Required Funding Documentation

Berkeley International Office issues I-20s and DS-2019 Certificates of Eligibility to over 5,000 students and scholars every year. We are required by law to verify that each person has sufficient funds to cover the period of their stay in the U.S. In most cases, the documentation we require will also be required at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate when applying for the F-1 or J-1 visa (so keep a copy for that purpose). See also International Student Expenses.

To obtain your I-20 or DS-2019 in a timely manner, follow the guidelines below when submitting your request for a new or extension document:

Acceptable Proof of Funds

UC Berkeley department or Graduate Division award letters (scholarships, GSI/GSR, grants etc)
- printed on OFFICIAL UC Berkeley letterhead or use the Guarantee of Financial Support - Academic Departments form.
- must indicate the amount and length of support
Personal funds:
- bank statements in your name showing balance of account
Private sponsors (must include both of the following):
- letter(s) that shows the relationship between you and the sponsor(s), the amount of support and the length of support OR, the Guarantee of Financial Support-Private Sponsors form in lieu of a letter.
- the sponsor's bank or other financial statements showing balance of account
Other institutional support/award letters
- letter from an employer or another institution on OFFICIAL business letterhead showing amount and length of support in dollar amounts.
Loan certificates/letters
- must indicate your name and the amount of approved loan

All supporting funding documents must:

be dated within the past 6 months (older statements will not be accepted),
be translated into English (especially names)
clearly show the type of currency and their US dollar (USD) equivalents
be from statements that show liquid assets that can be converted to cash
NOT be salary statements or tax documents

Submitting / Resubmitting Documents
Make sure all supporting documents are attached to a copy of your request form (such as the NIF for new students) before you send them to our office. Missing or separate documents will only slow down the process. Your Certificate of Eligibility (I-20/DS-2019) documents canot be processed until all funding documents are received.


	Required Funding Documentation for F-1 or J-1 Visas	A-Z Index
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