The ISSO wants to stress the importance of financial preparation when coming to the United States to begin an academic program. Of course, international students are required to present evidence of financial support both before being issued a Form I-20 F-1 Visa Document or Form DS-2019 J1 Visa Document and at their eventual visa interview. Even after your arrival in the US, it is important to understand certain financial obligations you will have as a student, and the consequences of failing to fulfill those obligations.

This section of the ISSO website is designed to provide financial resources to UMass Lowell international students, educating them on various financial-related topics they may face as a student at UMass Lowell.

A note on financial solvency and limited US work authorization:

We strongly discourage students from depending on campus work to assist with the costs of study in the US. On-campus work opportunities are "limited." In addition, international students are limited to a maximum of 20 hours of on-campus work per week. On-campus work should only be considered for supplementary spending money. It is not a guaranteed means to support daily living expenses or school tuition/fees. Off-campus work is not permitted to international students until they have successfully completed one full academic year of full-time registration (18 credits for graduate students and 24 credits for undergraduate students, independent of required pre-requisites, if any). There are additional elements required for off-campus employment, and all off-campus work authorization requires a new Form I-20 or DS-2019 be issued by ISSO.

We hope you will make the appropriate financial plans before arriving in the US. Our aim is to help you achieve your academic goals without any distractions. Students in pathway programs are not eligible for off-campus work authorization.

Please check the Student Financial Services website on how to pay your first school bill and direct any questions you may have by email to: TheSolutionCenter@uml.edu.

In order to be able to register for your second semester at UMass Lowell, you can only have a maximum balance of $1,000 or lower. A registration hold is placed preventing registration for students with balances beyond $1,000. ISSO will terminate the legal F-1 or J-1 status during the first 10 days of your second semester and any subsequent semester of any student who is not registered full-time. This leaves the student 15 days to depart the US. For this reason, it is crucial that you are financially prepared for your US educational costs.