Apply for student visa (F1/J1/M1)

Procedure to apply for a student visa:
Step 1:
  Complete the I-20 form sent by your university/school in which you are supposed to attend.

Step 2:
   Pay your SEVIS fee (applicable for F1 and J1 visa applicants) - Go online here and complete SEVIS I-901 form and pay SEVIS application fee ( $200 effective from 1 Dec 2010). Log on to http://www.ice.gov/sevis for further details.

Step 3:
  Go online and complete the DS-160 form here
  DS-160 is a fully integrated online application form for the purpose of obtaining a non-immigrant visa for temporary stay in United States of America. It is an online form, which has to submitted to the Department of State via internet. You will need a scanned copy of a recently taken passport-size photograph to complete the online for (Specifications : .jpg file between 600x600 pixels to 1200 x 1200 pixels - less than 240 KB in size)
Review the application form thoroughly before submitting. Even minor errors/mismatch in the form or I-20 or your passport may lead to deportation or cancellation of your visa.

Step 4:
   After submitting the DS-160 form, print out the confirmation page (with barcode) that appears at the end of submitting the application. Take a backup copy (save it as pdf and store it in your email/personal disk as a backup)

Step 5:
  After submitting the DS-160 form, you need to pay a visa application fee to complete the process.
For F1/F2, J1/J2, M1/M2 visa application the Visa Fee is $140 (effective from 1 Dec 2010).

Step 6:
  Schedule an appointment with VFS (click here if you plan to attend visa interview in india).

Step 7:
   Bring the following items along with you on your interview date

Valid passport and your previously used passports if any

One recent (within the past six months) passport size photograph 50mm X 50mm (2" x 2") with a white background.

The DS-160 confirmation page with barcode

The visa application fee receipt.

VFS appointment letter

F, M students must bring the SEVIS receipt and completed I-120. 

A detailed CV/resume (this is not necessary, but having it might help you sometime)