Accreditation of English Language Training Programs Act (May 2012)

In April 2012, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that both stand-alone and college language programs must produce evidence of their accreditation during certification reviews for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

This requirement comes from the Accreditation of English Language Training Programs Act. The law, which was passed in 2010, requires independent language schools that admit international students to be accredited, or to have applied for accreditation, before 15 December 2011. All English language training programs must be accredited by 15 December 2013.

For more information:

• The SEVP Information Sheet (PDF) provides additional background on the Accreditation Act and SEVP's plan of action.
• SEVP - Accreditation of English Language Training Programs Act
• Joint AAIEP & UCIEP Response to SEVP
• NAFSA Memo on Application of the IEP Accreditation Law
• Chronicle of Higher Education: U.S. May Require College Language Programs to Get Special Accreditation - 20 May 2012 (subscription)
• Inside Higher Ed: U.S. Officials Try to Assuage International Educators' Concerns on English Programs - 1 June 2012