US F-1 student visa fees: SEVIS fee and visa application fee

SEVIS and the visa application have separate fees

US F-1 student visa fees include two separate payments in this guide. ICE lists the full I-901 SEVIS fee for F or M visa applicants as USD 350. The State Department student visa page lists a non-refundable visa application fee of USD 185. Paying one does not replace the other. Keep both names beside their amounts in your family budget.

At Rs 95.1 per USD on 23 October 2026, USD 350 is about Rs 33,000 and USD 185 is about Rs 17,600. The separate payments range from about Rs 17,600 to Rs 33,000, and together are about Rs 51,000 before any other fees. These are rounded amounts and the exchange rate will move. Read the USA country guide for the wider application and cost picture.

How the ICE page describes SEVIS payment

The ICE I-901 page, checked 26 Oct 2026 with no page date shown, says you can pay in US dollars by credit card on fmjfee.com, or by check, money order or Western Union. Use the official page to check the payment route you plan to use rather than assuming every route has the same steps.

You can print the payment confirmation from fmjfee.com after entering your SEVIS ID, last name and date of birth. Keep the confirmation with your own application papers. This is the payment confirmation described by ICE, separate from the DS-160 confirmation page described by the State Department.

The ICE page does not say when to pay before the visa interview and does not say what to bring. Ask your school's designated school official and check the State Department page for the interview steps. Do not turn a payment confirmation instruction into an interview document rule that this ICE page does not give.

School, DS-160 and interview steps

The State Department student visa page, checked 26 Oct 2026, starts with getting accepted by an SEVP approved school. You are registered in SEVIS and must pay the SEVIS I-901 fee. The school issues Form I-20, which you must present at the interview. Ask the school about its steps rather than assuming a payment alone completes the process.

Complete Form DS-160 online and print its confirmation page for the interview. The page says to pay the non-refundable USD 185 visa application fee if you are required to pay it before your interview. Other fees can apply depending on the embassy, so check the embassy website where you apply. Do not read that conditional wording as one payment deadline for every applicant.

Interviews are generally required, with limited exceptions. Steps vary by embassy. Use the embassy website alongside our application steps guide, and keep school instructions, payment confirmations and the DS-160 confirmation page organised without assuming that this guide promises a visa.

Be ready to explain the full study budget

A consular officer may ask how you will pay all educational, living and travel costs. The State Department page lists no specific funding documents. Do not assume that a particular bank letter or receipt answers every applicant's questions. Ask the school and check the embassy instructions for your application.

These fees are paid before the loan usually disburses, so budget family money unless the lender confirms otherwise in writing. Ask whether the lender needs the I-20 first for its sanction process, without treating that as a rule for every lender. Read the margin money guide when planning the family share, and the TCS guide when paying in US dollars from India.

Visa issue, entry and departure dates

New student visas can be issued up to 365 days before the course start date. This is not permission to enter that early: you cannot enter on the student visa more than 30 days before the start date. Keep the visa issue window and the entry window separate when reading the official instructions.

F visa students must depart within 60 days after the programme end date on the I-20. ICE also describes a separate case: if CBP issues Form I-515A to a student who has not entered the US and has not paid, they have 30 days to pay or the record is cancelled. That is not a general deadline for paying before an interview. Ask the designated school official about your situation.

Check the fees and written funding plan

Budget USD 350 for SEVIS and USD 185 for the visa application, about Rs 51,000 together at the dated rate, before other fees. Check the embassy website and ask your school about payment timing. Get the lender's answers in writing, then test the loan you will borrow in the calculator. This is general information, not financial advice.

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