Access

1. Will SETA be available to principal designated school officials (PDOS)/designated school officials (DSOs) only or will alternate responsible officers (AROs)/responsible officers (ROs) have access?

All current and prospective school and sponsor officials are encouraged to take the courses available in SETA.

2. Where will the new SETA trainings live? Will SETA have its own site, or will it be available in SEVIS?

At this time, users cannot access SETA within SEVIS as the two do not currently share information between platforms. To access SETA, please use this link.

3. Will there be instructions for how to access and login to SETA? If so, where will those be available?

Yes, instructions on how to access the SEVP External Training Application (SETA) and make an account are available on the SETA resource page on Study in the States. You must access SETA on this site.

4. Will I be able to use my SEVIS login for SETA?

No, you will need a separate login credential from your Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) account. However, access to SEVIS is not a requirement to create an account or take courses in SETA. For instructions on how to create a SETA account, please refer to the SETA Account Creation User Guide on Study in the States.

5. Should I mimic my SEVIS credentials when making a SETA account?

At this time, SETA is independent of SEVIS and the two platforms do not share information. However, if you have one or more SEVIS account, follow the directions in the SETA Account Creation User Guide when creating your SETA account. Certain information in your SETA account profile should match the information in one of your SEVIS account profiles.

6. If I have more than one SEVIS account, should I create a SETA account for each SEVIS account?

Regardless of how many SEVIS accounts you have, you should only ever create and maintain one SETA account. Your SETA account profile information should match the corresponding information in one of your SEVIS account profiles.

Previous DSO Training

1. Does SETA replace the existing DSO training and will it be accessible on ICE.gov/SEVIS?

At this time, SETA serves as additional, supplementary training to the previous DSO Training available on ICE.gov/SEVIS, but does not replace it entirely. Current and prospective designated school officials (DSOs) are encouraged to refer to the previous DSO Training for additional topics not yet added to SETA. SEVP expects to add additional courses on a range of topics in the coming year.

2. Is a DSO’s certification from the old DSO training still valid?

Yes, SEVP will still recognize those certificates until additional courses covered in the previous DSO Training on ICE.gov/SEVIS are available in SETA. Please note that SETA issues a transcript with the date of successful course completion.

Course Completion

1. Is completing the SETA courses mandatory? If so, how will SEVP make the training mandatory?

No, at this time completion of the first four courses available in SETA is not mandatory. Current and prospective school and sponsor officials are encouraged to take this training to boost understanding of the rules and regulations governing SEVP and EVP. All passing scores will count for completion once the training becomes mandatory. SEVP expects that completion of these trainings, as well as additional trainings, will become mandatory in the future.

2. Has SEVP always required DSOs to complete mandatory training?

No, SEVP has not previously required DSOs complete mandatory training. The completion of the first four available SETA courses is encouraged, but not mandatory.

3. I’m an experienced school official. Can I test out of these courses?

Yes, each SEVP course provides the option to test out without completing each course’s lessons. However, each course requires a specific score to test out. DSOs are encouraged to take each course as it may contain useful content and resources. EVP 101 does not have a test or a test out option.

4. How soon should school officials complete this training?

Currently, there is no deadline to complete these courses and users are welcome to complete the courses at their own pace. Please note that SEVP plans to add additional courses in the coming year and any passing scores will count for completion once the training is mandatory.

5. How long will it take users to complete each course?

Each course provides an estimated time frame for completion. Each course may be started, saved and completed at a later date.

6. I’m a new DSO. Should I complete this training before my school adds me as a school official to their SEVP certification?

Completing the first four courses available in SETA is not a requirement to be added to a school’s SEVP certification petition. However, SEVP encourages prospective DSOs to complete this training to gain a better understanding of the responsibilities associated with becoming a school official.

7. Do I need to complete this training to gain SEVIS access?

No, at this time, completion of this training is not a requirement to access SEVIS.

8. If I do not complete this training, will I lose access to SEVIS?

No, at this time, completion of this training is not a requirement to maintain access to SEVIS.
 

General Questions

1. Who do I contact for help?

Should you have questions or technical issues, please email SEVP at SETA@ice.dhs.gov. The SEVP Response Center will also direct all emails and calls to this email.

2. Will my browser support SETA? What browser should I use?

You can use SETA on most modern browsers, including Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge. However, do change your browser if you see this banner in SETA: "Browser Change Recommended - It looks like your web browser won't let you complete SETA training. Try using a different browser." If you keep getting this notice or have other technical issues, please email SETA@ice.dhs.gov.

3. Can I access this on my desktop or mobile phone?

SETA is mobile friendly. You may use SETA on your desktop, mobile phone or tablet.