USA SEVP-Certified School and Accreditation Check Guide for Nepali Students 2026–2027

Understand what each official check proves

SEVP certification allows a qualifying school to issue Form I-20 and enroll eligible F or M students. The official Study in the States School Search can be filtered by school, location, education type and visa category.

Accreditation is a separate review carried out by recognized non-governmental accrediting bodies. The U.S. Department of Education does not itself accredit universities, but it provides information about recognized agencies and a database of reported accredited institutions and programmes.

Match the offer, I-20 and campus record

Many institutions have several campuses, instructional sites or similarly named schools. Search the exact city and campus connected to the admission offer. Confirm that the programme is delivered at that location and that the school official issuing Form I-20 is part of the same institution.

If the search result is unclear, ask the university’s international office for its SEVP school code or written confirmation and compare it with the Form I-20. Do not rely on a screenshot supplied by an unrelated recruiter.

Check the outcome that matters after graduation

Institutional accreditation may not answer every career question. Nursing, engineering, counselling, teaching, law, architecture and other regulated paths can involve programme accreditation, state licensing or professional approval. A degree can be academically valid yet not satisfy a specific state licence or professional pathway.

Ask the department what graduates are eligible to do, whether the selected programme has required professional recognition, and how international credentials affect entry. For transfer plans, ask the receiving institution directly whether credits are likely to be accepted.

Pause before paying when evidence does not align

• The school or campus cannot be found in the official SEVP search.
• The recruiter refuses to identify the legal institution issuing Form I-20.
• The programme is described as accredited without naming the recognized accreditor.
• A guaranteed visa, job, transfer or licence is promised.
• Payment is requested to a personal account or an unrelated business.
• The admission letter, portal and Form I-20 show different names, campuses or dates.

Contact the university through the official domain shown on its website. Keep the offer, fee schedule, refund policy and correspondence in one evidence folder.

Verify tests only after the programme is real

Once the university and programme pass due diligence, confirm the admissions tests for the exact intake. SAT may support undergraduate admission or scholarship review. GRE can be relevant to graduate or doctoral programmes, while GMAT may be used for MBA and business pathways. IELTS, TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo English Test policies vary by institution.

A test score cannot repair an unrecognized programme or an invalid school choice. MKS Education therefore connects preparation with official programme verification and realistic application planning.