What Is STEM OPT? The 24-Month Extension, Filing, and Cap-Gap

The STEM OPT extension is a 24-month addition to post-completion Optional Practical Training available to F-1 students who earned a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in an eligible science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field.¹ Stacked on top of the standard 12-month OPT period, it can give you up to 36 total months of practical training tied to your field. It is structured as a training opportunity, not just a work permit: you and your employer sign a formal training plan, your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and you have to file with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) inside a tight window.

Who Qualifies

Eligibility has several layers, and missing any one of them disqualifies you.

A bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in a field that appears on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. Your degree’s CIP code, printed on your I-20, must match a code on the list in effect when you apply.²
A degree from a school accredited by a U.S. Department of Education–recognized agency and certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) at the time you file.¹
Current participation in an initial period of post-completion OPT. You cannot apply once you have entered the 60-day grace period that follows OPT expiration.³
An employer enrolled in E-Verify.³
A job directly related to your STEM field, with formal training and learning objectives provided by the employer.¹
At least 20 hours of work per week for each employer on your training plan.³

Using an Earlier STEM Degree

Your most recent degree does not have to be the STEM degree. If you finished a non-STEM MBA most recently but hold an earlier bachelor’s in a STEM field, you can qualify on the prior degree if three conditions hold: your most recent degree came from an SEVP-certified, accredited school; the prior STEM degree was awarded within 10 years of applying; and the degree’s CIP code appears on the current DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List at the time you apply, not when you graduated.⁴

A Second Extension

You can receive the STEM OPT extension up to twice in your academic career, once per degree level. To qualify a second time, you must earn another qualifying STEM degree at a higher education level and be in a new initial period of post-completion OPT when you apply.⁴ A student who used a STEM bachelor’s for the first extension could earn a STEM master’s later and apply for a second 24-month extension.

When to File

The filing window is one of the tightest in immigration law, and missing it means losing the extension. You can submit Form I-765 to USCIS no earlier than 90 days before your current OPT employment authorization expires, and you must file within 60 days of the date your Designated School Official (DSO) enters the STEM OPT recommendation into your SEVIS record.¹ Both deadlines apply at the same time, and USCIS must receive your application before your current OPT end date.

If you file before the DSO enters the recommendation, or after the 60-day window closes, USCIS will deny the application.⁵ Coordinate with your DSO early. Your school needs time to review your training plan and enter the recommendation before you can file.

How to Apply

The sequence matters. Filing out of order or with missing documents creates delays that can eat into the window.

Complete Form I-983 with your employer. This training plan describes how your position relates to your STEM degree and lays out specific learning objectives. Your DSO must review it before entering the STEM OPT recommendation into SEVIS.⁵
Get your updated Form I-20. After reviewing the I-983, your DSO enters the recommendation in SEVIS and issues a new I-20 showing it. Do not file with USCIS until you have that I-20 in hand.¹
File Form I-765 with USCIS along with a copy of your new I-20, your passport, your I-94 arrival record, your current EAD card, and evidence of your STEM degree. You can file online or by mail.

After USCIS receives your application you will get a receipt notice (Form I-797C). USCIS may request additional evidence or biometrics before deciding.

Fees and Premium Processing

The standard filing fee for Form I-765 is $410 online or $520 by mail. You can request faster adjudication by filing Form I-907 for premium processing. The premium processing fee for STEM OPT applications is $1,780 as of March 1, 2026.⁶ With premium processing, USCIS guarantees it will take action within 30 business days, meaning it will approve, deny, or issue a request for additional evidence within that window.⁷ Without it, processing times are unpredictable and can stretch several months.

The 180-Day Automatic Extension

If you file on time and your initial OPT expires while USCIS is still reviewing your application, your work authorization automatically extends for up to 180 days past your EAD’s expiration date.¹ The automatic extension ends the moment USCIS decides your case. It only applies if your filing was timely. A late filing means no automatic extension, and a gap in work authorization.

Staying in Status for the Full 24 Months

Approval is only half the job. Keeping the extension requires steady compliance.

Reporting

Report any change to your name, home address, email address, employer name, or employer address to your DSO within 10 days. Even when nothing changes, you must confirm your employment information with your DSO every six months during the extension.¹ DHS also requires self-evaluations of your training progress at the 12-month and 24-month marks, completed on page 5 of Form I-983 and signed by you and your employer. Missed reports can flag your SEVIS record and jeopardize your status.

Unemployment Limit

Across your entire OPT period (initial 12 months plus the 24-month extension), you are allowed a maximum of 150 days of unemployment. The initial OPT contributes up to 90 days, and the STEM extension adds 60 more.¹ If you used most of your 90 days during initial OPT, you have little cushion left. Days when you are not working at least 20 hours per week count toward the total. Exceeding 150 days can cost you F-1 status.

Travel

Travel abroad is possible but carries real risk while your extension is pending. Re-entry after your initial EAD has expired but before approval depends on a working combination of documents: a valid passport, a valid F-1 visa stamp, an I-20 with a recent DSO travel signature, the expired EAD, USCIS receipt notices, and proof of your job. Missing any of these can result in being denied entry.

Employer Obligations

STEM OPT places meaningful obligations on the employer, and failures on the employer’s side put the student’s status at risk.

E-Verify, the Training Plan, and Wages

The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and remain in good standing throughout the training period. The employer that signs Form I-983 must be the same entity that actually employs the student and provides the training.³ The training plan must set out the direct relationship between the job and the student’s STEM degree, along with learning objectives and how the employer will provide structured mentoring or training.¹

The employer must pay the student at a level commensurate with what similarly situated U.S. workers receive, meaning workers with comparable duties, education, experience, and skill sets. Employers with fewer than three such workers must benchmark against other companies of similar size in the same industry and geographic area.⁸ The employer must also certify that the student is not displacing a U.S. worker.

Material Changes and Site Visits

Material changes to the training plan (a significant reduction in compensation, a change in work location, or a shift in supervisory commitments) require a new or updated I-983. The employer must report a student’s termination or departure to the DSO within five business days. Under the regulations, an employer should treat a student as having departed after five consecutive business days of unexplained absence.⁹

DHS can conduct site visits at any employer to verify that the training plan is being followed. DHS typically gives 48 hours’ notice, but no advance notice is required when a visit is triggered by a complaint or evidence of noncompliance.¹

Moving to H-1B: Cap-Gap

Many STEM OPT students eventually get H-1B sponsorship, and the transition can create a gap in work authorization. Cap-gap can bridge it automatically when three conditions are met: the employer files a cap-subject H-1B petition requesting a change of status (not consular processing), the petition is properly filed during the H-1B filing period beginning April 1, and your F-1 status is still valid at the time of filing. When those conditions are satisfied, your F-1 status and OPT employment authorization automatically extend until the earlier of April 1 of the relevant fiscal year or the start date on your approved H-1B petition.¹⁰

One important catch: if you have already entered the 60-day grace period when the H-1B petition is filed, you get the automatic extension of F-1 status but not work authorization, because you were not authorized to work when the petition was filed.¹⁰ The extension also terminates immediately if the H-1B petition is denied, withdrawn, revoked, rejected, or not selected in the lottery, after which you receive a standard 60-day grace period to depart.

You do not file a separate application for cap-gap. Your DSO issues an updated I-20 showing the extended OPT period, and that I-20 serves as your proof of continued authorization. To get it, provide your DSO with evidence of a timely H-1B filing, such as a copy of the petition and mailing receipt, followed by the Form I-797 receipt notice once USCIS accepts the case.¹⁰

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT)
2
Study in the States. Eligible CIP Codes for the STEM OPT Extension
3
Study in the States. STEM OPT Extension Overview
4
Study in the States. Students – Determining STEM OPT Extension Eligibility
5
Study in the States. F-1 STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) Extension
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing?
8
Study in the States. Employers and the Form I-983
9
eCFR. 8 CFR Part 214 – Nonimmigrant Classes
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Extension of Post Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 Status for Eligible Students under the H-1B Cap-Gap Regulations