325.
- The financial document can be for your personal bank account or your family / sponsor’s account.
- The date on your financial document should be less than 6 months old.
- You should save the original copy of the financial document for your F-1 student visa appointment.
- If you have any F-2 dependents, your financial document must show an additional $500 per F-2 dependent per 4-week session that you plan to study.
- Submit a Financial Responsibility Statement (for students with sponsors only)
- If the account holder on your financial document has a different last name than you, please have the account holder fill out and sign a Financial Responsibility Statement. It is not necessary to complete this form if you and your sponsor have the same last name.
You are a transfer F-1 student if you already have an F-1 visa and you are currently studying at another school in the United States with an active I-20.
- Complete the ALPS application form
- Submit the non-refundable F-1 student application fee
- Submit copies of your passport photo page, F-1 visa, and most recent I-94 via email
- If you have any F-2 dependents, please also submit copies of their passport photo pages, F-2 visas, and most recent I-94s.
- Submit a financial document / bank statement
- Your financial document / bank statement can be sent to ALPS via email.
- This must be an official letter from the bank, on paper which has the name of the bank printed on it, signed by a bank official, showing that there is enough money available for your tuition and living expenses. Or, it can be a bank statement from a bank in the US.
- Your financial document must show a balance of at least $2775 USD (or its equivalent in foreign currency) per 4-week session that you plan to study. For example, if you plan to study for 12 weeks, you must show a balance of at least $8325.
- The financial document can be for your personal bank account or your family / sponsor’s account.
- The date on your financial document should be less than 6 months old.
- If you have any F-2 dependents, your financial document must show an additional $500 per F-2 dependent per 4-week session that you plan to study.
- Submit a Financial Responsibility Statement (for students with sponsors only)
- If the account holder on your financial document has a different last name than you, please have the account holder fill out and sign a Financial Responsibility Statement. It is not necessary to complete this form if you and your sponsor have the same last name.
- F-2 visa students: please follow the Other Visa Types application instructions. In addition, please submit your Financial Guarantee Letter for Admissions Purposes.
- F-1 visa students outside the United States: please follow the Initial F-1 Visa Students instructions. For your financial document / bank statement, please submit your Financial Guarantee Letter for Admissions Purposes.
- F-1 visa transfer students: please follow the Transfer F-1 Students application instructions. For your financial document / bank statement, please submit your Financial Guarantee Letter for Admissions Purposes.
Follow these instructions if you do not have an F-1 student visa.
- Complete the ALPS application form
- Submit the non-refundable “Other Visa Types” student application fee
- If you have a B visa, an F-2 visa, or an ESTA, you can study for a maximum of 17 periods of class per week. Any of our part-time courses and combos are suitable for students with these visa types.
- Students with most other visa types, green card holders, and US citizens can study for as many hours as they want. Check here to see if your visa type can study, or contact us if you have questions about studying with your visa type.
If you want to change your visa status from a different visa type to F-1, you have two options:
- Return to your home country and apply for an F-1 visa at your local US embassy or consulate.
- If you decide to take this option, you should apply to ALPS as an Initial F-1 Visa Student, receive your SEVIS Form I-20 and acceptance materials from us, and then return to your home country to apply for an F-1 visa at the US embassy or consulate there.
- Apply for change of status without leaving the US.
- If you are interested in an in-country change of status (changing your visa type without leaving the United States), ALPS is able to issue a Form I-20 for a change of status application, and we are happy to do this. However, we are not experts in immigration law, so we are not able to give advice about completing the I-539 form or assist you with the rest of your application for change of status. We strongly recommend that you consult an immigration attorney to help you with this process.
- If you decide to take this option, you should follow the instructions above to apply to ALPS as an Initial F-1 Visa Student, receive your SEVIS Form I-20 and acceptance materials from us, and then submit an I-539 application package to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). We strongly recommend that you have an immigration lawyer help you with this application.
Note: Deferring your I-20 Program Start Date (for in-country change of status only)
If your I-539 application has not been approved within 5 days of your I-20 Program Start Date, ALPS will defer your I-20 Program Start Date to our next available start date (4 weeks later). Our application fee covers a maximum of 3 deferrals (3 sessions) on any one I-20. If you wish to defer your I-20 a fourth time, you will be required to pay an additional administrative fee of $100. Each administrative fee covers three deferrals.
You can waive this fee if you register for at least part-time classes at ALPS as you wait for your F-1 visa status to be approved.
If you are in the USA and your I-20 is terminated or completed, you are out of status.
ALPS works with out-of-status students on a case-by-case basis. Contact us to schedule a meeting to discuss your options.