The page explains how to submit the required documentation in order to be issued a form DS-2019 or form I-20 from the University of West Florida. For help with this process, please contact International Affairs at international@uwf.edu.
Financial Ability
After being admitted into a degree program or being accepted into a student exchange, there are several documents required before the university can issue immigration documents. The documents required are a copy of a valid passport and a certification of your financial support. Proof of adequate financial support for the estimated cost of study is required before UWF can issue the Form I-20 or Form DS-2019.
How much do I need to show in support?
Select your student type below to see the estimated cost of study you must show in financial support. Information on the document standards for proof of financial support will be listed below. If your spouse and/or children will travel with you as dependents, you will need to submit additional proof of support.
Proof of Financial Support Required: Tuition: $15,390 (based on 12 credit hours per semester, the minimum required for F-1 Students)
Living Expenses and Supplies: $15,531
Health Insurance: $1,650
Total Required: $32,571
Please note that this is a one-year estimate for immigration purposes only. Actual costs will vary.
Proof of Financial Support Required: Tuition: $12,444 (based on 6 credit hours per semester)
Living Expenses and Supplies: $15,531
Health Insurance: $1,650
Total Required: $29,625
Please note that this is a one-year estimate for immigration purposes only. Actual costs will vary.
Proof of Financial Support Required: Tuition: $4,000 (one semester)
Living Expenses and Supplies: $7,350
Health Insurance: $650
Total Required: $12,000
Please note that this is a one-semester estimate for immigration purposes only. Actual costs will vary.
Proof of Financial Support Required: Living Expenses and Supplies: $8,105
Health Insurance: $650
Total Required: $8,755
Please note that this is a one-semester estimate for immigration purposes only. Actual costs will vary.
Exchange students planning for Fall AND Spring Exchange must show proof of $17510.
Exchange students who are not receiving an exchange Tuition Waiver must show additional support of $9619 per semester for estimated tuition.
If students are part of a special group and not one of the options listed above, such as the Transatlantik Institute MBA program, they will select the name of their group from the available list to see the required amount of support they must show.
For a spouse add $5,000 (USD) in support
For each child add $3,000 (USD) in support
What is required to show financial support?
You must have enough financial support to cover the minimum required by immigration. Financial support can be submitted in the following document types:
Support from yourself
Support from friends and/or family
Support from a sponsor (not family member or friend)
Scholarship or Awards of support from UWF: Such as athletic award letters, scholarship award letters, and graduate assistantship letters. You will need to upload proof of that support - PDF of the award letter.
Other Scholarships or support from an organization that is not UWF: This may include student support from your home government. You will need to upload proof of that support - PDF of the award letter.
All financial documents MUST have:
Date of issuance: Must be less than six months before the date uploaded
Student’s name (or account holder’s name if sponsor is someone other than student)
Official letterhead and must include signature/stamp of an administrative official.
Final available balance of individual liquid accounts or solvency amount (Conversion to USD is not necessary)
Certified, professional translations for all financial documents not issued in English.
Savings, deposit and checking accounts
Bank letters or Solvency certificates from bank
Time/fixed/term deposits or government bonds available for withdrawal at any time
Approved and Employer, Government, or Organization sponsorships/scholarships
Provident funds ONLY IF document states amount available for withdrawal
UWF scholarships/assistantships - You will need to upload a copy of your award letter on UWF letterhead
Investments in fixed assets such as property, Demat accounts, mortgages, jewelry, residences, automobiles, etc.
Retirement funds, pensions, life insurance policies
Tax Returns
Salary/Payroll Statements
Pending or Provisional Educational Loans
[Chartered] Accountant portfolio
Letters of support from a sponsor that does not have a financial document attached. Example, A letter from a sponsor who says they will provide Room and Board at no cost is not accepted. Financial support must be shown as available funds.
Upload the financial document AND a financial support letter from the account holder if the account is not in the student's name. See UWFFinancialSupportLetterTemplate.pdf)
Upload the scholarship letter or award document. If you are receiving a scholarship or other financial award from UWF and are not sure how much the award will apply toward the required amount you must show, email a copy to international@uwf.edu for review. Emailed scholarship documents must also be uploaded to be added to the student's file.
This may include student support from your home government. You will need to upload proof of that support - PDF of the award letter.
Instructions to Upload Your Proof of Financial Support and Passport
After being admitted into a degree program or being accepted into a student exchange, there are several documents required before the university can issue immigration documents. The documents required are a copy of a valid passport and a certification of your financial support.
Activate MyUWF
In order to submit this documentation, you must have access to MyUWF. If you have not already activated your account, you can do so following the instructions at Activating your MyUWF/ArgoNet Account.
Once you have clicked the app, a page opens asking you to complete the form. Click "Complete This Form."
Select Your Student Type
After clicking "Complete This Form," you are taken to the start of the form. Your name. date of birth, student email, and UWF ID should automatically load. If it does not, please contact international@uwf.edu for help.
Select your student type using the guidelines below:
Exchange Student (this is for students participating in a partner exchange with the University of West Florida).
Graduate Students (this is for degree and non-degree seeking students who have been admitted to a Masters, Specialist, or Doctoral program)
Intensive English Program Student (this is for students who are study English at the Intensive English Program including students who have Undergraduate Conditional Admission)
Transatlantik Institut Student (this is for cohort students participating in the Transatlantik Institut MBA cohort)
Undergraduate Student (this is for degree and non-degree seeking students who have been admitted to an Undergraduate program)
Review the Required Financial Support and Select Dependents
After you select your student type, you will see the required proof of financial support. The amount is different depending on the type of student you are.
Next, you select if you have any dependents. Adding dependents increases the amount of financial support required.
Dependents only need to be added if they are going to be attached to your visa status.
Choose the Type of Financial Support
To show proof of support, you first select the type of support you have using the guidelines below. (See FAQs below for guidance on documents that can and cannot be accepted as financial proof.)
Athletic Scholarship (use this for scholarships from UWF athletics teams)
Friends/ Family (use this for support that is from friends or family; must include a financial support letter: See UWFFinancialSupportLetterTemplate.pdf)
Scholarship (use this for support that is from a scholarship outside UWF)
Self (use this for support you are providing)
University of West Florida (use this for scholarships and support from UWF that is not related to athletics)
Enter Financial Support Information
After choosing the type of support, enter the requested information.
Upload your support documents. Uploads may be PDF or image files.
**Do not upload files with ".HEIC" in the name. Do not upload ZIP files. **
Multiple Sources of Support/Multiple Document Files
It is very common to have multiple sources of support. If you need another source of support, click the check box label "I have another source of support" and additional sources will appear. Each additional source of support must have its own Certification of Financial Resources.
You may upload up to three different sources of support in one form submission. If you have more than three sources of financial support, please submit an additional Proof of Identity and Financial Support FOrm in MyUWF.
Uploading your Passport and Completing the Form
Once you have added all of your sources of financial support, click "next." This will take you to the passport upload page.
Upload a scanned copy of your passport, and click "next." This will take you to the signature page.
After you sign, the form will automatically be sent to International Affairs for review. If your financial support is not complete, International Affairs will provide information on what is missing.
Once financial support is complete, students may expect 2-3 business days processing before the Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 is ready.
FAQs
Financial Support must meet documentation standards to be accepted as financial proof. See the listed examples of acceptable documents for each types of support student may submit.
Athletic Scholarship - Students may upload a scholarship letter from their team coach or the Athletic Grant in Aid Form that lists the award semester(s) and the US Dollar amount of the scholarship.
Friends/ Family (use this for support that is from friends or family; this support required a completed Certification of Financial Resources) - Preferred to be submitted as a completed Certification of Financial Resources (CFR) signed by the Sponsor and signed/stamped by the bank. May be submitted as a CFR signed by the sponsor with an accompanying bank letter which meets requirements for Financial Institution Alternative Documentation. See the FAQ "What if my Bank will not complete the Certification of Financial Resources?" for examples of acceptable CFR documentation. Financial Support documents must be less than six months old.
Scholarship (use this for support that is from a scholarship outside UWF) - Use this option to upload scholarship letters or documents that you have been awarded from a source outside of UWF that you can use to cover your cost of study at UWF. . This includes scholarships from your home country, private scholarships, or other scholarships for which you have been awarded.
Self (use this for support you are providing; this support required a completed Certification of Financial Resources) - Preferred to be submitted as a completed Certification of Financial Resources (CFR) signed by the student and signed/stamped by the bank. May be submitted as a CFR signed by the student with an accompanying bank letter which meets requirements for Financial Institution Alternative Documentation. See See the FAQ "What if my Bank will not complete the Certification of Financial Resources?" for examples of acceptable CFR documentation. Financial Support documents must be less than six months old.
University of West Florida (use this for scholarships and support from UWF that is not related to athletics) - Students may upload scholarship award letters, Graduate Assistantship award letters, tuition waiver letters, or other financial support letters issued by a UWF department or college.
UWF is unable to accept the following document types as proof of financial support:
Employment documents such as proof of employment, documents showing salary, paystubs, bank statements showing salary deposits. These documents are not accepted for proof of funds for a student or a sponsor.
Bank statements showing a final balance lower than the amount on the Certification of Financial Resources. Bank Statements are not required. UWF suggests students request a bank letter which confirms balance or available funds rather than submitting a full bank statement.
Letters of support from a sponsor - UWF cannot accept a letter from a sponsor who will provide a portion of the student's cost of study. Example, A letter from sponsor who says they will provide Room and Board at no cost is not accepted. Financial support must be shown as available funds.
