How to check whether a U.S. boarding school can issue an I-20
If you plan to attend a U.S. boarding school on an F-1 student visa, the first thing to confirm is not the ranking or the tuition. It is whether the school is allowed to issue the Form I-20 at all.
Why SEVP certification matters
The Form I-20 is the document a U.S. school issues to show it has admitted you as an F-1 student. You need it to pay the SEVIS I-901 fee, to book a visa interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate, and to enter the United States.
Only schools certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, can issue an I-20. A school that is not certified cannot enroll you on an F-1 visa, however good it is.
How to check a school yourself
- Go to the School Search page on Study in the States (studyinthestates.dhs.gov).
- Search by the school's name, or filter by state. Each certified campus has its own record and campus code — for example, Phillips Exeter Academy's campus code is
BOS214F00415000. - Check that the record shows F (F-1 students) as an approved program.
- If you cannot find the school, try the name of its parent organization or a shorter form of the name, then ask the school's admissions office directly.
How USAnaru™ shows it
Every boarding school page on USAnaru™ has an International students section. When we matched the school to the official SEVP list, it shows the F-1 · I-20 badge, the campus code and a link to the school's record on Study in the States — for example Phillips Exeter Academy.
- You can list only matched schools with the F-1 (I-20) filter.
- As of October 10, 2026, 149 of the 173 boarding schools we list match a campus on the SEVP list dated October 7, 2026.
- We match by school name and city, so a missing match is a prompt to check — not proof that a school is uncertified. How we build our school data explains the sources and limits.
After you confirm certification
Once a certified school admits you, its designated school official (DSO) issues your I-20, usually after you show proof that you can pay tuition and living costs. Then you pay the SEVIS I-901 fee (check the current amount at fmjfee.com) and apply for the F-1 visa as described by the U.S. Department of State.
Rules and fees change. Always confirm details with the school and the official sources listed below — USAnaru™ is an independent information service, not a government agency, and does not issue visas or I-20s.
Schools in this article
- Phillips Exeter Academy · Exeter, NH F-1 · I-20
Questions
Can every U.S. private boarding school issue an I-20?
No. Only schools certified by SEVP can issue a Form I-20 for F-1 students. Most well-known boarding schools are certified, but you should check each school on the official list before applying.
Where is the official list of SEVP-certified schools?
On Study in the States (studyinthestates.dhs.gov), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security site. Its School Search page lets you look up a school and download the full certified-school list.
Can I attend a U.S. public high school on an F-1 visa instead?
Only for up to 12 months in total, and you must pay the full, unsubsidized cost of that schooling to the school district. Private schools that are SEVP-certified have no such time limit.
What does "not matched to the SEVP list" mean on USAnaru™?
It means our automatic name-and-city match did not find the school on the list — not that the school is uncertified. Schools sometimes appear under a parent organization or a different campus name, so confirm with the school's admissions office.
Related documents
- Boarding-school application checklist: a 12-month timeline · Checklist
- F-1 at a U.S. public high school: 12-month limit and full-cost reimbursement · Rule
- Template: request to your bank for a balance / sponsorship letter · Template
- Template: financial support statement (parent or sponsor) · Template
- Form I-20 (Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status) · Official form or fee
- SEVIS I-901 fee (F-1 $350 · J-1 $220) · Official form or fee · $350
Sources
- School Search — SEVP-certified schools — U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Study in the States)
- Student visa — U.S. Department of State
- SEVIS I-901 fee — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
General information as of Oct 10, 2026, not legal, immigration or admissions advice. Each school, the U.S. Department of State and SEVP decide; check the school's own pages and official sources before you act.
