F1 Visa Interview Experience 2026: Real Interviews & Reasons for Acceptance or Rejections
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If you are going for your F1 visa interview soon, then you can go through some of the real F1 visa interviews from this article. These F1 Visa Interview Questions are real interviews and include the reasons for acceptance or rejection. This will help you understand what to say and what not to say and how to tackle certain types of questions.
Candidates who want to pursue higher education in the United States of America (USA) are required to apply for their F1 Visa successfully. The USA has been a popular study-abroad destination for students from India and globally due to its state-of-the-art infrastructure, world-class faculty and a student-friendly post-study stay period. All undergraduate and graduate programs, such as MS, MBA, and B.Tech, which require more than 18 hours of study per week, require students to apply for an F1 Student Visa in the US.
One of the major steps to effectively acquiring an F1 Student Visa is to have successfully cleared your F1 Visa interview. The US Student Visa Interview is an integral part of the US Student Visa Application and can last up to several minutes. Candidates looking to ace their US Student Visa interview can check our guide to excel on their interview day. US VISA Appointment in India Step-by-Step Guide is another comprehensive article that provides a step-by-step guide to the US Visa process in India.
- Do's & Don'ts of F-1 Visa Interviews 2026
- Real F-1 Visa Interview Experiences 2026
- F-1 Visa Interview Experience Leading to Rejection
- F1 Visa Interview Experience FAQs
Do's & Don'ts of F-1 Visa Interviews 2026
If you are planning to study in USA soon, and are about to submit your US student visa application, then brace yourselves. A lot of new rules have been introduced in 2025 and based on that it can affect Indian students greatly.
| Do's |
Don'ts |
|---|---|
| Know your university's ranking, faculty, and why your course isn't better suited for India. |
Officers can easily detect memorized answers; speak naturally. |
| Answer directly in clear English without a forced accent. |
Keep responses concise (30-60 seconds) to fit shorter 2026 interview windows. |
| Neatly catalogue your I-20, DS-160, and SEVIS receipts for quick access. |
Only provide supporting paperwork if the officer specifically requests it. |
| Disclose all handles used in the last 5 years on your DS-160. |
Avoid making last-minute privacy changes; keep social accounts public for 2026 vetting. |
| Be ready to name sponsors, their professions, and precise annual earnings. |
Never say you plan to work part time in US to fund your studies; it's a common rejection reason. |
| Link your degree to specific job roles or industries growing in India. |
Avoid mentioning H-1B goals or US PR aspirations. |
| Wear clean, well-ironed professional attire or formal Indian wear (like a sari or salwar kameez). |
Arrive at least 15–30 minutes early to handle security checks without stress. |
Before getting on to checking the real F-1 visa interviews, check out the following video to understand the do's and don'ts of F-1 visa interviews:
Real F-1 Visa Interview Experiences 2026
Our Shiksha Study Abroad counselling team has prepared hundreds of applicants for their student visa interviews. Often, we tend to learn from our experiences, and the conversation snippets below are between candidates and visa officers (Visa Officers) for the benefit of first-time F1 Visa aspirants.
Case Study 1
College: California State University, California
Interview Outcome: Approved
Visa Attempt Number: 1
Interview Date: 2025-08-25
Interview Time: 10:10
Interview City: Hyderabad
Interview Country: India
Exam Profile
Exam Type: Exempt
Exam Score: 0
English Test Type: IELTS
English Test Score: 7
Education Profile
Grad Level: Bachelors (4 Years)
Grad Major: Computer Science
Grad GPA: 7.45
Grad Institute: Deccan College
Grad Country: India
Job Profile
Job Type: Fresher
Job Years: 0
Interview Details
VO: Which University are you applying for?
Me: I'm going to California State University
VO: How many universities did you apply?
Me: I have applied to 6 universities and got 2 admit others pending in department review
VO: Why this University?
Me: Explained why I choosen this university
VO: How are you going to fund the education?
Me: I father is sponsoring to me.....
VO: Keep your social media handles public
Me: Officer i already did it.
Case Study 2
College: Montclair State University, New Jersey
Interview Outcome: Approved
Visa Attempt Number: 4
Interview Date: 2025-07-20
Interview Time: 09:30
Interview City: Delhi
Interview Country: India
Exam Profile
Exam Type: Others
Exam Score: 0
English Test Type: Dulingo
English Test Score: 130
Education Profile
Grad Level: Bachelors-4
Grad Major: Computer Science
Grad GPA: 7.54
Grad Institute: Osmania University
Grad Country: India
Job Profile
Job Type: Devops Intern
Job Years: 0.7
Interview Details
VO: I can see 3 rejections here?
Me: Yes sir, unfortunately i got refused 3 times for my f1 visa
VO: Why you were rejected?
Me: tbh I think that was my mistakes in representing my self or i haven't open up regarding my profile
VO: Why do you only want to go to the USA? You could have applied to another country as well.
Me: yes officer based on my profile , i could have applied to other countries too but it will not impact my career with other countries. Officer my goal is not just to pursue masters in USA but i want to create that USA education impact on my country , i will be getting many opportunities to learn under the top professors in every field like software engineering and .... stopped
VO: so what if i reject your visa again?
Me: officer i will reapply again if you tell me any shortcomings in my profile or the areas that i need to improve
VO: when was the last time you got rejected and can you tell me the date and location?
Me: yes officer it was dec 2 2024 at mumbai consulate
VO: well it been a while , what are the changes that you have done then since?
Me: officer after that i have gained some more experiences on some tools and technologies that will be helpful for my future goals . I have gained some hands on experiences on CI/CD tools and AWS which is cloud service provider....
VO: ok. CI/CD tools right?
Me: yes officer
VO: tell me about docker?
Me: officer its a platform for developing and running applications in isolated environment which is containers and there are several terms used in docker such as docker image , docker volumes... stopped
VO: When did you graduate?
Me: officer in june 2023
VO: What is your GPA?
Me: officer my CGPA was 7.54 on a scale of 10
VO: who is sponsoring your education?
Me: officer my father is sponsoring me with his savings of XX lakhs and we have taken an educational loan of XX lakhs .... Seeing on his screen for some time and at this point i thought he is giving my passport back
VO: well have a nice stay in US , you will recieve your passport within a week?
Me: (almost cried while hearing that response, and my eyes were wet when i am coming back from that queue ) Officer thank you so much. Have a nice day
Case Study 3
Visa Officer: Good Morning
Candidate: A very Good Morning madam. (I was searching for the mike. Then the Visa Officer said its placed above me, so no need to search)
Visa Officer: Pass me your I20, Passport, SEVIS fee
Candidate: (passed them)
Visa Officer: (was typing something) Why CLU?
Candidate: CLU provides a flexible course curriculum as they offer two major specializations, Data Analytics, and Information Technology Management apart from that they also offer courses on Information Security. I would be grateful to work under Dr. Paul D Witman. He is an expert in Information Security and Information Management. At present, he is researching on Social Networks.
Visa Officer: Who is funding you?
Candidate: My parents are funding me. We have savings of Rs 30 lacs, a secured loan of 18 lacs and immovable assets worth 4 crores—(interrupted)
Visa Officer: What does your father do?
Candidate: My father is a businessman, his business is related to the construction field in which we buy and sell lands, and construction materials and in addition to that we provide hand loans.
Visa Officer: What is your father's annual income?
Candidate: 7 lakhs per annum.
Visa Officer: (was typing for five minutes, and enquired about my finances again)
Visa Officer: which specialization u want to go with and what plans?
Candidate: I want to start a company in India. It’s related to antivirus for personal computers and mobiles, I will go with information security and as I mentioned before Paul D Witman is an expert in Information Security. It will be helpful to me.
Visa Officer: How did you know about the University?
Candidate: I have my super seniors living in California and they suggested me this university.
Visa Officer: How many universities have you applied to?
Visa Officer: Four universities. They are Pace University, California Lutheran University, Dakota State University and Gannon University.
Visa Officer: How many admits?
Candidate: I have 3 admits and 1 reject. (Named the three universities I got selected in and mentioned Dakota State University where I was rejected)
Visa Officer: What is your UG stream?
Candidate: It's electronics and communication.
Visa Officer: Do you have any relatives in the US?
Candidate: No.
Visa Officer: (was typing for 2 minutes again) Why only the USA?
Candidate: The USA is a perfect combination of theory and practical knowledge which gives perfection in students—
Visa Officer: I'm approving your visa.
No document was asked, except for SEVIS, i20, and passport.
F-1 Visa Interview Experience Leading to Rejection
Following are some of the F-1 visa interview experiences that have led to the rejection of USA visas for students, check them out below:
Case Study 4
Case Study 3
First Visa Experience
Status: Rejected
Consulate: Chennai
Visa Officer: Please come over
Candidate: (Entered and wished him) Good Morning
Visa Officer: Good morning, pass me your i20 form
(Passed on the i20)
Visa Officer: So the University of South Florida is it?
Candidate: Yes sir
Visa Officer: So tell me about your funding
Candidate: Sir I have a savings of Rs 11 lakhs, and Rs 24 lakhs are in the form of fixed deposits and in addition to that I have a bank loan of 20 lakhs.
Visa Officer: Are you taking the loan from three different places?
Candidate: No sir the loan is only 20 lakhs.
Visa Officer: What does your mother do?
Candidate: She is a central government employee and works for LIC of India.
Visa Officer: What is her annual income?
Candidate: 12 lakhs per annum sir.
(He typed the information onto the computer and told me to hand over the passport. Later he looked at me and told me that he would not be able to issue a visa and handed me the 214(b) denial form.)
Candidate: Sir is there anything I’m missing from my end or I have not answered the questions properly?
(He smiled back at me and told me to re-apply later.)
Check out the Top Reasons for US Student Visa Rejections
Case Study 5
Visa Officer What is your major in undergrad
Candidate: I've completed my bachelor's in electronics and communication stream
Visa Officer What have you done after that?
Candidate: I got campus placement in a company called Gridlex as a full stack developer where my role includes in creating and designing websites according to client requirements and managing their data, generating reports
Visa Officer What are the other universities you applied
Candidate: I have applied to the following universities:
- Saint Louis University
- Clark University
- Sacred Heart University
- University of Alabama
Visa Officer: Why this University?
Candidate: The course curriculum officer, which includes subjects in various fields like coding, business analytics and UX.
Visa Officer: (interrupted and said) I'm sorry!
With social media vetting becoming a crucial factor, acing the F1 visa interview can become even more challenging. Admissions
F1 Visa Interview Experience FAQs
Q. Is rejection rate higher for F1 visa applicants?
A. It cannot be generalised if F1 visa rejection rate is higher. But since a lot of applicants apply for F1 visa in USA for studying, the chances can be high. Even if there is a small scope for rejection, either based on application, overall demeanour, contradictory talks in interview or other reasons, chances are that the application will be rejected.
Q. How can I pass my F1 visa interview?
A. Passing an F1 visa interview can be challenging, but by following these tips, you can aim to ace your F1 visa interview:
- Be well prepared
- Be very confident and do not fake it
- Answer as honestly as possible
- Avoid showing interest in staying back in the country for jobs/PR
- Ensure you are well dressed and have a pleasant demeanour
- Also keep all your documents in order
- Answer straightforwardly and avoid beating around the bush
Q. What to expect at US F1 visa interview?
A. Applicants going for their F1 visa interview to study in USA can be expected to be asked about their - future study plans in or out of USA, choice of university, assess applicant's academic capability to pursue and complete the course, understand their financial status and how they plan to finance their education and understand about the applicants' post-graduation plans if any.
There are various ways in which applying to California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is different from applying to other US universities. These are the main variations, according to the data at hand:
- First is the Application Procedure. Cal Poly uses Cal State to process online applications. Applying is open to both first-year and transfer students from October 1, 2026 through November 30, 2026. To increase their chances of being selected, students must select a major and review the selection criteria when submitting their applications.
- Second are the application requirements. Typically, the application calls for a transcript from high school, a college prep course load, and a high school GPA. It is not necessary nor advised to have SAT or ACT results.
- Unless the applicant is exempt from paying an application cost, there is a $70 application fee per campus. Email is the main method of communication used during the admissions process.
Applicant who wish to study at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology must meet the GPA requirements. We have mentioned the South Dakota School of Mines GPA requirements for international students as per the program:
· For UG admission, GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale required for South Dakota Mines admission
· For PG admission, GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale required for South Dakota Mines
Also read What is Grade Point Average (GPA) and how it affects your admissions to the US Universities?
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Comments
(5)
e
4 years ago
R
3 years ago
Hello aspirant. Yes, your profile is evaluated before your F1 Visa Interview. You can get in touch with our Shiksha counsellors for more information on the same: https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/apply
R
4 years ago
View More Replies (2)
A score of 26 is a great start. Most good universities in United States generally look for student scores between 28 and 30. While the very best schools often expect a 33 or even higher. Always prepare well for it.