Only schools that are certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) are authorized to accept F and M students. Other than English as a second language (ESL) schools, SEVP does not require a school to be accredited before it can be SEVP-certified. However, evidentiary requirements to apply for SEVP-certification for schools that have been accredited are much less than for those who have not. The only accrediting bodies that SEVP recognizes during the certification process are those accepted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) as “reliable authorities concerning the quality of education or training.”

SEVP recently distributed a broadcast message to stakeholders with new information on accrediting bodies. This page of ED's website has information about the recognized accrediting bodies for post-secondary schools, such as community colleges, four-year universities or graduate schools.

For information on the SEVP-identified accrediting bodies for private elementary and secondary schools, you can view the accrediting bodies document from SEVP’s website.

If you have questions, contact SEVP at 703-603-3400 or sevp@ice.dhs.gov.