Below you will see some of the most frequently asked questions for our new international students. Please review the following information thoroughly. 

If you are currently residing out of the United States and want to come study in the US on the F-1 visa, once you have been accepted to a graduate program, you will receive a detailed email from the TTU Graduate Admissions Office regarding the I-20 process. The email will contain information on whether you need to provide financial proof as well as the documents you will need to submit for us to issue you your I-20.

Students are allotted ONE shipping option for their I-20. Students may either select to have their official I-20 digitally sent to them via email OR have a hard copy mailed to them. Please see each of the shipment questions below for more information.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas Tech has been given permission by the US Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) within the Department of Homeland Security to electronically send digitally-signed I-20s to students' email addresses to reduce shipping costs for students.

Please check with your US embassy regarding if they will accept the digital I-20. We have heard recently that some embassies are suggesting the physical I-20 even though SEVP has approved for us to provide digitally signed and emailed I-20s.

There are three shipping options for a hard copy of your I-20. Students may select ONE shipping option.


1. eShipGlobal Express Mail Service - https.//study.eshipglobal.com/ - Recommended

   •  Student pays for service

   •  Delivery time: 3-5 business days (Due to COVID-19, there may be shipping delays)

   •  Shipment tracking available

   •  Not available in Iran or other embargoed countries

   •  If you are interested in eShipGlobal, please create and pay for a label. You will fill out the information at https://study.eshipglobal.com/register and select "Graduate School" as the sender.


2. PDE Express

   •  An alternative shipping method for students in IRAN

   •  Please visit the website to obtain more information: https://www.pdexp.com


3. Regular Airmail - Not Recommended

   •  No shipping cost

   •  Delivery time of 4-12 weeks, depending on your location

   •  No shipment tracking available

Yes, you may have your I-20 sent to whomever you wish. We require the name, address of the recipient and the shipping method in order to send your I-20. Texas Tech Graduate School bears no responsibility for lost shipments once your I-20 has been received by the intended recipient.

You can also choose to have someone pick up your I-20 from the Texas Tech Graduate School Office. We would need the name and email address to contact once your I-20 is ready for pickup. Again, Texas Tech Graduate School bears no responsibility for lost shipments once your I-20 has been picked up at our office. 

There is no specific deadline to turn in the documents above. However, we strongly recommend you turn in all forms as soon as possible. The closer to the first day of the semester, the more difficult it becomes to make visa appointments and travel arrangements.

Please see the estimated cost of attendance for I-20 purposes for programs in the Edward E. Whitacre College of Engineering: 

PLEASE NOTE: The estimated amount given above does not include any funding awards. If you receive any funding, the funding award amount plus the out-of-state tuition waiver amount will be subtracted from the total estimated costs. Tuition, fees, living expenses, and insurance costs may change from year to year.

Please see the estimated cost of attendance for I-20 purposes for the Data Science program in the Rawls College of Business:

PLEASE NOTE: The estimated amount given above does not include any funding awards. If you receive any funding, the funding award amount plus the out-of-state tuition waiver amount will be subtracted from the total estimated costs. Tuition, fees, living expenses, and insurance costs may change from year to year.

Please see the estimated cost of attendance for I-20 purposes for all programs within the Rawls College of Business that are NOT data science:

PLEASE NOTE: The estimated amount given above does not include any funding awards. If you receive any funding, the funding award amount plus the out-of-state tuition waiver amount will be subtracted from the total estimated costs. Tuition, fees, living expenses, and insurance costs may change from year to year.

Please see the estimated cost of attendance for I-20 purposes for all programs within the following colleges:

1. College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources
2. College of Arts & Science
3. College of Education
4. College of Human Sciences
5. College of Media & Communication
6. College of Visual & Performing Arts 
7. All other programs housed within the TTU Grad School

PLEASE NOTE: The estimated amount given above does not include any funding awards. If you receive any funding, the funding award amount plus the out-of-state tuition waiver amount will be subtracted from the total estimated costs. Tuition, fees, living expenses, and insurance costs may change from year to year.

The amount of financial proof you will need to provide for your I-20 is dependent upon your program as well as any funding you might receive. Please note that tuition, fees, living expenses, and insurance costs change from year to year.

If you receive any TTU funding, you may qualify for fee waivers, which will reduce the amount of financial proof you will need to provide. You may not have to provide any financial proof if your TTU funding and waivers cover the estimated expense shown on the I-20.

If you are admitted and need to provide proof of financial support, you will be notified via an email sent to you by the International Graduate Admissions team.

In the future, there will most likely be an online portal for you to view what is needed for your I-20 and upload the appropriate documentation, so please be on the lookout for that.

If you did not receive TTU funding, the total amount of estimated average costs for ONE academic year is the amount of financial proof you need to provide.

If you did receive TTU funding (scholarships, fellowships, assistantships, graduate part-time instructors), the process is as follows:

1. Based on the TTU funding, the TTU Graduate School will calculate the waiver amount you will receive in addition to your award amount. Waiver amounts may vary based on award type.

2. The award amount and the waiver amount will be subtracted from the total estimated cost.

3. If there is an outstanding balance remaining, the TTU Graduate School will notify you of the exact amount of financial proof you will be required to provide via email or your individual I-20 portal.

Yes, you are only required to provide financial proof for one academic year, but you can show financial proof that is more than the necessary amount.

Not necessarily. The actual amount you will be required to pay may be higher or lower than the amount on your I-20. The amount on your I-20 reflects the ESTIMATED expenses for your first year ONLY. The amount is based on a full-time enrollment of 18 credit hours (9 hours for each long term). Your tuition bill amount will depend on the specific courses and the number of hours you register for each term.

We encourage all students to sign up for the Emergency Payment Plan through Student Business Services once you have registered for classes. This allows you to pay out your billed expenses in specified amounts, which will help you especially if you are waiting for awarded funding to be applied to your account.

You will be required to pay the required amount for the payment plan, or you will be dropped from your classes.

For more information on payment options, see the Student Business Services Website: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentbusinessservices/payingBill/payOps.php

We also recommend that you visit the Tuition Estimator on the Student Business Website prior to each semester before registering for classes so you will be prepared for the possible cost: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/studentbusinessservices/

For resources on Graduate School financial support options, please visit the "Financial Support" webpage: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/gradschool/

Yes, if you are bringing dependent(s), you are required to add the following amounts to the total amount needed to issue your I-20:

   - $4870 for your spouse
   - $2435 for each child

You do not have to bring your spouse and children to the United States with you when you initially come to the United States. If you wish to have them arrive in the United States after you do, you will discuss the process with your ISSS Counselor once you have arrived and checked-in.

For more information on OPT/STEM OPT offered through Texas Tech, please see the resources provided by International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS). You can browse the OPT/STEP OPT process breakdown and the OPT FAQ pages.

For more information on CPT offered through Texas Tech, please see the ISSS CPT information webpage.

If you have any additional questions regarding OPT/CPT, please reach out to your counselor at the International Student & Scholar Services Office within the Office of International Affairs: http://www.depts.ttu.edu/international/isss/.

For more information on TTU funding types and how to apply for funding, please visit the TTU Graduate School - Funding Your Education page. Please also communicate with your prospective department regarding available funding opportunities.

The Texas Tech Grad School will not process or create your I-20 if you are transferring in from another university in the United States. Instead, you will be contacted by your International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS) counselor within the TTU Office of International Affairs. Once you are admitted, your ISSS counselor will contact you as soon as possible and explain the process.

You have two options to change your visa type to F-1 status. You can either:

1. Leave the United States and apply for an F-1 visa with an initial attendance I-20 issued from the TTU Graduate School Office

OR

2. Apply for a change of status within the United States through the TTU Office of International Affairs with the help of your ISSS counselor.

The time frame of a status change in the US may take 6 months to a year and with COVID-19 and travel restrictions, leaving the US to obtain your F-1 visa may be timely as well.

It is highly unlikely that either of these options will result in an F-1 visa in time to enroll full-time in classes for Spring or Summer 2021.

If you are a current F-2 visa holder, you are allowed to enroll as a part-time student with an F-2 visa, but you cannot accept any funding or employment that requires you to be a full-time student. This includes RA, TA, GPTI, Fellowships, DGSA, and most scholarships.

If you are a current H-4 visa holder, you may enroll as a full-time student on-campus or online, but you cannot work on campus. H-4 visa holders cannot accept any employment-based funding, such as assistantships.

If you are a current B-visitor visa holder, you may not be able to change your visa in time before your visa expires. B-visitor visa holders cannot study. We recommend changing your visa status while outside the United States.

You will need to think over these options and decide on which one is best for you.