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.

Federal regulations require Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified schools to retain F and M students’ admission records both during and after the student enrolls in a full course of study at the institution.

Specifically, schools must keep an F or M student’s admission record for at least three years after the student is no longer pursuing a full course of study at the institution or the end of any period of post-completion OPT. A student’s admission record refers to any documentation the school used to make an admission decision on admitting the F or M student into its program of study.

This means school officials should not purge their F and M students’ admission records until after this three-year period passes. SEVP has the right to request an international student’s complete record during this prescribed time frame to verify compliance.

Although SEVP-certified schools define their own admission criteria and determine if a student meets these standards, regulations do require that schools receive the following documentation prior to issuing a Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status:”

• The written application.
• The student’s transcripts.
• The student’s proof of financial responsibility.

The above documents and any other supporting documentation required for acceptance into a program of study (e.g., letters of recommendation, personal essays, etc.) are all considered documents related to a student’s admission records and thus must be kept on file for the required length of time.

To learn more about SEVP regulations, visit ICE.gov’s Schools and Programs Overview page and view the governing SEVP regulations. If you have a recording keeping question, please contact the SEVP Response Center.