Washington — In a sign that a federal database that tracks foreign students continues to grow, the State Department announced today a fee increase that will in some cases more than double what colleges and universities pay for services under the Exchange Visitor Program. The increased fees, which appeared in the Federal Register, will partially support the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or Sevis, which was put in place after September 11, 2001, to track nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors in the United States.

Recent data from the State Department indicate that, as of October 1, more than 1,045,000 active students, exchange visitors, and their dependents were being monitored by Sevis. More than 4.7 million international students, visitors, and their dependents have been put into the system since 2003.

The new program fees will affect colleges and universities starting on December 3. Officials at Nafsa: Association of International Educators are urging institutions to update their status with the State Department before the new fees go into effect. —JJ Hermes