For Students
F-1 or J-1 Application for Students
Congratulations on your admittance to MIT! We look forward to welcoming you on campus.
In order for us to create a Certificate of Eligibility document (I-20 or DS-2019 form) for you, we need some additional information. Please follow the instructions below to access a set of online forms at our secure website, iMIT.mit.edu, to provide us with the necessary information.
In order to gain access to iMIT, you must follow the instructions below:
- 1. Accept your admission to MIT.
- 2. Create an mit.edu email account. (Go to https://ist.mit.edu/accounts Further instructions are available through your department or undergraduate admissions.)
- 3. Wait 48 hours for your new email account to be reflected in our international student database.
NOTE: Once you create your mit.edu email account, the ISO will use your mit.edu email account to contact you IF additional information is necessary. Please remember to check your email on this account!
After your information is reflected in our database, please do the following:
- 1. Go to http://imit.mit.edu
- 2. Click the Full Client Services Login link on the left side of the page.
- 3. Under Account Provider, please choose "MIT Kerberos account (or MIT web certificate)" and click "Continue".
- 4. If you are using a personal computer and have an MIT digital personal certificate, please click "Use Certificate - Go"
- 5. Otherwise, please use the "No Certificate? Use Kerberos username" section and enter your MIT email username and MIT email password and click "Login."
For Newly Admitted Degree Candidates
If you are a non-degree Visiting Student, go to the next section.
If you are a non-degree Special or Exchange student, go to the third section.
- 1. Click Admission in the menu
- 2. Click on "F-1 Application for New Student" or "J-1 Application for New Student" depending on the visa type for which you would like to apply. (For more information on F-1 or J-1 visa types, please see "Visa Categories.")
- 3. Complete all required forms including "Submit Request for SEVIS I-20 Document" or "Submit Request for SEVIS DS-2019 Document". If you are already in the U.S. on the F-1 or J-1 visa status and wish to stay in the same visa status, you will be prompted to fill out the SEVIS Transfer In Request form found here: http://web.mit.edu/iso/resources/forms/Transfer%20In%20Form.pdf
For Non-degree "Visiting Students" who are not pursuing a degree at MIT
If you are a non-degree Special or Exchange student, go to the next section.
- 1. Click "Visiting Student Application (Non-Degree)."
- 2. If you would like to apply for an MIT sponsored J-1 visa document, click on "J-1 Application for New Visiting Student".
- 3. All other Visiting Students, please click "Application for Other Visiting Students".
- 4. Complete all requested forms including "Submit Request for Visting Student Documents".
After you have completed the forms, we'll create an I-20 Form or DS-2019 Form and have your department ship it to the address you provided. You will need your I-20 Form or DS-2019 Form in order to apply for a U.S. visa (if necessary) and to enter the United States.
For "Special" or "Exchange" Students
If you are a non-degree Visiting Student, go to the previous section.
- 1. Click Admission and Orientation in the menu
- 2. Click on "F-1 Application for New Student" or "J-1 Application for New Student" depending on the visa type for which you would like to apply. (For more information on F-1 or J-1 visa types, please see "Visa Categories.")
- 3. In the Program Information e-form, enter "Non-degree" for Academic Degree Sought and Academic Level fields.
- 4. Complete all required forms including "Submit Request for SEVIS I-20 Document" or "Submit Request for SEVIS DS-2019 Document".
For more information, please see our "Getting Started" webpage. If you are currently in the US on visa categories other than F or J, please pay special attention the the bottom section of the webpage.
Again, congratulations on your admission, and we hope to see you in a few months.
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