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Admissions Next Steps

You've just been accepted to Snow College - congratulations!

This is the beginning of your new adventure in the U.S.A. with a top American college.

To help you stay organized as you prepare to study in the United States, we’ve put together a list of the steps you need to take next and important deadlines.

Have you finished those 4 steps? Then you can move to the next stage as you prepare for your arrival.

 

1. First things first… let’s make this official

We’ve extended an offer to you and we’re really excited for you to become part of the Snow College community. In order to secure your place, please login to your student portal.

To begin, login now to set your password for My.Snow.Edu and Canvas.

My.Snow.Edu: This is our Student Portal that allows you to access important information, accept scholarships and financial aid, register for classes, and make tuition payments.

Canvas: This is your Learning Management System where you can access your courses and assignments.

  • Go to password.snow.edu.
  • Enter your Username provided to you in your admit email or welcome letter; this is your full Snow College email (first.last@students.snow.edu).
  • Click Submit.
  • Set your password, which must be 15 characters in length and contain a capital letter and a number or special character.
  • Finish the process by setting up two-factor authentication.

For further instructions or assistance, please go to our IT website. If you need help, you can submit a Support Ticket via the site or send an email to snow.helpdesk@snow.edu or call +1-435-283-777.

Then you can start using your new Snow College Office 365 Email.

Each student is assigned an Office 365 college email account. Please note that all future Snow College correspondence will be sent to this new email address. Please be sure to check your emails regularly!

  • Access your new account at office.com.
  • Your login name is the same as your Snow College email (first.last@students.snow.edu).
  • Your password is the same one you use for My.Snow.Edu.

If you have questions, please see our FAQs or explore the helpful resources at snow.edu/offices/it or contact us by email ude.wons@lanoitanretni.

2. Get your I-20 immigration document, pay your enrollment deposit and Sevis fee

As an international student, you will need an I-20 Form to serve as a legal document that enables you to study in the U.S. The Form I-20 is an important document that you should keep safe at all times because you will need it throughout your entire international student experience. Learn more about the I-20 form on the Department of Homeland Security website.

Snow College is a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certified school, and as such, international students will receive a Form I-20 from Snow. After getting your acceptance letter from Snow, you will receive your I-20, which you need in order to get your student visa.

As soon as you get your I-20 from Snow College, you should take the following steps:

  • Check the details to ensure all the information is accurate.
  • Print and sign it.
  • Make a note of your SEVIS ID number, which is located on the I-20 sent with your acceptance letter.
  • You should also make note of Snow College’s school code which is on your I-20. You will need to put this code on your visa application form.
Once we send you the I-20, you then can apply for your F-1 Student Visa early. We strongly advise you to apply as soon as possible because there are many steps ahead and delays can occur.

When you have your I-20 Form, you can pay the $500 enrollment deposit to Snow College.

You can pay the deposit online. If you are unable to use a credit card on that website, you may also make payment via Flywire or PayMyTuition.

Why do we ask you to pay a deposit?

Snow College requires all newly admitted international students to pay a US$500 enrollment deposit to confirm your attendance and secure your space for the upcoming semester. By making this payment, it lets us know you are coming so we can prepare everything for you, and ensures that we have the right amount of resources to support you. Spaces can be limited for some courses, so this also ensures you have a spot, and it enables us to keep you updated on important matters to make sure you don’t miss any deadlines.

By paying your enrollment deposit to Snow College, it also shows additional proof of your genuine interest in studying at Snow and your intentions to study in the U.S. This confirmation will be an important document to bring to your visa interview.

How is the deposit used?

This $500 deposit will be fully applied to tuition charges once you register for classes. If you are unable to schedule your visa interview due to visa wait times or you are denied your visa, we can defer your admission and deposit to a future semester, or refund you the money (minus $50 for banking and administrative fees). If you enter the U.S. and fail to register for classes and fully enroll at Snow College, you will forfeit the deposit and your I-20 will be cancelled.

 

After you confirm your place with Snow College by paying the deposit, you can then begin the process to obtain your F-1 student visa.

To secure your student visa, you first need to pay the I-901 SEVIS fee to the U.S. government.

Follow these steps:

  1. Start at www.ice.gov/sevis/i901/ for an overview of the process, FAQs, and access to helpful videos. In some countries, you can pay online by credit card, whereas other countries require you to pay by check or money order. You can follow these instructions to pay by Western Union.
  2. Go to https://www.fmjfee.com/i901fee/index.html to pay. The cost for a student on a non-immigrant F-1 visa is $350.
  3. Remember get a printed copy of your receipt – you will need it later! The payment confirmation can be printed from the fmjfee.com website anytime. After entering your SEVIS ID, Last Name and Date of Birth you will be able to print your payment confirmation.

3. Apply for your International Student Visa

Great job – you’ve made it to this next step! At this stage, you should already have your acceptance letter from Snow, an I-20 Immigration Form from Snow, and confirmation that your $500 enrollment deposit was paid to Snow College. You should also have a receipt for paying your I-901 SEVIS fee to the U.S. government.

Next, you must apply for your student visa, pay the visa application fee, and schedule an in-person appointment.

There are several ways to apply for a Nonimmigrant Visa – the process may vary by U.S. Embassy or Consulate, so you should check with your nearest one. Most international students will fill in the online DS-160 application form and follow the instructions shown on the U.S. Department of State Government website.

We also encourage you to:

  • Carefully review the Student Visa page on the government website which has more information about the application process and visa interview.
  • Read through the FAQs on the government website before you fill in the DS-160 application form for your visa so you know exactly what to expect and what information you need to have ready when you begin your online application.

After you have completed the visa form DS-160, be sure to print a copy of your receipt for payment of your F-1 visa application, as well as the confirmation page which contains your application ID number and shows you completed the process.

Make an appointment at your nearest embassy or consulate.

After you have completed the online visa application process, you should schedule an appointment for your visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the country where you live. You may schedule your interview at another U.S. Embassy or Consulate, but be aware that it may be more difficult to qualify for a visa outside of the country where you reside.

Important tip! The wait times to get a visa appointment can be very long. Please check the official government website to see the estimated wait time and plan ahead!

Check the wait time

4. Get ready for your visa interview

Please be sure to read all the information on the Student Visa page of the U.S. government website which has more details about the documents you need to take with you to your visa interview and how to prepare, as well as the steps you need to take if you wish to change your status at any point in the future.

Take all required documents to the Embassy or Consulate.

Please be sure to have printed copies of your documents, as digital copies will not be accepted. Please check your emails to ensure you have received all the documents you may need from Snow College.

You must bring the following documents with you to your visa appointment:

  • Passport, valid for at least six months.
  • Immigration Form I-20 from Snow College.
  • SEVIS Form I-901 payment receipt.
  • Printed receipt for payment of F-1 visa application.
  • Your confirmation page (with your application ID number on it) from your online DS-160 application.
  • Financial documents as proof of your ability to pay tuition and fees (including any scholarship letters you may have received).
  • Letter of Acceptance from Snow College, and proof of receipt of enrollment deposit payment.
  • Conditional Admissions Letter from one of our TAG partner universities, if applicable.

Tips for preparing for your interview:

A visa interview is considered to be a formal event. As such, business clothes are appropriate and will give a good impression.

Be clear and specific, but do not memorize a speech. The officers want you to be honest, natural and authentic.

The F-1 visa is a non-immigrant visa. Please be prepared to answer questions about your future plans, such as jobs you will apply for after you earn your degree. You should be able to clearly answer the following questions:

  • "Why did you choose Snow College?" If you met with us at an education fair, please share what you learned by talking with us.
  • "How are you paying for your education?" You must show that you can afford to study in America. Remember: education first, employment second.
  • "What are your plans after you complete your degree?" Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, you should have an idea. For example, if you aim to continue for another degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s, etc.) after graduation, then this is a great time to mention our 2 + 2 partnerships with universities where you can transfer to after Snow College. Or, if you plan to return home to work after you earn your Associate's Degree from Snow, then you can explain how an education from Snow will help you apply for certain types of jobs back home.

 

Good luck with your visa interview! After you have finished these steps, you can move to the next stage as you prepare for your arrival.

You can also watch our Online Info Sessions

As an admitted student, we invite you to watch our Info Sessions, which review critical information before your arrival and enable you to get answers to popular questions other students asked during our Q&A. Your parents can watch as well! See the topics below, and watch the recordings on YouTube.

  • Student Accounts (email accounts, my.snow.edu, Canvas, scholarships)
  • FERPA and Emergencies (privacy laws in the USA, emergency contacts)
  • Registration, Classes, and Meeting with an Academic Advisor
  • Payment Plans and Banking
  • Student Accounts and Class Registrations (in Spanish)
  • FERPA and Emergencies (in Spanish)
  • Summary of All Topics (in Japanese)
  • Maintaining Immigration Status (Mandatory for Admitted Students)