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Carnegie Mellon University
Office of Enrollment Management  ›  Office of International Education  ›  Pre-Arrival & Settling In  ›  New Foreign Students  ›  Pre-Arrival Instructions & Information  ›  Document Your Financial Support

Document Your Financial Support

U.S. government regulations require that in order to qualify for non-immigrant student status, students must prove the availability of sufficient funding to meet their expenses for the first year of study, and have a reasonable expectation that the same level of support will be available in subsequent years. Therefore, students should consider how they will fund their studies for the entire length of their program.

Before submitting documents proving your sufficient financial support, it is important to understand the estimated cost of attending Carnegie Mellon.

Instructions for Submitting Financial Documents

To demonstrate each source of your financial support, scan your original financial documents (acceptable documents are listed below) and upload the scanned copy in the MyOIE Portal when and where requested (see Step 4). Keep one original copy of these documents for yourself; they may be needed when applying to the U.S. Consulate or Embassy for a student visa and/or to present to border officials upon entry to the U.S.

All supporting financial documents must be in English* and must clearly state:

  1. The date, which must be no more than six months in the past.
  2. The name of the account holder.
  3. The account type (i.e., savings, fixed deposit).
  4. The type of currency (i.e., Euro, RMB, INR, SGD). If not in U.S. dollars, OIE will convert the currency amount to U.S. dollars to assess the amount of funding shown. 

*If financial documentation cannot be issued in English, a certified English language translation needs to be provided along with the original document. Self translations to English are not accepted. 

If OIE has any questions about your submitted documentation, our staff will contact you directly via email (to your Andrew ID email account). Please regularly monitor your Andrew email account for any correspondences from our office.

  • Bank statement from a deposit account (example: checking, savings, deposit account).
  • Letter from a bank on bank letterhead.
  • An official letter from a loan-issuing agency, on loan agency letterhead, clearly indicating your loan is 'approved' or 'sanctioned.'
  • Original letter from a scholarship awarding agency, indicating your name as the award receipient, and indicating the precise amount awarded, the duration of the award, and other terms of the award. The letter must be dated no more than six months in the past.
  • The value of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and similar investments will be counted at 50% value.
  • A sponsor's annual salary, noted on a letter from the employer, will be counted at 50% value.
  • Notarized statements are accepted, but not required.
  • Planned or future U.S. employment
  • The value of property, jewelry, or other personal belongings
  • The proposed sale of property, jewelry, or other personal belongings
  • Chartered Accountant statements 
  • Life insurance policies
  • Tax return documentation
  • Retirement accounts
  • Provident Fund Accounts of any kind are unacceptable, unless a letter is provided that clearly states a specific amount of funding available for educational purposes.
  • Loan documentation that notes any loan status other than 'approved' or 'sanctioned' 
  • Paystubs/payroll statements are unacceptable. However, we can accept an annual salary, noted on a letter from the employer, that will be counted at 50% value.
  • CMU cannot accept documentation of funding from countries or entities that are sanctioned by the U.S. government. Students who have questions about whether or not this may apply to their funding source(s) can direct their questions to oie@andrew.cmu.edu. 

Step 3

MyOIE Portal

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