{"id":1659,"date":"2025-10-31T12:08:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T16:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/?page_id=1659"},"modified":"2026-07-27T12:30:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T16:30:31","slug":"student-visa-classifications","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/international-students\/student-visa-classifications\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Student Visa Information"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are several types of student visas and the ISSO will determine which is the best one for you to study at BU, based on your circumstances. <span>To be considered a student, you must be enrolled part-time or full-time in a degree or non-degree program and your primary activity at BU is to study.<\/span><\/p>\n<nav class=\"toc-wrapper\" id=\"toc\" aria-label=\"Page Section Navigation\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"toc-heading toc-nav-toggle\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Toggle Page Contents Navigation\" aria-expanded=\"true\">Page Contents<\/span><\/nav>\n<h2>Student Visa Overview<\/h2>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">F-1 Student classification<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p><span>Most international students at BU are in this classification, as it is designed to facilitate study toward a specific educational objective.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Eligibility<\/h3>\n<p>To be eligible for F-1 status, you must be admitted to or enrolled in a full-time degree or non-degree program, and demonstrate sufficient financial support for your program of study.<\/p>\n<h3>Length of Permitted Stay<\/h3>\n<p>As a student in F-1 status, you are admitted to the U.S. for \u201cD\/S\u201d (duration of status)\u2014this allows you to stay until the program end date reflected on your I-20, as long as you maintain full-time registration, legal status, and a <a href=\"\/isso\/resources\/sevis\/\">SEVIS record<\/a> in good standing. If you finish your program early, your I-20 will be adjusted to reflect your official graduation date. At the end of your program of study, F-1 status permits a 60-day grace period for you to prepare for departure from the U.S.<\/p>\n<h3>Considerations<\/h3>\n<p>Limited work permission is available for\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/on-campus-employment\/\">on-campus<\/a>\u00a0employment and certain\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/off-campus-student-employment-training\/\">off-campus placements<\/a>\u00a0related to your major field of study. Qualifying\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/resources\/family-matters\/\">family members<\/a>\u00a0may be eligible for F-2 dependent status.<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">J-1 Student classification<\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The J-1 student category is an alternate immigration option for students who receive qualifying financial sponsorship or who are participating in a formal university exchange program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Eligibility<\/h3>\n<p>To be eligible for J-1 student status, you must be admitted to or enrolled in a full-time degree or non-degree program. You may qualify if you are financially sponsored by your home government, if you receive substantial funding from scholarships or a private sponsor, or if you are at BU as part of a formal exchange program.<\/p>\n<h3>Length of Permitted Stay<\/h3>\n<p>As a student in J-1 status, you are admitted to the U.S. for \u201cD\/S\u201d (duration of status)\u2014this allows you to stay until the end date reflected on your DS-2019, as long as you maintain\u00a0full-time registration,\u00a0legal status, and maintain a\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/resources\/sevis\/\">SEVIS record<\/a> in good standing. If you finish your program early, your DS-2019 will be adjusted. At the end of your program, J-1 status permits a 30-day\u00a0grace period\u00a0for you to prepare for departure from the U.S.<\/p>\n<h3>Considerations<\/h3>\n<p>Limited work permission is available for\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/on-campus-employment\/\">on-campus\u00a0<\/a>employment and\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/off-campus-student-employment-training\/\">off-campus placements<\/a>\u00a0related to your major field of study. Qualifying\u00a0<a href=\"\/isso\/resources\/family-matters\/\">family members<\/a>\u00a0may be eligible for J-2 dependent status.<\/p>\n<p>The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program is intended for educational, scientific, and cultural exchange. As a J-1 student, you will be expected to return to your home country following your exchange program. In some cases, you may be subject to a <a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/maintaining-immigration-status\/#j-1-bars-and-restrictions\">two-year home residence requirement<\/a>. In addition, you may be temporarily barred from returning to the U.S. as a J-1 research scholar or J-1 professor.<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h3 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Other Student Classifications<\/span><span><\/h3><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>If you are currently in the U.S. in another immigration classification, you may be eligible to enroll in either full-time or part-time coursework at BU, provided you continue to maintain your legal status. Please note that some immigration classifications, including F-2, B-1\/B-2, and WB\/WT prohibit full-time study or enrollment in a degree program.<\/p>\n<h3>Length of Permitted Stay<\/h3>\n<p>Your length of status in the U.S. will depend on your specific immigration classification. Certain statuses are granted for \u201cD\/S,\u201d allowing the person to remain for \u201cduration of status.\u201d Alternatively, you may have been admitted until a specific date. Please refer to your most recent I-94 arrival record along with your other immigration documents.<\/p>\n<h3>Considerations<\/h3>\n<p>While many immigration categories allow study, keep in mind that you must have U.S. employment authorization if you are granted a work-based financial award, such as a teaching fellowship or research assistantship. U.S. employment varies by immigration category.<\/p>\n<p>If your current immigration status is coming to an end, if your status does not permit full-time\/degree study, or if you will receive a financial award and require U.S. employment authorization, you may need to consider changing to F-1 or J-1 student status. The ISSO can help you evaluate whether your current status is appropriate to your academic goals and financial awards, and can offer immigration assistance as needed.<\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<h2>Apply for Student Visa<\/h2>\n<p>Learn about how to apply for your F-1 or J-1 visa<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/isso\/international-students\/student-visa-classifications\/applying-for-a-visa\/\" class=\"button-primary\">More Information<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Entering the U.S.<\/h2>\n<p><span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Learn about traveling to the U.S. and entering at the Port of Entry<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/isso\/resources\/entering-the-u-s\/\" class=\"button-primary\">More Information<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are several types of student visas and the ISSO will determine which is the best one for you to study at BU, based on your circumstances. To be considered a student, you must be enrolled part-time or full-time in a degree or non-degree program and your primary activity at BU is to study. Student [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10133,"featured_media":0,"parent":1537,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1659"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1659"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4147,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1659\/revisions\/4147"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}