US Student & Exchange visas

The US student and exchange category covers the routes for coming to the United States to study or take part in an exchange programme. The F visa is for academic study and the M visa for vocational or non-academic study; the J exchange visitor visa is for approved work-and-study exchange programmes. You must first be accepted by an approved school or programme sponsor before you apply — a visitor visa or the Visa Waiver Program cannot be used to study or for exchange programmes. This section groups the US student and exchange routes and links to the official U.S. Department of State guidance.