Nichols College

Faculty Member, International Business

Director of Academic Programs at Graduate and Professional Studies, Chair International Business Program, Associate Professor Management

Thesis Title: A Study of How the Student and Exchange Visa Information System Influences the Influx and Study of Graduate International Students in Science and Engineering in the U.S.

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ABSTRACT

The influx of graduate international students in science and engineering in the U.S. has changed since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The implementation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and related F-1 visa policies has required a higher level of scrutiny of the student visa procedures, and introduced strict student monitoring policies and measures. The implementation of the SEVIS monitoring and compliance system has altered the operation of international student service offices and affected the students they serve, the universities enrolling international students, and the flow of international students to the United States.

This study investigated the effects of SEVIS on graduate programs and students in science and engineering.  Information was gathered from 75 respondents in the 60 universities with the highest populations of international students in these fields, as listed by NSF.  Respondents included department administrators, admissions officials, and SEVIS professionals.  Data were collected from 75 on-line survey respondents and in 21 semi-structured interviews.

The results of this study suggest that many international students are negatively affected by SEVIS, struggling in a way that impacts their ability to remain in-status, to understand how the system works. Many of them experience feelings of apprehension, fear, and mistrust towards the system and student service offices. However, department administrators, SEVIS professionals and student advisors have increased their level of support for these students, providing them guidance on how to remain in-status and how to improve their social and academic experience in the United States—so that relatively few international students are deported for falling out-of-status in SEVIS.  However, the data also made clear that program administrators and admissions officials have surprisingly little knowledge about SEVIS, F-1 visa policies, and their influence on international enrollments.

Finally, this study provided evidence of a significant increase in workload for international student advisors and SEVIS professionals.  The universities interviewed have hired additional staff, increased their information technology investment in linking home-grown student service systems with SEVIS, proactively attempting to anticipate any hurdles international students may have, and resolving them as expeditiously as possible.

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