SEVP I-17 Frequently Asked Questions

4. Preparing the petition for SEVP certification

4.1 Are there instructions on using SEVIS and how to apply for SEVP certification?

4.2 Should the Form I-17 information on students reflect all students or just nonimmigrant students?

4.3 My school is not accredited. Can you direct me to the nationally recognized accrediting bodies?

4.4 What qualifies as language training on the Form I-17 petition?

4.5 Should a student enrolling in ESL before entering a vocational school be admitted in F or M status?

4.6 What does it mean that another institution will unconditionally take transfer students/credits?

4.7 Do all public high schools that want to enroll nonimmigrant students need to receive SEVP certification for F or M nonimmigrant students?

4.8 Why do public high schools need to charge F nonimmigrant students the unsubsidized per capita cost of education?

4.9 What is a DSO or PDSO?

4.10 What is the difference between a DSO and a PDSO?

4.11 What are the requirements for appointing DSOs?

4.12 What information about DSOs must be entered on the application for SEVP certification?

4.13 Who approves nominations for DSO?

4.14 What does it mean when someone who has been appointed a DSO signs a Form I-17A, Record of Designated School Officials?

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4.1 Are there instructions on using SEVIS and how to apply for SEVP certification?

The primary means for SEVP to communicate with all SEVIS users is through the SEVP website. It will be to your advantage to become familiar with this site as soon as possible and visit it frequently to receive latest program and system updates.

Specific guidance on using SEVIS and completing your SEVP certification application will be found in the “User Manual for Temporary Users of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System How to Complete and Submit the Form I-17, Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Students”

The SCB gives the following supplemental guidance to accompany the description of entries for each field on the petition in SEVIS. (Note: the field numbers on the electronic version—as entered in SEVIS—do not correspond with the numbering that appears on the printed I-17):

Field 1—Academic or vocational certification. In general, the following types of institutions should seek certification for F (academic and language) students:


• K-12 institutions
• Language schools
• Degree issuing institutions of higher learning
• Ministry or religious training to conduct religious services
• Fine Arts (dance, music, theatre, photography)

The following types of institutions should seek certification for M (vocational/ technical) students:


• Post secondary vocational schools, which do not issue associates, bachelors, masters or doctorate degrees
• Technical training institutions
• Colleges or community colleges which offer non-degree programs (certificate programs, associate-level and below)

Institutions may seek either F or M certification, or certification to enroll both, depending on the types of programs for which the school is seeking approval.


Field 2—Name of school system. Institutions should file under the individual school name, unless they are filing as a school system. In this case, file under the school district name and list each school as a separate campus. Public school systems (or private K-12 systems with record keeping centralized at a main office or school) should simply file under the school system name and do not need to list the high schools as separate campuses, but instead should just list the district office. For example, an archdiocese could file the petition under the name of the archdiocese and list the central office as its location. The site visit will be conducted at this location and, if approved, the entire archdiocesan school system will be certified.

Field 3—Mailing address. This address is where all mailed correspondence will be sent. This may be a P.O. box, but should include the complete street address for overnight delivery purposes. If the school or school system is applying with multiple locations, enter the address of the main location.

Field 4—Location address. The primary location or main campus for the school. In the case of school systems, this is the location where the site visit will be conducted and should be the main location where records will be maintained.

Field 5—School type. Public institutions are defined as those funded through state, local, or federal funds. If this institution is filing as private, an owner name will be required. If the owner is an individual, list his or her name in this field. If the institution is instead operated via a board of directors or trustees, this may be indicated here. If the institution is incorporated, list the corporation name and the governing body. The owner’s address must be a street address and cannot be a P.O. box.

Field 6—Education engaged in. You may select multiple types of education in this field. Only select the fields in which the school is seeking certification to enroll nonimmigrant students.
• If the school offers a full-time “English as a Second Language” program separate from other curricula, indicate that the school is engaged in English Language Training. If English is just an adjunct or will be taken in conjunction with other courses, do not indicate English language training.
• Do not include reference to any programs below the kindergarten level, as these are not approvable for nonimmigrant students.
Field 7—Sessions. Indicate in this field the type of sessions the school operates under. “Other” may be selected for annual and/or continuous enrollment. If you list “quarters” in Field 7, you should list four dates in Field 8.

Field 8—Registration. Session start dates should match the type of session offered. For example, if the school checked quarters, four session start dates must be listed. Indicate the month and day in this field.

Field 9—Date of establishment. To file a petition, the institution must be currently conducting instruction in the course of study for which they are seeking approval. For example, if your institution operates multiple locations that are already SEVP-certified, and you are opening a new campus that holds only interim accreditation, it still may be eligible for certification. If you believe that your institution may fall into this category, contact the SCB.

Field 10—Authorizations. Include all approvals obtained by the state in which the school’s campus is located. (If campuses are located in other states, approvals from them should be included, too.) Do not abbreviate.

Field 11—Accreditations. Include any type of accreditation or approval held from a regional or nationally recognized accrediting body (i.e., recognized by the U.S. Department of Education).

Field 12—Areas of study. Check only those fields in which the school is seeking approval to enroll nonimmigrant students.

Field 13—Degrees available. Indicate the degrees that the school wishes to have certified for nonimmigrant student enrollment. Credentials not listed (such as certificates or diplomas) should be listed in the “other” section.

Field 14—Education engaged in. Leave all drop down boxes BLANK except those that apply to the type of school AND programs in which the school is seeking certification. Indicate English language training only if the school intends to issue Forms I-20 specifically for English as a Second Language.

Field 15—Sessions. Indicate when sessions for nonimmigrant students will be held.

Field 16—Admission requirements. Include all admission requirements for nonimmigrant students. For public high schools, payment of the full, unsubsidized per-capita cost of education before issuing the Form I-20 must be included as an admission requirement.

Field 17—Courses of study. List the programs in which you intend to enroll nonimmigrant students and the approximate duration of each program. For non-degree related programs or English language programs, you must list the hours per week of instruction, hours per week of lab work, number of weeks of the program, and total hours to complete the program. Public secondary schools should acknowledge in this field that they understand that F students may only attend one academic year in a public high school.

Field 18—Graduation requirements. This field should include graduation requirements. If the school is applying for multiple programs, a catalog or statement will be required to list the requirements for each program.

Field 19—Causes for expulsion. Indicate the expulsion requirements that apply to nonimmigrant students.

Field 20—Institution information. Provide approximate annual figures in this field.

Field 21—Cost. This figure should be the current year’s cost. For public high schools, this value should be the full, unsubsidized, per capita cost of education. This should include all sources of school funding (local and state).

4.2 Should the Form I-17 information on students reflect all students or just nonimmigrant students?

See the specific instructions for each field in the User Manual for Temporary Users of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System How to Complete and Submit the Form I-17, Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Students and as amended in section 4.1 (above)

4.3 My school is not accredited. Can you direct me to the nationally recognized accrediting bodies?

A list of the accrediting bodies recognized for post-secondary education by the U.S. Department of Education can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

4.4 What qualifies as language training on the Form I-17 petition?

This term relates to any program designed solely to instruct a student in English as a Second Language (ESL). If the school intends to issue Forms I-20 for ESL training, this information should be listed on your petition. If the school does not intend to specifically issue Forms I-20 for ESL, then this information does not need to be reported. Public high schools and private K-12 schools do not need to list ESL instruction, unless it is a stand-alone program.

4.5 Should a student enrolling in ESL before entering a vocational school be admitted in F or M status?

A student whose primary intent is to pursue vocational or technical training and who takes English language training at the same school solely for the purpose of being able to understand the vocational or technical course of study is classified as a nonimmigrant in M status.

4.6 What does it mean that another institution will unconditionally take transfer students/credits?

Unconditional transfer is otherwise known as an articulation agreement. If not accredited by a recognized accrediting agency, a school applying for SEVP certification must have an articulation agreement with other schools of higher learning, attesting that the credits of the applicant school will be accepted unconditionally (without exception) by the other schools. Articulation agreements must be with institutions that are accredited by agencies that are nationally recognized by the Secretary of Education .

In addition, schools may provide letters from schools with nationally recognized accreditation that they have accepted unconditionally the transfer of credits to their institution.

4.7 Do all public high schools that want to enroll nonimmigrant students need to receive SEVP certification for F or M nonimmigrant students?

No. A public school can be approved to accept nonimmigrant foreign students as exchange visitors in J visa status. The public school would receive this approval through a third party (i.e., Rotary) that is validated by DOS as an exchange visitor program. If a school has such approval, it does not need to apply for additional SEVP certification to enroll F or M nonimmigrants.

A school that does not have approval by an exchange visitor program has no alternative but to obtain SEVP certification if they wish to enroll nonimmigrant students.

4.8 Why do public high schools need to charge F nonimmigrant students the unsubsidized per capita cost of education?

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 made significant changes to F-1 nonimmigrant student regulations. Among these, F-1 nonimmigrant students are restricted to a maximum of one year of attendance in a public school, may only attend in grades 9-12, and must pay the unsubsidized per capita cost of education.

4.9 What is a DSO or PDSO?

A Designated School Official (DSO) or Principal Designated School Official (PDSO) must be a regularly employed member of the school administration whose office is located at the school and whose compensation does not come from commissions for recruitment of foreign students. (If an individual’s principal employment for the school is to recruit foreign students for compensation, he or she does not qualify to be a DSO. The president, owner, or head of a school or school system must name the PDSO and any other DSO, by signing the Form I-17A. The PDSO and DSO may not delegate this designation to any other person.

4.10 What is the difference between a DSO and a PDSO?

The PDSO is also a DSO, having identical requirements and responsibilities. The PDSO has additional responsibilities and access privileges in SEVIS beyond those of someone who is solely a DSO.

4.11 What are the requirements for appointing DSOs?

• All DSOs must be either citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States.
• Each campus must have one PDSO. The PDSO is responsible for updating SEVIS to reflect the addition or deletion of all DSOs on his or her associated campus. DHS will also use the PDSO as the point of contact on any issues that relate to the school's compliance with the regulations as well as any system alerts generated by SEVIS. In all other respects the PDSO and DSO share the same responsibilities.
• Each campus must have a DSO located on-campus.
• Each school may have up to 10 DSOs at any one time, including the PDSO. In a multi-campus school, each campus may have up to 10 designated officials at any one time including a required PDSO.
• However, in a private elementary or public or private secondary school system, the entire school system is limited to 10 DSOs at any one time, including the PDSO.

4.12 What information about DSOs must be entered on the application for SEVP certification?

The application for school approval must include the names, titles, and original (not copy) sample signatures of each DSO on the Form I-17A.

4.13 Who approves nominations for DSO?

In the overwhelming number of cases, SEVP accepts the nomination of the appropriate school official. However, at its discretion, SEVP may reject the submission of any individual as a DSO or withdraw a previously accepted DSO.

4.14 What does it mean when someone who has been appointed a DSO signs a Form I-17A, Record of Designated School Officials?

Signing the Form I-17A is a certification by the individual being appointed that he or she is familiar with SEVP regulations relating to the requirements for admission and maintenance of status of nonimmigrant students, change of nonimmigrant status under part 248 of 8 CFR, and school approval under 8 CFR §§214.3 and 214.4. Further, it affirms the official's intent to comply with these regulations. At the time a new DSO is added, the DSO must make the same certification.

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