Sponsored Funding includes sources outside of personal, family, or Texas A&M funding such as sponsoring government agencies, major corporations, or other sponsoring organizations.  If the sponsor funding does not fully cover the estimated cost, the F-1 or J-1 will be required to show additional financial resources to make up the difference. This could include personal funding, third-party funding, or Texas A&M University funding.

If a F-1 or J-1 is being financially supported by a sponsoring government agency, major corporation, or other sponsoring agency, ISSS needs to receive an offer letter that describes the financial support in detail:

• Name of the F-1 or J-1 holder
• Date of issuance of the offer letter (must be dated within the last 6 months from the date the document is being reviewed by ISSS)
• Contact information for the sponsor
• The specific amount of funding contributed and the frequency it will be distributed(once, yearly, monthly, etc.)
  • Funding does not have to be in USD, but the type of currency must be stated.
• The benefits (i.e. insurance), if any, that accompany the financial offer (If the letter does not specify insurance or any other benefit, ISSS cannot assume they are included.)
• If the sponsor wants the Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 to be issued for a specific period of time.
  • If a specific period is not needed, then ISSS will refer to our other policies to determine the length of I-20 or DS-2019 to issue

• Students Only: Letters for students must also include:
  • The student's academic program
  • The applicable date(s) or academic term(s) of the offer. The offer must apply to current or future dates/terms.
  • Any contributions toward the cost of the student's tuition and/or fees.  It is best to very specific with wording in the letter. Some examples include.
    • The student's tuition is being paid but they are still responsible for fees
    • All the student's tuition and fees will be paid
  • Does the sponsor require the student to be in F-1 or J-1 status?
    • If the sponsor requires that the student be in J-1 status, they must provide the majority of the student's funding (i.e. 50.1% or more) for a minimum of 2 years (24 months)
  • How is the funding provided to the student?
    • For example, through third-party billing or directly to the student?
    • If your sponsor will be paying part or all of your tuition and fee bill directly to Texas A&M University, this is called third-party billing. The Specialized Student Billing unit within Student Business Services handles all third-party billing arrangements and questions. Please visit https://sbs.tamu.edu/info-for/sponsors/index.html for additional information and contact ssb@tamu.edu with any questions.

All Sponsored Student Funding documents must comply with the Basic Requirements for All Financial Documents.