In a setback to his academic aspirations, a prospective Indian student’s application for an F-1 student visa to study in the United States was rejected during his interview at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi on June 18. The student, who had secured admission to the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) for a Master’s program in Computer and Information Sciences, shared his experience on Redditt to help others learn from his encounter.
With a slot time of 9:10 AM, the student was present at the embassy ahead of time. However, just before his turn at the counter, the visa officer (VO), believed to be in his 30s, took a short break. Upon returning, the officer resumed interviews, and the student greeted him with a polite “Good morning.”
The VO asked for the applicant’s I-20 and passport, and then confirmed his intended university and course. The student affirmed he was going to UTA for Computer Science, even though the I-20 document mentioned “Computer and Information Sciences.” He chose not to correct the discrepancy during the interaction, which may have contributed to confusion.
When asked why he chose that university, the student began to explain its strong academic reputation and alignment with his career goals, but was interrupted mid-sentence. The officer then inquired why he chose computer science, to which the student responded by explaining his long-standing interest in the field.
The final question pertained to the number of universities he had applied to, or the number of admits he received—though the student admits he’s unsure which it was. He listed UTD, Stevens Institute of Technology (SIT), and SUNY Binghamton as examples.
However, before he could elaborate further, the visa officer responded with a firm, “Sorry, I cannot approve your visa.”