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Leverages SEVIS Coordinator as a Service to Respond Faster to Compliance Demands

Summary

NAME:

Northern Illinois University (NIU)

LOCATION:

  • DeKalb, Illinois

# of INTERNATIONAL students:

  • 1,350+
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Overview

Northern Illinois University (NIU) faced recurring issues with SEVIS data processing, duplicate records, and time-consuming compliance processes.

With Terra Dotta’s SEVIS Coordinator as a Service, NIU was able to uncover critical process gaps, significantly reduce manual workload, and meet urgent compliance requirements with confidence.

The Challenge

NIU’s ISSS office relied on Slate queries to identify newly admitted students—but some students weren’t being captured.

  • Readmitted OPT students were mistakenly processed as new, creating duplicate records.
  • Manual oversight was required to catch these errors, adding risk and workload.

Additionally, during recertification, NIU received a time-sensitive Request for Evidence (RFE) requiring detailed reporting on programs with CPT—an overwhelming task given the data wasn’t readily accessible.

220+

student profiles accurately processed

580+

student profiles accurately processed

33%

more time saved by eliminating manual processing

What could’ve taken days of sifting through catalogs to meet the RFE was done in moments. Terra Dotta pulled exactly what we needed, stress-free.

Solution

Looking Ahead

With Terra Dotta’s SEVIS Coordinator as a Service, NIU streamlined and automated its SEVIS data management.

  • Automated Data Processing: The service identified missing students on day one and flagged critical gaps in data processing.
  • Duplicate Record Prevention: Automatically detected returning OPT students to avoid duplicate records.
  • Rapid RFE Response: Pulled CPT requirement data directly from student records, turning a multi-day task into a matter of moments.

NIU plans to continue using the service as enrollment grows and compliance requirements shift.

The scalability of the offering ensures support through both high-volume and quieter periods—helping staff stay focused on students and strategy, not spreadsheets.

Key Takeaway

Terra Dotta’s SEVIS Coordinator as a Service provided NIU with a smarter, faster, and more reliable way to manage SEVIS data.

Beyond immediate relief, the institution gained long-term operational confidence and freed up resources to better support its international students.

This service helped us uncover a critical gap that had caused Newly Admitted Students not to be processed. Our Executive Director of Admissions was incredibly grateful Terra Dotta found the issue.

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