How can I tell if a school has been blacklisted?

If you are considering studying in the United States, you have probably heard some horror stories about students being deported or universities being placed on a “blacklist”. This can make deciding on what school to apply for a very trick process. Nobody wants to go to a school that is involved in a scandal or risk having their reputation damaged, so you need to be very careful with any choices you make. In this article we will tell you all about blacklisted schools and try to give you all the information you need to make a safe and secure decision when picking a school.

What is the blacklist? There is no actual blacklist of schools issued by the USCIS, Department of State, SEVP or any other official government body. However, after a number of scandals in recent years, students have created their own list. It is worth noting, if you see a blacklist and decide not to apply for a school based on it, you will be acting on the advice of others, which may not reflect an official government stance.

So how can I tell which schools to avoid? Rather than depending on an unofficial blacklist, we recommend that you research schools yourself before deciding whether or not to apply. There are a number of tell tale signs to look for when deciding which schools to avoid. Here are some things to look out for.

Universities with relaxed admission requirements If a school is admitting students with poor academic achievements, it could be a sign that it is a school to avoid. Some schools even offer places to people who have not completed the GRE, Graduate Record Examinations, or the TOEFL, Test of English as a Foreign Language. In some cases, school admitting these students and giving them I20s could turn out to be low profile schools with bad credentials. The USCIS monitor all schools admission and these type of activities are likely to raise alarm bells. This could bring about a raid on the school which would be very bad for anyone currently studying there.

Universities without proper accreditation Schools that do not offer proper degree or diploma accreditation should definitely be avoided. Make sure all certificates are awarded by an officially recognized organization before applying. You can check the U.S. Department of Education website to double check the accreditation status of your school of choice.

Universities that break rules There have been a number of schools that have been found to be involved in illegal activities in recent years. Things like visa fraud could prove to be very troublesome for students who are enrolled so, to make sure you don’t end up in one of these schools, be sure to research them thoroughly before submitting any applications.

If you come across any schools that fall under any of the above categories you should be very careful if applying for them. You may be awarded with a visa and given an I20 but you could come across trouble at a later date if you do not choose wisely.

Have you had any experience with blacklisted schools? Do you have any advice for someone who is currently trying to choose a school? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

About Stilt:

Stilt provides loans to international students and working professionals in the U.S. (F-1, OPT, H-1B, O-1, L-1, TN visa holders) at rates lower than any other lender. Stilt is committed to helping immigrants build a better financial future.

We take a holistic underwriting approach to determine your interest rates and make sure you get the lowest rate possible.

Learn more about us on Wikipedia or visit us at https://stilt.com. If you have any questions, send us an email at team@34.82.110.37.

Frank Gogol

I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

See author's posts