Financial Requirements
School costs are a combination of fees, living expenses and books, and tuition. The tuition and fees are determined by the number of credit hours you take each term.
As members of the UT Dallas community, all students are expected to uphold the Comet Creed: As a Comet, I pledge honesty, integrity, and service in all that I do. Additionally, students are required to obey federal, state, and local laws and to comply with UT System and University rules and regulations. For more information, visit the Student Code of Conduct: https://policy.utdallas.edu/utdsp5003
Cost of Attendance
As an international student, you must show proof of funding for one academic year in order to receive your Form I-20 or DS-2019. The university calculates the estimated expenses each year, and this is the standard amount that all F-1 and J-1 international students must show. This amount will likely be different from your actual expenses.
Once you enroll in classes, tuition and all applicable fees are automatically added to your account and you will be required to meet payment deadlines. Please review the tuition and fees chart to get an idea of school costs. For more details about tuition and fees, please contact the Bursar’s Office. Current and admitted students may obtain an estimate of their tuition and fees from their Orion Self-Service portal.
As you plan for tuition and fees, consider enrolling in Tuition Insurance through the Bursar’s Office. Tuition insurance helps students and their families overcome the financial losses that may result from events which force students to completely withdraw from the semester due to a covered medical reason.
Actual Expenses
- Determined after you enroll
- Can vary based on your personal living expenses
- Paid through the Bursar’s Office
Estimated Expenses
- A standard estimate, used for issuing immigration documents
- Will not be adjusted for your individual situation, such as lower living expenses due to sharing housing.
- The amount shown on your Form I-20 or DS-2019, used for visa application
Estimated Expenses
A new I-20 requires proof of funding for one academic year of estimated expenses. A new DS-2019 requires proof of funding for the entire length of the student’s program. The estimated expenses used for issuing immigration documents are an estimate and do not reflect your actual expenses. The standard estimated expenses cannot be changed based on your individual circumstances.
These estimates are subject to change without prior notice. The exact costs of attendance will vary by student and will be determined at the point of course registration. The estimated living expenses reflect fall and spring semesters.
Adding dependents to your I-20 or DS-2019 requires additional funding. Please see our web pages for adding F-2 Dependents or J-2 Dependents for request instructions. Note that proof of funds for yourself and all dependents for a full academic year is required for this update, which includes additional dependent fees and insurance costs. See the “Total” listed under the appropriate student + dependent categories in the charts below for the required financial documentation to add dependents.
Click below for the estimated expenses chart.
Updated and Effective April 1, 2024.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Financial opportunities are available for international students studying at UT Dallas. We wish you the best in your pursuit of financial aid and scholarships.
Graduate Teaching and Research Assistantships
For information on availability, eligibility criteria, and application procedures, contact your academic department directly.
Scholarships
- All freshmen admitted to the University are automatically considered for the UT Dallas Academic Excellence Scholarship.
- The Eugene McDermott Scholars Program is an undergraduate merit award with a separate application.
- The Naveen Jindal School of Management (JSOM) awards some merit-based scholarships to graduate students in Fall and Spring semesters.
- Each school at UT Dallas has a different assortment of fellowships/sponsorships available.
- Find additional scholarships at the Office of Financial Aid’s Scholarships page.
- Outside scholarships may be found by searching any number of financial aid resources available on the web.
Internationally Focused Scholarships
Loan Programs
The UT Dallas Office of Financial Aid facilitates several loan programs available to international students.
Employment
F-1 and J-1 students may be eligible for employment opportunities, including on-campus work and internships. All on-campus jobs are acquired through the UT Dallas Career Center. More details are available on our F-1 employment page and J-1 Student employment page.
Financial Documents
You will submit financial documents when you apply for your Form I-20 or DS-2019. Your financial documents must meet certain requirements to be used for the immigration process. You will present these same documents in your visa interview. Most United States Consulates or Embassies will require original copies of all financial documents, including bank statements, when you apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa. However, you may submit scanned copies to ISSO to apply for an I-20 or DS-2019.
Providing falsified, doctored, or fraudulent documents is not tolerated at the University of Texas at Dallas. An individual who is not currently enrolled as a University student remains subject to the disciplinary process for conduct that occurred while a student. Each student shall be responsible for their conduct from the time of application for admission through the actual awarding of a degree even when the conduct occurs prior to the beginning of classes and in between semesters. This includes conduct that is discovered after the awarding of a degree.
The falsification of documents or information includes: Any forgery, alteration of, or unauthorized use of documents, forms, records, identification cards, doctor’s notes, or attendance records, including the giving of false information to University personnel or the withholding of necessary information in connection with a student’s admission, enrollment, or status at the University. This violation includes a student who knowingly gives another individual their Comet Card. You may be subject to disciplinary action if you are found to be incompliant.
UT Dallas Financial Affidavit
All students will submit a signed UT Dallas Financial Affidavit with their application. Please read the form carefully and fill it in completely.
Top Tips
Remember to sign! All students must hand sign the Student Financial Certification. Please do not type in your name.
Source of Financial Support. Indicate the source of your financial documents. You may select more than one source of financial support.
Sponsor Financial Certification. This section is only required if you have financial sponsors who are individuals. If you have more than three sponsors, attach an additional UT Dallas Financial Affidavit with the additional signatures. Sponsors must sign by hand. Scanned copies of the signed form are acceptable.
Bank Certification. You may either have the bank complete this section or attach a supplemental funding document.
Accepted Financial Documents
If the Bank Certification section of the UT Dallas financial affidavit form is not completed by the bank, you can submit supplemental financial support documents. The supplemental financial support documents must meet all of the requirements listed below.
Please keep in mind, you will need to show sufficient financial support documents as a part of your F-1 visa interview. It can be beneficial to carry more recently issued financial documents to your visa interview. General requirements for financial documents:
- Must be in English
- Must include date of issuance
- Must show liquid funds
- Issued within the past 12 months (6 months for salary statements)
Bank Statement
- On official bank letterhead
- Account holder name using English alphabet
- Type of liquid account (for example, checking, savings, or deposit)
- Balance of the account
Loan Sanction Letters
- On official bank or institution letterhead
- Must be Sanctioned, “In-Principle” Sanctioned, or approved
- All borrowers/co-borrowers must hand sign the UT Dallas Financial Affidavit
- The principal amount of loan
- Acceptable loan approval date within the upcoming academic year
- For example: January 2024-August 2024 or January 2024-December 2024
- For information regarding PRODIGY loan acceptance, please contact one of our prospective coordinators
- Fully conditional approved loans/loan capability certificates are not acceptable
Mock/Sample Loan Sanction Letter Mock/Sample Prodigy Loan Letter
Sponsor’s Salary Statements
- Only salary statements from a sponsor will be accepted. Students cannot submit their own salary statements from time on CPT or OPT.
- On official company letterhead.
- The sponsor’s name must be visible on the statement.
- Salary statement must show the amount of money your sponsor makes per year. We can apply up to one third of the total annual base salary towards the required funding for your I-20.
- The statement should be signed by someone with signatory authority, such as Human Resources or a supervisor.
- Must have an issuance date no older than 6 months from the date the ISSO advisor reviews your financial documents.
Investment Accounts
- Investment accounts and provident funds may only be accepted if you provide evidence that the account is liquid, such as a written statement from the Investment Institution on letter head stating the amount of liquid funds.
- We will accept cash/liquid funds of an investment account.
- We can also accept a stamp on page two Section E of the UT Dallas financial affidavit.
UT Dallas Scholarship or Assistantship Letter
- The letter must meet these requirements:
- Must be on the UT Dallas letterhead
- Have the student’s full name
- Have a description of the award and the amount, including the period of time when it is effective. A new DS-2019 requires the scholarship or assistantship to be guaranteed for the entire length of the program.
- Signed by the institution or UT Dallas academic department representative
- Emailed notifications of scholarships cannot be used towards the UT Dallas I-20.
- Health insurance coverage is assumed to be only for the student, unless the letter specifies that it covers spouse and/or child(ren)
- Students who are receiving a COHORT MBA award may submit a signed letter accepting/declining the conditions of their offer.
- Where the award letters have contingent awards for future semesters we will only consider the awards for the fall and spring semesters, not the summer. For example, a contingent award might say “Renewal of the assistantship for spring and summer semesters will be determined by student performance and availability of funds”.
Government/Institution/Business Sponsors
If your education is being sponsored by a government/institution/business, not an individual, you must provide one of the followings:
- A financial guarantee letter from your government.
- A sponsorship letter from your home country institution.
- A letter from the owner of the company on company letterhead. This letter must state that business funds can be used towards the student’s education. The company must also provide a bank letter or statement that meets the requirements above.
- The letter should be signed by someone with signatory authority, such as Human Resources, and/or the owner of the company.
