STEM OPT

Students who graduated with a STEM degree are eligible to apply for an additional two years of OPT. While a Designated School Official (DSO) recommends the extension in SEVIS, it is the student who must apply for the extension with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). If the application is approved, USCIS will issue a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD) for the STEM extension.

Students may submit their application to USCIS 90 days before their current OPT is set to expire but are unable to submit an application past their EAD end date. A student has 60 days from the time that the STEM OPT Extension I-20 is created to submit the application to USCIS. See the OPT STEM Extension page for more information.