Middlebury College DS-2019 Application Instructions

Middlebury College DS-2019 Application Instructions 

Exchange students and Assistants in Language (Teaching Assistants or TAs), who are non-U.S. citizens/non-U.S. permanent residents, must apply for a J-1 visa (non-degree student category) prior to entering the U.S. (Note: Citizens of Canada and Bermuda need a DS-2019 form issued by Middlebury, but not a visa). For Middlebury to issue your DS-2019 document, you must complete the DS-2019 Application.  These are instructions for completing the DS-2019 Application; the application itself is on the main New and Returning Students Forms and Resources page.

Once you begin the DS-2019 application, you must complete it. You cannot save it and come back. Therefore, it is important to read this page carefully and gather the below-listed documents to upload before starting the application form. 

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. We do not need you to provide the page with your signature.

English Language Proficiency (ELP) Documentation

Exchange Visitor sponsors, including Middlebury, are required to verify English language proficiency before they can issue DS-2019s. 

TAs: If you do not have an English Language Test score, the interview you had with your Middlebury language department may be able to serve as the evidence we need for the ELP requirement.  Mark that you cannot provide any ELP documentation and will need an oral interview when you get to the ELP section of the DS-2019 application. 

Exchange students: You may have submitted a TOEFL or IELTS or other English Language test score with your Middlebury College application. You can provide a copy of that same document with the DS-2019 Application.  For more information on why we must have this, please visit  the J-1 Students ELP section.

Financial Documentation  

TAs: Please upload a copy of your signed contract for financial documentation.  This is the only document you will need to provide as financial evidence.

Exchange Students: U.S. immigration law requires official certification that you have the necessary financial resources to pay for your tuition, room, board, books, travel, health insurance, and personal expenses expenses for the entirety of your exchange program in the U.S. 

You will need to gather all the documentation listed below before you can complete and submit your DS-2019 application.  These documents must be uploaded with the DS-2019 application.

1. Financial Memo from Middlebury College

Middlebury International Programs and Off-Campus Study (IPOCS) sent you an email that included a copy of a Financial Memo from Middlebury College that outlines the exchange agreement between your home institution and Middlebury. It also states the estimated amount of funds you need to demonstrate for your Middlebury exchange program. The required financial documents must show no less than the amount listed in your financial memo, as proof of your available funds.

2. Bank Letter 

Provide a signed bank letter or bank account statement from all financial sponsors. If more than one person will provide funds for you, submit both a bank letter/statement and financial sponsor letter for each person/sponsor. The letter or statement must:

• Be written in English or have a certified word-for-word English translation attached
• Be dated no more than 6 months prior to the start of your program
• Be printed on official bank/financial institution letterhead with contact information of the bank
• 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
• All bank letters submitted must show available funds that equal or exceed the total amount of funding you must provide, as listed on your Middlebury Financial Memo

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 your full name
• 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
• 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 yourself as the financial sponsor (a self-sponsor letter). A sample financial letter is provided via the link below.

Note: You do not need to submit a financial sponsor letter associated with official financial aid awards/scholarships or for loans that you are receiving to pay for the program, it is only needed in connection with personal banking financial documentation. However if you are receiving funding from a third party such as loans or grants, we do need the award letter or confirmation letter that you are getting the funds and it must be in English or translated to English and have your name on it and how much funding you are getting from them.

Keep copies of all financial aid and related documents submitted to Middlebury 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

Health Insurance

In addition to obtaining a J-1 visa, you are required to have health insurance during your entire stay in the U.S. while in J-1 Exchange Visitor visa status.

The insurance plan must meet the following U.S. Department of State’s requirements (as of May 15, 2015):

• Medical benefits of at least US$100,000 per accident or illness.
• Repatriation of remains in case of death in the amount of US $25,000.
• Medical evacuation of the Exchange Visitor to their home country in the amount of US $50,000; and
• A deductible not to exceed US$500 per accident or illness; and a co-payment not to exceed 25% of covered medical expenses per accident or illness.

To learn more, please review the insurance section located on the U.S. Department of State’s website at
http://j1visa.state.gov/participants/how-to-apply/eligibility-and-fees/.

Middlebury College offers a wide range of health services through Parton Center for Health and Wellness, many of which are included in the cost of a student’s participation in the exchange program (which is separate from the health insurance plan cost). This means that during the academic year, students may schedule an appointment for basic health services at the Center for Health and Wellness at no additional charge. Counseling Services also provides short-term counseling at no additional charge, as well as referrals to other professional therapists in the area.

NOTE: The College’s Health Services may bill enrolled students for lab tests, vaccines, and medical supplies. Depending on their individual health insurance coverage, students also may need to pay for off-campus psychiatric assessments and follow-up psychiatric treatments. In most cases, Health Services cannot provide care for medical emergencies or accidents.

• For a complete list of services offered by Parton Center for Health and Wellness, visit http://www.middlebury.edu/student-life/health-wellness-education-and-safety/Parton-Center.
• For medical emergencies, students may seek services at Porter Medical Center, which is located nearby in Middlebury and is part of the University of Vermont Health Network.

J-1 visa holders are required to have health insurance for the entire period of their program as listed on DS-2019. Each year, Middlebury College provides all students with access to a health insurance plan that meets the U.S. Department of State’s requirements. Information on the Middlebury student health insurance policy and online enrollment through Gallagher Student Health & Special Risk is at: http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/administration/vpfin/finance-office/bsnsvcs/student_insurance.

Exchange students: The annual cost of the 2024-2025 academic year health insurance plan offered by the College was US $3,276. The 2025-2026 year amount is not yet determined - it may be more than this amount. All exchange students will need to choose to enroll in the College’s plan OR waive coverage and affirm that they have their own health insurance valid in the State of Vermont and meets the J-1 requirements.

It is the Exchange student’s responsibility to confirm this information with their health insurance provider.  You should not only check with your insurance provider in your home country about the policy, but you also need to follow up with the U.S. based provider to confirm that the coverage terms have been approved by both parties and that the policy is valid in the state of Vermont. Students will need to obtain their respective health insurance ID cards and understand how their coverage will work if they do not enroll in the College’s offered plan.  In June, you will be notified on how to submit a Student Waive/Enroll Form for the Gallagher plan at: https://go.gallagherstudent.com/Universities/Middlebury%20College/Home by the required deadline. If you do not waive coverage, Student Financial Services (SFS) will add the health insurance plan expense to your bill.

TAs:  TAs are automatically provided the Gallagher Student Health Insurance plan by Middlebury College as part of the benefits of their TA program.  TAs are required to be enrolled as students as part of the TA program; therefore, TAs are permitted to use the College’s Health Services offered to all students during their time at Middlebury. 

NOTE: TAs MUST ADHERE TO THE SAME STUDENT IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS AS ALL OTHER STUDENTS LIVING ON CAMPUS.  These requirements are governed by both U.S. federal and Vermont state health laws.  The Health Center will contact you directly regarding this - please respond timely to them to avoid interruptions or delays in your TA program.

IMPORTANT NOTE: 
Gallagher Student Health and Special Risk’s health insurance plan does NOT include dental insurance. There is a separate option to purchase dental and/or vision coverage. Please consider enrolling in a voluntary dental plan (valid in the state of Vermont) that covers preventative and basic dental services to avoid excessive out-of-pocket costs should a dental emergency arise. For more information about the student health insurance, see: http://www.middlebury.edu/offices/administration/vpfin/finance-office/bsnsvcs/student_insurance.

TAs can opt to purchase the dental and/or vision insurance at their own cost, if they wish.