What Is the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (S.E.V.P.)?

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a program within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is a part of the National Security Investigations Division and acts as a bridge for government organizations that have an interest in information on nonimmigrants whose primary reason for coming to the United States is to be students. On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), SEVP manages schools, nonimmigrant students in the F & M visa classifications and their dependents.

The Department of State manages Exchange Visitor Programs, nonimmigrant exchange visitors in the J visa classification and their dependents. Both SEVP and the Department of State use the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to track and monitor schools; exchange visitor programs; and F, M and J nonimmigrants while they visit the United States and participate in the U.S. education system.

What Is the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (Sevis)?

SEVIS is the web-based system that DHS uses to maintain information on SEVP-certified schools and the F & M students who come to the United States to attend those schools. SEVIS also maintains information on Department of State-designated exchange visitor program sponsors and J-1 visa exchange visitor program participants. It is a critical tool in SEVP’s mission to protect national security while supporting the legal entry of the more than one million F, M and J nonimmigrants to the United States for education and cultural exchange.

Definitions

• Nonimmigrants – Person entering the United States to visit, study or work (depending on the type of visa) temporarily but not to stay permanently in the United States.

• F-1 nonimmigrant students – Nonimmigrant status conferred on a student pursuing a full program of study in a college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, private elementary school, other academic school or language training program in the United States that is SEVP-certified to enroll F and/or M students.

• M-1 nonimmigrant students – Nonimmigrant status conferred on a foreign national pursuing a full program of study at an SEVP-certified vocational school or other recognized non-academic school (other than in language training programs).

• J-1 exchange visitors – Foreign national selected by a Department of State-designated program to participate in an exchange visitor program.

• STEM – Science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs of study.

Students and Exchange Visitors

• There are currently 966,333 F & M students studying in the United States.
• There are currently 232,988 J-1 exchange visitors in the United States.
• Twenty-eight percent of all F & M students in the United States originate from China.
• Seventy-five percent of all F & M students in the United States are from Asia.
• When compared to July 2013, the number of active F & M students and exchange visitors increased eight percent to 87,370.

Sevp-Certified Schools

• There are 8,976 SEVP-certified schools in the United States approved to accept international students.
• Seventy-nine percent of SEVP-certified schools have between zero and 50 enrolled F & M students.
• Seventy-two percent of all F & M students are enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral programs.
• Since April 2014, there was a twenty-six percent decrease in the number of all F & M students enrolled in secondary school degree programs; compared to July 2013, there was a ten percent increase.

STEM Data

• There are 344,299 F & M students studying in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in the United States.
• Eighty-five percent of all F & M STEM students in the United States originate from Asia.
• Forty-three percent of all F & M STEM students study engineering.
• Sixty-nine percent of all F & M STEM students are males.

Others

• 28% of all F & M students originate from China, followed by 12% from India.
• 56% of all F & M students studying in the United States are males. Eastern Europe sends the most females (58%) and Western Asia the most males (77%).
• 35% of all F & M students study in CA, NY and TX.
• 27% of all SEVP-certified schools are located within the states of CA, NY and FL.
• 72% of all F & M students are enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral programs.
• 26% decrease in the number of all F & M students enrolled in secondary school degree programs since April 2014. When compared to July 2013, there was a 10% increase.
• 69% of all F & M students studying in STEM fields in the United States are male. The Caribbean sends the most females (44%) and Western Asia the most males (85%).
• 75% of all F & M STEM students study engineering, computer and information sciences and support services, and biological and biomedical sciences.
• 70% of all F & M STEM students studying engineering originate from China and India

At 270,684 total students, China has more students studying in the United States than all other continents, excluding Asia. Since April 2014, there was a 27 percent decrease in the number of students from China in the secondary education level, which mirrors the quarterly trend in nonimmigrant students studying in the United States. However, there was only an 11 percent decrease in the number of students from China pursuing bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degrees.