When completing an application to study at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified college or university in the United States, it is important that you do not commit plagiarism. Committing plagiarism on an application will lead to rejection from the college or university.

Plagiarism.org defines plagiarism as:

• Submitting someone else's work as your own.
• Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit.
• Failing to put a quote or excerpt in quotation marks.

It is particularly important to understand the definition of plagiarism when submitting a college essay, which is required in some application processes. U.S. colleges and universities value honesty and academic integrity. They also strive to evaluate students based on the merits of their own work and ideas. For these reasons, many schools use internet resources to check for plagiarism in college applications and essays. 

Are you applying to study in the United States as an F-1 or M-1 international student? Remember that you must apply directly to the SEVP-certified schools that you wish to attend and not to SEVP. To ensure that the schools you apply to are SEVP-certified, use the Study in the States School Search tool.