F-1 Visa Interview Practice / Bank Balance Calculator
F-1 visa bank balance calculator
Work out what you actually need to show — against your own I-20, not against a number somebody made up. Then see what a consular officer is genuinely directed to look at, separated from what the internet merely assumes.
Sources checked 2026-08-21There is no minimum bank balance for an F-1 visa.
The requirement is not a number somebody publishes — it is your own Form I-20. The State Department's instruction to its officers is that you have funds readily available for the first year of study, and that funds for each later year will be available from an identified, reliable source. You do not need the entire cost of your degree sitting in an account.
9 FAM 402.5-5(G) — Student Visas, financial ability (US Department of State) ↗The estimated total for the period your I-20 covers. No I-20 yet? Add your tuition and living estimate together and use that — and treat the answer as an estimate too.
Already awarded, not applied for.
Money you hold yourself.
Who else is funding you, and how much has each pledged? Names stay in your browser and are never sent anywhere.
Enter your I-20 total above to see whether your funding covers it, and what to be ready to explain.
General information based on published US government sources, not legal or immigration advice. This does not assess your application and does not predict whether your visa will be issued.
The "show 1.3x to 1.5x your I-20" rule is not a rule.
It appears on a great many consultancy and blog pages and on no US government page at all. Some advisers suggest holding a buffer above your I-20 figure, and having more than the minimum is never a problem — but there is no official multiplier, and no figure you can hit that turns a maybe into a yes.
What officers are actually directed to look at
These come from the State Department’s own instructions to the officer who will interview you.
Can your sponsor actually afford what they have pledged?
The FAM tells officers to resolve any doubt about whether a sponsor's own financial position supports the promise they have made. If someone has pledged a figure that does not sit comfortably with what they earn, expect that to be asked about — and be ready to explain it.
Source ↗Why is this person paying for you?
Officers are directed to weigh a sponsor's motive to honour the commitment, and a close relative is treated as likelier to follow through than someone unrelated. If a sponsor is not family, be ready to say plainly what the relationship is and why they are funding you.
Source ↗A loan you already have counts. A loan you plan to apply for does not.
An existing student loan is expressly acceptable evidence — this is a normal, accepted way to fund an F-1, not a mark against you. What does not work is the intention to obtain one. Bring the sanction letter or disbursement evidence, not a plan.
Source ↗Money you expect to earn in the US does not count for year one.
You cannot rely on future work authorisation earnings to cover your first-year expenses. On-campus employment appears on the I-20 as a funding line, but the first year has to be covered by funds that are actually available.
Source ↗Worth rehearsing, but not a rule
Nothing below is a requirement, and no official source presents any of it as one. They are here as preparation prompts. Where one has a source it is linked, but a link means “this is where the idea comes from”, not “an officer applies this”.
Could you explain a large recent deposit?
No official source lists this as a rule, so treat it as a rehearsal prompt rather than a requirement: if a large sum landed in the account shortly before you applied, you should be able to say where it came from without hesitating. Being able to explain your own bank statement is just good preparation.
Does your funding story match what you gave your school?
DHS tells students to bring copies of the same financial documents they gave the school that issued their I-20. Nothing requires the two to be presented together, but a story that changes between the two is a problem you can avoid entirely by checking beforehand.
Where this comes from ↗The officer asks who pays in one question, out loud, and moves on.
Practise saying your funding story in a single clear sentence, then surviving the follow-up.
Practise the funding question2 free coaching sessions · available until used · no card needed · no subscriptionWhere the number on your I-20 comes from
Your I-20 has one block headed FINANCIALS, with two columns side by side. It covers a stated period — your academic year or the length of your programme, whichever is shorter — so a nine-month master’s has a nine-month I-20, not a twelve-month one. Note the form never uses the phrase “cost of attendance”: that is a university financial-aid term, not an immigration one, and it tends to travel in the same company as the 1.5x myth.
ESTIMATED AVERAGE COSTS FOR: ## MONTHS
- Tuition and Fees
- Living Expenses
- Expenses of Dependents
- Other
- TOTAL
STUDENT'S FUNDING FOR: ## MONTHS
- Personal Funds
- Funds From This School
- Funds From Another Source
- On-Campus Employment
- TOTAL
Labels as printed on the form itself. Your DSO’s SEVIS screen uses slightly different names for the same fields, which is a common source of confusion when comparing notes.
The only ratio any US government source states is one to one: your funding has to be at least your expenses.
One change to be aware of, from 2026-09-15
From 15 September 2026, DHS replaces "duration of status" for F students with a fixed period of admission, capped at the length of your programme and at four years. It does not change what you must show financially, but it does change how long you are admitted for.
Read the DHS notice ↗FAQs
What is the minimum bank balance for an F-1 visa?
There is not one. No US government source publishes a minimum balance for an F-1 visa. The requirement is tied to your own Form I-20: the State Department instructs officers that you should have funds readily available for the first year of study, and that funds for each later year will be available from an identified, reliable source.
Do I need to show 1.3x or 1.5x my I-20 amount?
No. That figure appears on a great many consultancy and blog pages and on no US government page. Several of the pages repeating it concede as much themselves. Holding more than your I-20 total is never a problem, but there is no official multiplier and no number that converts a maybe into a yes.
Do I need to show the cost of my whole degree?
No, and this is the most common overreach. The standard is funds readily available for the first year, plus credible evidence that later years can be funded. (Applicants for the M-1 vocational visa are held to a stricter, whole-stay standard — do not apply M-1 advice to an F-1 application.)
Does an education loan count?
Yes. An existing student loan is expressly acceptable evidence — it is a normal way to fund an F-1, not a mark against you. What does not count is the intention to obtain one. Bring the sanction or disbursement evidence rather than a plan to apply.
Can I count money I expect to earn in the US?
Not for your first year. You cannot rely on future work-authorisation earnings to cover first-year expenses. On-campus employment does appear on the I-20 as a funding line, but the first year has to be covered by funds that are genuinely available now.
Does my sponsor have to be a relative?
No, but officers are directed to weigh a sponsor’s motive to honour their commitment, and a close relative is treated as likelier to follow through than someone unrelated. If your sponsor is not family, be ready to say plainly what the relationship is and why they are funding you.
Sources
Checked on 2026-08-21. The Foreign Affairs Manual is the State Department’s own instruction to the officer who will interview you, which is why it is cited first.
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Merra is an independent interview and visa-preparation practice platform. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the US Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, any US embassy or consulate, or any university. This page reflects published US government sources as checked on 2026-08-21; rules change, so confirm before you rely on anything here. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice; Merra does not review your application and does not predict whether your visa will be issued.