Only schools that are certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) can enroll F or M nonimmigrant students. All certified schools have responsibilities to follow in order to maintain their certification.

Public K-12 Schools

An F-1 student may attend an SEVP-certified public high school (grades nine through 12), with certain restrictions:

• For a maximum period of 12 months — this time limit includes all public high schools the student attends. Students cannot spend a year at one public high school and then transfer to another.
• Students must pay the full, unsubsidized per capita cost of attending the school district for the period of the student’s attendance. Payment of this fee must occur before the student applies for an F-1 visa.

An F-1 student may not attend a public school for kindergarten through grade eight because those schools cannot be SEVP-certified.

A minor F-2 or M-2 dependent of an F-1 or M-1 student may attend public school at the appropriate grade level without any additional permission or documentation from SEVP.

Private K-12 Schools

Private schools at any grade level are eligible for certification. International students may apply for F-1 status to attend a private, SEVP-certified school for grades K-12. Unlike public schools, regulations place no limit on the length of time an F-1 student may attend a private, SEVP-certified school.

After Grade 12

An F-1 high school student, who would like to continue studying in the United States after graduation, may apply to an SEVP-certified college or university. If they are accepted, as the student’s DSO, you will be responsible for transferring the student’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record from one school to the other.