SEVIS Program Sponsors & Designated School Official (DSO) Responsibilities 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) in a J-1 exchange visitor program is analogous to which role in an F/M student program?
- PDSO
- DSO (Correct answer)
- SEVP adjudicator
- DHS analyst
Correct answer: DSO
An ARO assists the RO and has delegated SEVIS access, paralleling the DSO role at SEVP-certified schools.
Question 2: How often must SEVP-certified schools recertify to maintain their certification status?
- Every year
- Every two years (Correct answer)
- Every three years
- Every five years
Correct answer: Every two years
SEVP requires schools to recertify every two years by submitting an updated Form I-17 petition demonstrating continued eligibility.
Question 3: If a DSO notices unauthorized access to a student's SEVIS record, what should be their immediate first step?
- Delete the student's SEVIS record and re-enter it
- Contact SEVP immediately to report the security incident (Correct answer)
- Issue a new Form I-20 with a corrected SEVIS ID
- Terminate the student's record and file a new I-17
Correct answer: Contact SEVP immediately to report the security incident
Unauthorized SEVIS access is a security incident that must be reported to SEVP promptly so they can investigate and take corrective action.
Question 4: A DSO at a SEVP-certified school is required to notify SEVP within how many days if the school no longer meets the minimum enrollment requirement?
- 15 days
- 21 days
- 30 days (Correct answer)
- 60 days
Correct answer: 30 days
Schools must notify SEVP within 30 days of any material change, including falling below enrollment minimums, by updating their Form I-17.
Question 5: Which SEVIS function allows a DSO to verify that a prospective student's financial resources meet the requirements for their program of study?
- The Financial Evidence Review tool
- The Create Record function when issuing an I-20 (Correct answer)
- The SEVIS Batch Upload module
- The Student Exchange Visitor Information portal
Correct answer: The Create Record function when issuing an I-20
When creating a student record and issuing Form I-20, the DSO enters and attests to the student's demonstrated financial support as part of the record creation process.
Question 6: A school's SEVP certification may be withdrawn if the school fails to maintain which of the following?
- A dedicated international student office with a minimum of three full-time staff
- Adequate and accurate recordkeeping and reporting in SEVIS (Correct answer)
- Enrollment of at least 100 F-1 students per academic year
- Partnership agreements with at least two foreign universities
Correct answer: Adequate and accurate recordkeeping and reporting in SEVIS
SEVP may withdraw certification when a school fails to maintain required SEVIS recordkeeping and reporting obligations, which are central to program integrity.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the role of the PDSO compared to a DSO at an SEVP-certified school?
- The PDSO can issue DS-2019 forms while DSOs cannot
- The PDSO has all DSO permissions plus exclusive authority to update the school's I-17 petition (Correct answer)
- The PDSO is the only official who can terminate a student's SEVIS record
- The PDSO must countersign every Form I-20 issued by a DSO
Correct answer: The PDSO has all DSO permissions plus exclusive authority to update the school's I-17 petition
The PDSO holds all standard DSO permissions and additionally has the exclusive authority to submit and update the school's I-17 petition in SEVIS.
SEVIS Program Sponsors & Designated School Official (DSO) Responsibilities 2
An Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) in a J-1 exchange visitor program is analogous to which role in an F/M student program?