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  1. US Visa Statistics
  2. Approval Rates
  3. F-1

Official US State Department data

F-1 visa approval rate

What share of F-1 visa applications were approved each fiscal year, how many were issued and refused, and who gets F-1 visas.

Data through FY2024

F-1 visa applications approved, FY2024

US fiscal year: October 2023 to September 2024

59.0%59.0%

Down 4.7 ptsvs 63.7% in FY2023

In FY2024, 59.0% of F-1 visa applications were approved: 400,737 visas issued and 278,553 refused. That's 4.7 pts lower than FY2023. It's the lowest rate since at least FY2019.

Issued
401k
Refused
279k
Decided
679k
Approval rate by fiscal year
50%60%70%80%90%
FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24

Applications decided each year

Every F-1 visa application, issued or refused, by fiscal year.

IssuedRefused

FY2024 · 400,737 issued · 278,553 refused

0200k400k600k800k
FY19FY20FY21FY22FY23FY24

Who gets F-1 visas

F-1 visas issued to each country's nationals, last 12 months against the 12 months before.

Last 12 monthsThe 12 months before
  • 🇨🇳
    China22% of all
    55kDown 30%
    55,295 visas in the last 12 months, 79,118 in the 12 months before
  • 🇮🇳
    India12% of all
    30kDown 60%
    30,292 visas in the last 12 months, 75,060 in the 12 months before
  • 🇻🇳
    Vietnam5.4% of all
    14kDown 29%
    13,742 visas in the last 12 months, 19,385 in the 12 months before
  • 🇰🇷
    South Korea4.6% of all
    11kDown 19%
    11,491 visas in the last 12 months, 14,265 in the 12 months before
  • 🇫🇷
    France2.9% of all
    7.2kDown 4.6%
    7,191 visas in the last 12 months, 7,538 in the 12 months before
  • 🇧🇷
    Brazil2.8% of all
    7.2kAbout flat, 0.6%
    7,163 visas in the last 12 months, 7,207 in the 12 months before
  • 🇯🇵
    Japan2.7% of all
    6.7kDown 21%
    6,730 visas in the last 12 months, 8,533 in the 12 months before
  • 🇮🇹
    Italy2.4% of all
    6kDown 9.9%
    5,976 visas in the last 12 months, 6,632 in the 12 months before
  • 🇹🇼
    Taiwan2.3% of all
    5.9kDown 17%
    5,911 visas in the last 12 months, 7,123 in the 12 months before
  • 🇲🇽
    Mexico2.2% of all
    5.6kDown 14%
    5,638 visas in the last 12 months, 6,538 in the 12 months before

China, India and Vietnam received 39% of all F-1 visas issued in the last 12 months. Among the 20 biggest, Nepal fell the most (−69%).

Show the yearly numbers
Applications issued and refused per fiscal year, F-1 visas
Fiscal yearIssuedRefusedApproval rate
FY2024400,737278,55359.0%Down 4.7 pts
FY2023445,418253,35563.7%Down 1.3 pts
FY2022411,131220,67665.1%Down 15.1 pts
FY2021357,83988,58380.2%Up 11.3 pts
FY2020111,38750,49068.8%Down 5.8 pts
FY2019364,204123,87174.6%

Approval history starts in FY2019, when State Dept began counting applications instead of transactions. Earlier years are not directly comparable.

Compare every visa type's approval rate

About these numbers

Approval rate
Visas issued ÷ (issued + refused), worldwide, for each US fiscal year (October to September). Approval history starts in FY2019, when State Dept began counting each application's final outcome for that year. Earlier reports count transactions, including repeated refusals, so subtracting refusals later overcome doesn't make those years directly comparable. State Dept doesn't publish these tables by country or consulate.
Last 12 months
The 12 months up to the latest month State Dept has published, compared with the 12 months before. Monthly reports arrive a few months late. Calendar years run January to December.
Visas issued, not appointments
Every number here is a visa the US State Department issued. It shows demand and how much the consulates process, not how many interview slots are open.

Source: US Department of State.Monthly nonimmigrant visa issuancesNonimmigrant visa statisticsFY2019 reporting methodologyCheck Visa Slots isn't affiliated with the US government.