Middlebury Institute I-20 Application Instructions

Middlebury Institute I-20 Application Instructions 

To enter the United States in a status that allows study, non-U.S. citizens and non-Legal Permanent Residents of the United States must obtain a Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant [F-1] Student Status) issued by Middlebury from the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). For Middlebury to issue your I-20 document, you must complete the I-20 Application.  These are instructions for completing the I-20 Application; the application itself is on the main New and Returning Students Forms and Resources page.

Once you begin the I-20 application, you must complete it. You cannot save it and come back. Therefore, make sure you have the following documents ready before starting the I-20 Application Form. 

Note: If you will be attending a summer language school at Middlebury before starting your academic year program, you will need to follow the instructions found on the Middlebury Summer Programs I-20 Application Instructions page.  

Passport identification page  

This should clearly show the biographical page of your passport including your name, photo, date of birth, passport number, and passport expiration date. 

Financial Documentation:  

U.S. immigration law requires official certification that you have the necessary financial resources to pay for your tuition and living expenses for your first academic year (9 months) in the U.S.  

Cost Overview 

To help you determine what financial documentation you need to provide, here is a chart to show the breakdown of the costs.  

Note: there are two charts.  If you are in the Advanced Entry Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies or Advanced Entry Environmental and Policy Management program, you will need to refer to the second cost chart.

Middlebury Institute bases its estimated total cost of attendance for the 2025-2026 Academic Year on the following calculation:  

Academic year 2025-2026 Cost chart for Advanced Entry Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program and Advanced Entry Environmental and Policy Management programs only:

You are expected to maintain health insurance for the duration of your program. Your health insurance must cover you while you are in the U.S.A. For health insurance resources,  visit the Middlebury Institute Health and Wellness website.  Health insurance is estimated at USD 2,000 per year. 

Financial Documentation Details 

You will need to provide financial documentation as a part of your I-20 application. The following outlines the different types of financial documentation you might provide to cover the total estimated costs listed above.   

All students will need to provide financial documentation to ISSS.  If you receive financial aid or a scholarship that covers full tuition and room and board, you will still be responsible for uploading proof of your financial aid or scholarship and showing additional financial documentation to cover books/supplies and personal expenses (use the chart above to calculate this number). 

Financial Documentation Calculation Chart  

Use this chart to help you determine the amount of financial documentation you will need to show proof for the I-20 application: 

Proof of Financial Aid (if applicable) 

If you have received financial aid or scholarships from Middlebury or from another organization to contribute towards paying the cost of attending your program, you must upload confirmation of this funding as part of your required financial documentation.  

Financial aid, scholarship, or other funding documents must include your full name and must be for the academic period in which you intend to enroll.  

Acceptable forms of this proof include: 

• A screenshot of your Middlebury financial aid award from your Net Partner account
• Your financial aid award offer, as indicated in your Admissions Letter or as found on your admissions portal
• A signed letter on official letterhead from the organization that is providing the financial aid or scholarship. The letter must include your name and the amount of funding that is being provided. 

Note: Please do not submit an I-20 application if you are still waiting on the results of a scholarship that you will need to help fund your studies at the Middlebury Institute.  Reach out to ISSS at isss@middlebury.edu if you have concerns about how this may impact the timing of receiving an I-20 document from our office.

Bank Statement or Letter 

This is personal financial documentation to cover all costs of the program not covered by financial aid/scholarship/grants/government funding.  If you are not receiving financial aid, the bank statement or letter must cover all costs of your program.  The person whose name is on the bank statement or letter must also submit a Financial Sponsorship Letter (see below). 

The bank statement or letter must: 

• Be dated on or after March 1 for those admitted for Fall entry or after July 1 for those admitted for spring entry
• Include the account holder’s name
• Indicate the type of account. Funds need to be immediately available, such as in a checking or savings account. Investments or restricted assets cannot be used to show financial support. (Certificates of Deposit need to mature and be available on or before the program start date.)
• Indicate the balance in the account(s)
• Indicate the currency of funds, preferably in U.S. dollars (US $)
• Be stamped with the bank seal, if available
• Be written in English or have an official word-for-word English translation attached 

Loans 

If your financial documentation is in the form of a loan, you must show documentation that it meets the following conditions: 

• The loan must be fully approved. The loan cannot have outstanding conditions for approval to be authorized.
• The loan period must cover at least the first academic year of your program (for example, academic year 2425).
• The loan amount must cover the cost of attendance minus any other financial support (scholarships, etc.). 

Signed Financial Sponsor Letter 

The account holder (i.e. the person/people in whose name the bank funds are held) must submit a letter that: 

• Declares that they, as your financial sponsor, intend to cover the program costs with the funds shown in the bank letter;
• Refers to the relationship between the sponsor and you (parent, relative, spouse, friend, self, etc.);
• Includes the full name of the student
• Includes a statement that the individual is willing to sponsor the student for a specified amount for the duration of the program
• Includes the date and the account holder’s name and original signature; and
• Is written in English, or has an English translation attached. 

If you are providing your own funds for your program, you must submit a letter using your self as the financial sponsor (a self-sponsor letter).

Note: You do not need to submit a financial sponsor letter associated with official financial aid awards/scholarships/grants/government funding or for loans that you are receiving, only in connection with personal banking financial documentation. 

Keep copies of all financial aid and related documents submitted to Middlebury Institute with this application. The U.S. Consulate may ask you to present this documentation when you apply for your visa and, in some cases, you may be asked to show them to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security when you enter the U.S. 

Sample Financial Sponsor Letter

After you submit the I-20 Application 

ISSS will work as promptly as we can to issue the I-20. We will not be able to honor requests to expedite, given our high-volume workload at this time of year. It is important that you submit your complete I-20 application as early as possible.   

Once the I-20 has been issued, ISSS will send your I-20 to your @middlebury.edu email address.  This email will include information on how to pay your I-901 SEVIS fee and how to schedule a visa appointment at a U.S. embassy or consulate. 

Prior to receiving the I-20, we recommend that you check the website of the nearest U.S. embassy/consulate to learn more about the visa application process, including the process for making an appointment. For visa application guidance and wait times for obtaining a nonimmigrant student visa in your country, visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html  

Upon receiving your Form I-20 from Middlebury Institute, you should apply for a visa as soon as possible*. Applying for a visa can take one month or more, depending on the country. Additionally, if you are subject to administrative processing, the process could be delayed several weeks**.  

*You may enter the United States in F-1 visa status no more than 30 days before your program start date, regardless of when you receive the I-20 or F-1 visa. Plan your travel accordingly. 

**If you are unable to obtain a visa in time to arrive in Monterey by your intended start date, alert ISSS and your Enrollment Advisor as soon as possible so that we can advise you on available options that you can consider.

Questions: 

If you have any questions about this process, please contact International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at isss@middlebury.edu