An invitation to study at a university is a mandatory document for obtaining student visas in most countries. An official invitation letter is sent by mail to all applicants who have entered, and then the future student must attach it to the package of papers for applying for a visa. However, in order for the consulate to accept your application for consideration, it is necessary that the letter meets certain mandatory parameters.
What is an invitation to study and what is it for
An invitation to study at a university is a document confirming the fact of admission of an applicant to a university in the form of an official letter. It is often required by foreigners when applying for student visas. Actually, the registration of the latter is the main purpose of obtaining this document.
The invitation letter is sent by the educational institution to which the applicant enters. In this case, the document must have the following mandatory attributes:
- the stamp of the educational institution;
- official signature;
- be issued on A4 letterhead.
Depending on the conditions of a particular country, additional requirements may be put forward for issuing a certificate, which you can learn about directly when preparing documents for a trip to the country of destination.
Universities can send help by post, email or fax. It is advisable to clarify the delivery method at a specific educational institution.
Foreign applicants should also know the name of this document in different countries. For example, in the USA and European countries it is an invitation letter, in Germany - einladung, in Poland - zaproszenie, in France - convention d'accueil, and in Austria - zulassungsbescheid.
Invitations can be in paper or electronic form. In the first case, you often have to wait a long time, so it is advisable to order the delivery of the document by express mail. Many universities immediately send a letter by email so that the applicant can print it and submit it to the consulate for visa processing, and at the same time send a paper document by the postal service.
In some countries, for example, in Austria, USA and Great Britain, before sending an official invitation, the applicant is sent a conditional letter. This letter usually contains the conditions that the prospective student must fulfill in order to obtain a place at the university.
After the conditions are met (for example, exams are passed, additional documents with test results are provided), the applicant is sent an unconditional offer - a letter confirming the guaranteed retention of a place for a foreigner if he accepts the university's offer. However, such letters are not official documents confirming admission to the university.
Procedure for obtaining an invitation
In order to receive an invitation to study at a foreign university, a foreigner must apply for admission to the selection committee of the selected educational institution.
The exact list of necessary documents that must be sent to the university along with the application can be found by calling the admissions office or on the university website, but often it consists of the following papers:
- application for admission;
- a photocopy of the page with the data of the passport;
- a photocopy of the document on completed education (school certificate, diploma of higher education);
- motivation letter;
- photocopies of certificates of passed international tests;
- for master's / doctoral programs - academic resume;
- recommendations from former teachers (if required);
- certificates of completion of courses, diplomas, diplomas for winning competitions (if any);
On average, an invitation to study after submitting documents has to wait about 12-15 weeks.
How to check the authenticity of an invitation
The invitation is authentic if it bears the stamp of the educational institution and the signature of the official, in addition, it must be issued on a letterhead. The document must be checked for all these attributes before submitting it along with the rest of the papers for a visa.
You also need to check if all the data is correct and if there are any errors in names and dates. If a typo is found in the document, then you should inform the admissions office by sending an email to your email address with a request to resend the invitation.
What information does the invitation contain?
In addition to the main attributes, the invitation to study must contain information about the educational institution (university name, address, phone, fax, email), the full name and surname of the foreign citizen, faculty / institute / specialty, the planned period of the training course, as well as the date of the letter and coat of arms or logo of the university.
What is the price
Invitation documents for prospective students are issued free of charge. The only thing that the applicant may need to spend money on is the delivery of the invitation to Russia or another country of residence in the case of registration of the shipment by express mail.
The cost of delivery depends on the tariffs of a particular service, which need to be clarified directly at checkout.
Sample invitations
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with samples of invitation letters to study at educational institutions in different countries.
Sample invitation to study at a US university
Sample invitation to study at the University of Canada
Sample invitation to study at a UK university
Sample invitation to study at the University of Italy
Registration of a study visa
To apply for a student visa, the following documents must be submitted to the consulate:
- international passport;
- application form
- civil passport (photocopy of pages with marks);
- an official invitation from the university;
- motivation letter;
- documents confirming graduation from educational institutions;
- confirmation of a sufficient amount of financial resources (for example, a letter from the university department about receiving a scholarship);
- color photos of good quality;
- if a visa is needed for advanced training, then the applicant must submit an order from the employer containing information on the type of activity, purpose of the trip and date;
- if the applicant is not 18 years old at the time of submission of documents, then the consulates of some countries may require parental consent for the minor to travel abroad.
The final list of required documents for obtaining a study visa should be found out directly at the consulate of the country in which you will study.
Finally
For admission to a university abroad, you must prepare a package of documents to be sent to the admissions office. After the commission makes a decision on enrollment, an invitation will be sent to the foreigner by mail. This invitation is often the main document on the basis of which a student visa is issued. Letters may have different contents depending on the educational institution, but all of them must have an official seal and signature of an official.
