Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified schools have many requirements that they must fulfill to enroll F or M students. All certified schools must have dedicated employees to assist their F and M students throughout the process and to maintain the school’s certification. Students usually know these officials as designated school officials (DSOs) but another important figure in the school certification process is the school’s principal designated school official (PDSO).

A PDSO can be anyone who works directly for the school — meaning they are not a contractor — and is either a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. Certified schools are required to have one PDSO and can have additional DSOs. The PDSO is a DSO, but has additional responsibilities. These include:

• Serving as the main point of contact for SEVP.
• Making certain updates to the school’s Form I-17, “Petition for Approval of School for Attendance by Nonimmigrant Student.”
• Filing the school’s recertification package.

To learn more about the certification process, visit the Schools Portal. You can also follow along with the monthly Questions from Designated School Officials blog series to get answers to common issues.