Background. Malignant non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most difficult neoplasms to transplant into nude mice. Mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) accept various human cancers much more efficiently than do nude mice. The authors investigated whether SCID mice could be used as convenient hosts in which to grow human NHL in vivo. Methods. Fifty NHL specimens were engrafted into SCID mice. The original specimens and the tumors that developed in SCID mice were studied immunohistologically and by Southern blot analysis to clarify their clonal identity and to determine if they were Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)‐transformed B cell proliferations. Results. SCID tumors developed from 23 of 50 NHL specimens. Ten tumors were identical immunophenotypically and, partly, genotypically to the original NHL, showing that the original NHL grew in the SCID mice. B‐cell NHL rather than T‐cell NHL and high‐grade rather than low‐grade malignancy groups were much more easily heterotransplanted. Most of the heterotransplanted NHL were maintained by successive transplantation. In two other SCID tumors, the original NHL clones and a newly developed B‐cell clone coexisted. The remaining 11 SCID tumors were composed of newly developed clones. The latter 13 tumors were shown to be human cells of B‐cell lineage bearing EBV latent proteins–‐latent membrane protein 1 and EB nuclear antigen 2–‐suggesting that they originated from EBV‐infected B‐cells that were present in the original tumor tissues. Conclusion. SCID mice accept human NHL far more efficiently than do nude mice. However, frequent occurrence of spontaneous EBV‐associated B‐cell proliferation must be kept in mind.