The STEM OPT extension: who qualifies and what the rules require

Who qualifies for the STEM OPT extension? An F-1 student who is in a valid period of post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT), holds a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in a field on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List from an accredited, SEVP-certified US school, and works for an employer enrolled in E-Verify can apply for 24 more months of OPT. The employer must sign a training plan, Form I-983, and the student must file Form I-765 before the current OPT ends. Strict limits on unemployment and regular reporting apply throughout.

What does the STEM OPT rule say?

The extension is in the F-1 practical training regulation:

"Consistent with paragraph (f)(11)(i)(C) of this section, a qualified student may apply for an extension of OPT while in a valid period of post-completion OPT authorized under 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(3)(i)(B)." 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)

The same paragraph sets the length and limits. The extension is 24 months for the first qualifying degree. A student who later completes a qualifying degree at a higher level may get a second 24-month extension, but "In no event may a student be authorized for more than two lifetime STEM OPT extensions." (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C))

Two terms first. OPT is the work authorization F-1 students can use to train in their field, usually 12 months after the degree. SEVP, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, certifies schools to enroll F-1 students, and your DSO (designated school official) is the person at your school who recommends you for OPT in SEVIS, the student database.

Which degrees qualify?

The degree must meet three tests (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(1) to (3)):

1. Level: a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree.
2. Field: the degree's category must be on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List when the DSO makes the recommendation.
3. School: from a US school accredited by an agency the Department of Education recognizes. USCIS adds that the school must be SEVP-certified when you submit the application (USCIS, STEM OPT).

The list works by Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes, the Department of Education's numbering system for fields of study. The current list, last updated July 22, 2024, includes everything in four core two-digit series: Engineering (14), Biological and Biomedical Sciences (26), Mathematics and Statistics (27) and Physical Sciences (40). It also includes selected six-digit codes from 18 related series, among them Computer and Information Sciences (11), Social Sciences (45) and Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services (52) (DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List; ICE, SEVP school resources). A business or social science degree qualifies only if its exact code is listed. In practice, your DSO can confirm your program's code.

An earlier STEM degree can count. If your current OPT is based on a non-STEM degree, you may use a previous STEM degree, if it was conferred by an accredited, SEVP-certified US school within the 10 years before the DSO's recommendation, is on the current list, and the job is directly related to it. You cannot have already used that degree for a STEM extension (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(3); USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part F, Chapter 5).

What must the employer do?

More than for regular OPT. The first requirement is E-Verify, the federal system for confirming that new hires may work in the United States:

"The student's employer is enrolled in E-Verify, as evidenced by either a valid E-Verify Company Identification number or, if the employer is using an employer agent to create its E-Verify cases, a valid E-Verify Client Company Identification number, and the employer remains a participant in good standing with E-Verify, as determined by USCIS. An employer must also have an employer identification number (EIN) used for tax purposes." 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(5)

The employer must also (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(6) to (11); USCIS, STEM OPT):

• Offer at least 20 hours a week of training, with duties, hours and pay commensurate with similarly situated US workers.
• Have a bona fide employer-employee relationship with you; volunteer roles and "employer in name only" arrangements do not qualify.
• Provide the training itself, through its own employees or contractors it retains directly. It cannot hand the training to a client or customer, or to their staff or contractors.
• Attest that it has the resources to train you, that you will not replace a US worker, and that the job helps you reach your training goals.
• Report your termination or departure to your DSO within 5 business days.
• Accept possible DHS site visits, normally with 48 hours' notice.

USCIS cautions that multiple employer arrangements, sole proprietorships, temp agencies and labor-for-hire consulting arrangements "may not be able to demonstrate a bona fide employer-employee relationship". Start-ups can qualify if they meet every requirement, including E-Verify and commensurate pay (USCIS, STEM OPT; USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part F, Chapter 5). You cannot sign the employer attestations for yourself (Study in the States, STEM OPT Extension Overview).

What is Form I-983?

Form I-983, Training Plan for STEM OPT Students, is the individual training plan you and your employer complete before your DSO can recommend you. It must set training goals, including the specific knowledge, skills or techniques you will gain; explain how the job will achieve them; describe how your performance will be evaluated and supervised; and explain how the training relates directly to your STEM degree. You give the signed form to the DSO at the school you last attended (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(7)).

The form keeps working after approval (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(7) and (9)):

• A self-evaluation within 12 months of the STEM OPT start date, and a final evaluation at the end, both signed by you and the employer and due to the DSO within 10 days.
• A new Form I-983 within 10 days of starting with a new employer, followed by a new DSO recommendation.
• A modified Form I-983 for any material change, such as a pay cut not tied to fewer hours, a drop below 20 hours, or a new EIN after a restructuring.

When and how do you apply?

The window is set by regulation:

"A student meeting the eligibility requirements for a 24-month OPT extension under paragraph (f)(10)(ii)(C) of this section may request an extension of employment authorization by filing Form I-765 or successor form, with the required fee and supporting documents, up to 90 days prior to the expiration date of the student's current OPT employment authorization." 8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(i)(C)

You must also file within 60 days of the date the DSO enters the recommendation in SEVIS (8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(i)(C)). DHS says you cannot apply during the grace period after your initial OPT ends (Study in the States, STEM OPT Extension Overview).

USCIS lists what to file: Form I-765 with the fee; your employer's name as listed in E-Verify and its E-Verify company ID or client company ID; a Form I-20 endorsed by your DSO within the last 60 days; and a copy of your STEM degree (USCIS, STEM OPT). Under Form G-1055 (edition 10/07/26), STEM OPT falls under the general Form I-765 fee: $520 if filed on paper or $470 if filed online (USCIS Form G-1055 Fee Schedule). Premium processing is available for STEM OPT applications, with action within 30 business days (USCIS, premium processing); the Form I-907 fee for OPT and STEM OPT applications is $1,780, on top of the I-765 fee (Form G-1055). In practice, check the fee schedule again on the day you file, because fees change.

If your OPT ends while you wait. If you filed on time and properly, your work authorization is automatically extended for up to 180 days, or until USCIS decides, whichever comes first. This STEM OPT rule is separate from the automatic EAD extensions for renewals that DHS ended in October 2025 and finalized on October 14, 2026 (91 FR 65306); that rule did not change the STEM OPT provision (8 CFR 274a.12(b)(6)(iv); USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part F, Chapter 5).

Start date. The 24 months begin the day after your initial OPT expires, no matter when USCIS approves (8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(iii)(A)).

How much unemployment is allowed?

The regulation sets an overall cap:

"During post-completion OPT, F-1 status is dependent upon employment. Students may not accrue an aggregate of more than 90 days of unemployment during any post-completion OPT period described in 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(3)(i)(B). Students granted a 24-month OPT extension under paragraph (f)(10)(ii)(C)(2) of this section may not accrue an aggregate of more than 150 days of unemployment during a total OPT period, including any post-completion OPT period described in 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(3)(i)(B) and any subsequent 24-month extension period." 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(E)

So STEM OPT adds 60 days to the 90 you had on regular OPT, for 150 in total (USCIS, STEM OPT). What this means in practice: track your days without a qualifying job from the start of OPT, not from the start of STEM OPT.

What do you have to report?

Reporting is a condition of keeping F-1 status on STEM OPT (8 CFR 214.2(f)(12)(ii)):

• Within 10 days of a change, report to your DSO a new legal name, residential or mailing address, employer name or address, or loss of employment. USCIS also lists email address (USCIS, STEM OPT).
• Every 6 months, complete a validation report confirming those details, even if nothing changed. It is due within 10 business days of each reporting date.

Is STEM OPT changing?

DHS has proposed new OPT fees that would also cover the STEM extension. The proposal is not final; see our post on the proposed $70,000 OPT fee for the details and comment deadline.

A separate July 2026 rule that replaces "duration of status" with fixed admission periods would, among other things, shorten the period after post-completion OPT or STEM OPT from 60 days to 30 days. A federal court postponed that rule on September 14, 2026, pending further order, and the government has appealed (Preliminary Injunction Order, ECF No. 51). The STEM OPT rules described in this post are the ones in force.

What comes after STEM OPT?

Together with 12 months of initial OPT, a 24-month STEM OPT extension adds up to 36 months of practical training; in practice, that can mean more than one H-1B registration season. USCIS says students eligible for a cap-gap extension can also apply for STEM OPT during the cap-gap period (USCIS, cap-gap page). If the lottery does not work out, see what you can still do, O-1 or H-1B, and the eight O-1A criteria. For a green card without an employer sponsor, see the NIW three prongs.

What this means in practice: two years in a STEM role is a good time to collect evidence such as publications, peer reviews, patents, talks and records of your role, while it is fresh.

Where to start

Start with the free evaluation, with no account and no card, to see where your record stands against the O-1 and EB-2 NIW criteria. Frank then finds real opportunities for the criteria you are missing and saves the proof as you go. Starter is $49 a month with a 7-day free trial. STEM OPT questions belong with your DSO, and H-1B questions go to partner-firm attorneys, not Frank. Legal work is done by licensed attorneys at an independent partner firm. Green Card Guide is not a law firm, and this post is not legal advice.

Sources

All checked October 14, 2026.

• eCFR, 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10), (f)(11) and (f)(12), as in force on September 14, 2026 (the version in force while the duration of status rule is postponed). Eligibility, employer rules, Form I-983, unemployment, filing window and reporting, quoted above. The paragraphs quoted and cited here, (f)(10)(ii)(C) and (E), (f)(11)(i)(C), (f)(11)(iii)(A) and (f)(12)(ii), read the same in the eCFR "current" view, which shows the postponed rule's changes elsewhere in (f)(10) and (f)(11).
• eCFR, 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(6)(iv). The 180-day automatic extension.
• DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List (last updated July 22, 2024) and ICE, SEVP school resources. The qualifying fields.
• USCIS, Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT) (updated January 30, 2026). Eligibility, filing documents, employer duties and reporting.
• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part F, Chapter 5 (current as of October 2, 2026). STEM OPT eligibility, employers, evaluations and filing.
• Study in the States, STEM OPT Extension Overview (updated April 28, 2025). No filing during the grace period; employer attestations.
• USCIS, How Do I Request Premium Processing? (updated March 23, 2026) and Form G-1055 Fee Schedule (edition 10/07/26). Premium processing time frame; the general I-765 fee ($520 paper, $470 online) and the I-907 fee for OPT and STEM OPT ($1,780).
• Federal Register, Removal of Automatic Extensions for Certain Employment Authorization Documents, 91 FR 65306 (October 14, 2026). Adopts the October 2025 interim rule as final; it amends the renewal EAD extension rules, not the STEM OPT extension in 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(6)(iv).
• US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Presidents' Alliance v. DHS, No. 1:26-cv-13799-FDS, Preliminary Injunction Order, ECF No. 51 (September 14, 2026) and notice of appeal, ECF No. 53 (September 30, 2026). Postponement of the duration of status rule and the appeal.
• USCIS, cap-gap page (updated January 17, 2025). STEM OPT during cap-gap.

Frequently asked questions

Green Card Guide AI is not a law firm and this article is not legal advice. It describes evidence-building strategy in general terms; your attorney determines what belongs in your petition and how it's argued.