Questions from Designated School Officials is a blog series on Study in the States for designated school officials (DSOs). Each month, we will answer a question that will help you advise your F and/or M students. If you are a DSO and would like to submit a question, you can email us or ask us via social media, your Field Representative or the SEVP Response Center. We may edit questions for clarity and consistency and may not feature all submissions on Study in the States.

Program start and end dates in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) define how long admitted students have to complete their educational objectives (i.e., the time frame it will take to complete a program of study at an SEVP-certified school and earn a degree, certificate or diploma).

The initial session start date is the first day of class for the student’s first term or session at the school. It may be the same as the program start date, which is the date the student is expected to begin their program and may be the date of any required orientations or other activities before the start of classes.

Whereas, session start and end dates in SEVIS define the duration of a specific school term (i.e., the time frame that divides up the year or program of study). The length of a session varies depending on the type of school the student attends. For instance, sessions at U.S. colleges and universities are often measured in semesters, quarters or other individual term lengths.

This means that program start and end dates indicate when a student begins and completes their course of a study, while session start and end dates indicate the beginning and end of the current or next academic term.

As a DSO, it is important that you know the difference between program dates and session dates so your school can accurately report student information to the government. This also prevents confusion about a student’s status.

For more information, please visit the Understanding SEVIS Program and Session Dates on the SEVIS Help Hub.