International Student and Scholar Services

ISSS Administrative Fees

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ISSS Administrative Fee Schedule

ISSS Fee Descriptions

International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) assesses several administrative fees and charges to support our immigration compliance, advising services, and unit operations. The fees described below reflect ISSS administrative fees and charges only, and do not reflect the cost of U.S. government visa application fees, SEVIS fees, or USCIS filing fees.

Information about fee payment amounts and methods are described below and will be included in the instructions for specific processes and requests that require a fee. If you are required to pay a fee, please be mindful of the following:

Be sure that you have selected the correct fee. Paying the incorrect fee may slow down processing of your request.
Be sure that you are eligible for the service you are requesting. Read through the fee descriptions below for more information.
Have a valid credit card available. Payment by cash or check are not accepted. Fee payment will be online through Brown's Touchnet marketplace system.

Click on the appropriate link for more information about specific fee amounts and policies.

ISSS Administrative Fees and Charges

F-1 Post-Completion OPT Administrative Fee

F-1 STEM Extension of OPT Administrative Fee

J-1 Academic Training Administrative Fees (Short-term and Standard Requests)

J-1 Visiting Research Fellow Fee (Short-term and Standard Requests)

J-1 Student Intern Fee

Late Submission Processing Charge

Fee	F-1 Post-Completion OPT Administrative Fee
Effective Date	Effective for requests submitted on or after 10/1/2026
Fee Purpose	For F-1 students applying for their initial period of post-completion Optional Practical Training. This fee does not apply to pre-completion OPT requests or other types of F-1 employment. There is a separate fee (see next tab) for STEM Extension OPT requests.
Amount	$160.00
Payment Method	You will have access to a link to the payment portal when you submit your post-completion OPT request in the ISSS Gateway.
Waivers or Refunds	Undergraduate students on high demonstrated financial need (HDFN) should contact the International Student Advising office for information about fee waivers. A refund may be granted for those who pay the fee but decide not to apply for post-completion OPT. You must notify ISSS BEFORE submitting the I-765 application to USCIS. Contact isss@brown.edu and provide details. If approved, your OPT request will be removed from your SEVIS record.
Late Submission Charge	An additional charge of $75.00 is required for expedited processing of OPT requests submitted 14 days or less before the expiration of your F-1 status. To avoid this charge, please submit your post-completion OPT request in the ISSS Gateway at least 15 days before the expiration of your F-1 status. If uncertain regarding when your status expires, contact isss@brown.edu.

Fee	F-1 STEM Extension Administrative Fee
Effective Date	Effective as of 7/1/2025
Fee Purpose	For F-1 students on post-completion Optional Practical Training who are applying for the STEM Extension of OPT.
Amount	$310.00
Payment Method	You will have access to a link to the payment portal when you submit your STEM Extension request in the ISSS Gateway.
Waivers or Refunds	There are no waivers for this fee. A refund may be granted for those who pay the fee but discontinue the STEM Extension application process BEFORE submitting the STEM Extension application to USCIS. Contact isss@brown.edu and provide details.
Late Submission Charge	An additional charge of $75.00 is required for expedited processing of late STEM Extension OPT requests submitted 14 days or less before the expiration of your post-completion OPT. To avoid this charge, please submit your STEM Extension OPT request in the ISSS Gateway at least 15 days before the expiration of your post-completion OPT.

Fee	J-1 Academic Training Administrative Fee (Short-term): training periods of six months or less J-1 Academic Training Administrative Fee (Standard): training periods longer than six months
Effective Date	Effective for requests submitted to ISSS as of 10/1/2026
Fee Purpose	For J-1 students (non-degree or degree) applying for post-completion Academic Training.
Amount	$75.00 for short-term training periods (six months or less) $160.00 for standard training periods (longer than six months)
Payment Method	You will have access to a link to the payment portal when you submit your Academic Training request in the ISSS Gateway.
Waivers or Refunds	There are no waivers for this fee. There are no refunds for this fee once the Academic Training request has been processed by ISSS. If you make an initial request for a short-term Academic Training period of six months or less, and later request an extension of the Academic Training beyond six months, your initial payment for the short-term fee be refunded but you will be charged the standard fee instead.

Fee	J-1 Visiting Research Fellow Fee (Short-term): VRF programs of six months or less (effective 9/1/26) J-1 Visiting Research Fellow Fee (Standard): VRF programs longer than six months (effective 9/1/26)
Effective Date	Effective for requests submitted to ISSS as of 9/1/2026
Fee Purpose	For visiting graduate students coming to Brown to engage in research with a Brown faculty member, under the Visiting Research Fellow program.
Amount	$225.00 for short-term VRF requests (six months or less) $375.00 for standard VRF requests (longer than six months)
Payment Method	You will be given instructions to pay the fee when submitting required documents to your host department. A copy of the payment receipt must be submitted along with other required documents before your VRF request can be fully processed.
Waivers or Refunds	The fee is waived for the following VRF applicants: Applicants whose J-1 visas will be sponsored by IIE / Fulbright or another J-1 sponsoring agency Applicants already in the U.S. in another visa category (e.g., F-1), who do not need Brown sponsorship to enter or stay in the U.S. for the VRF period at Brown Any VRF who is not able to come to the U.S. to start their VRF program may write to isss@brown.edu for refund consideration. Refunds may be granted on an exceptional basis.
Exemptions	The fee will not be assessed for extensions of an existing J-1 VRF program.

Fee	J-1 Student Intern Fee
Fee Purpose	For visiting undergraduate students coming to Brown to engage in research internship with a Brown faculty member, under the J-1 Student Intern program.
Effective Date	Effective for requests submitted to ISSS as of 9/1/2026
Amount	$375.00
Payment Method	You will be given instructions to pay the fee when submitting required documents to your host department. A copy of the payment receipt must be submitted along with other required documents before your J-1 documents may be processed.
Waivers or Refunds	There are no waivers for this fee. A refund may be granted in exceptional situations for those who start, but are required to discontinue, the J-1 visa process. Contact isss@brown.edu and provide details.

Charge	Late Submission Processing Charge (effective 9/1/26)
Charge Purpose	To ensure timely submission of requests, ISSS assesses a late submission processing charge for student requests received within 14 days of the expiration of the student's current status or work authorization. These include: F-1 students applying for post-completion OPT within 14 days of the end of their 60 day grace period F-1 students applying for the STEM Extension of post-completion OPT within 14 days of the expiration of their current period of authorized post-completion OPT
Amount	$75
Payment Method	You will be provided a link by an ISSS staff member to pay the charge if required.
Waivers or Refunds	There are no waivers or refunds for this charge, except in highly extenuating circumstances requiring the approval of the ISSS Director. Contact isss@brown.edu with details.