The most significant aspect of the patriot act that applies to higher education is the mandate requiring the INS to implement the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS is an internet-based system enabling schools, the United States of Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to transmit data about international students for purposes of tracking and monitoring. Information that is stored in SEVIS includes the name, date and place of birth, country of citizenship, current address, academic stats, commencement date, degree program and field of study, completed credits per semester, termination date, admissions documents, as well as a photocopy of the students immigration documents. The patriot act also facilitates and legalizes the access to confidential information for law enforcement personnel, while barring the institution from revealing the existence of law enforcement investigations.
