An international student who finishes a U.S. engineering, computing or science degree on an F-1 visa usually starts work under optional practical training, known as OPT. For graduates whose degree is in a designated science, technology, engineering or math field, the Department of Homeland Security allows a further 24 months of work authorization, called the STEM OPT extension. For many of the international graduates who fill engineering and software roles, it is the bridge between graduation and a longer-term visa.

The rules sit with two agencies: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which decides the application, and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which runs the school-side records. This guide pulls together what their own pages say.

Which degrees qualify

The extension is for a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in a field on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. The list is organized by Classification of Instructional Programs codes, the federal codes schools assign to each program, so the question is not what the degree is called but which code the school has given it. The list and the process for nominating new codes are posted by DHS.

The school matters too. USCIS requires that the degree come from a school accredited by an agency recognized by the Department of Education and certified by SEVP when the application is filed. A graduate whose current OPT is based on a non-STEM degree may still qualify through an earlier U.S. STEM degree, if both schools are currently accredited and SEVP-certified, the earlier degree has not already been used for an extension, and the job is directly related to it.

A student can receive one 24-month extension per qualifying degree. USCIS states that a later, higher-level qualifying STEM degree may support one more extension.

What the employer has to do

Not every job qualifies. USCIS lists the employer's obligations, and they are the reason some offers fall through:

  • The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and stay in good standing, and it must have an IRS employer identification number.
  • The job must be a bona fide employer and employee relationship, which rules out many arrangements where the student is self-employed or placed through a staffing chain.
  • The employer must provide a formal training program, with the resources and trained staff to carry it out, and it must not use the student to replace a U.S. worker.
  • The duties, hours and pay must be comparable to those of similarly situated U.S. workers.

The training plan is written down on Form I-983. The student completes it with the employer, an appropriate official at the employer signs it, and the student submits it to the school's designated school official, or DSO. The DSO cannot recommend the extension in the school's records until that form is in.

The filing window

The application is filed with USCIS on Form I-765. USCIS allows filing up to 90 days before the current OPT employment authorization expires, and the application must arrive within 60 days of the date the DSO enters the recommendation in SEVIS, the student tracking system. Missing either window is one of the most common ways an otherwise eligible graduate loses the extension.

A student who files on time and whose OPT expires while the application is pending receives an automatic extension of work authorization for 180 days, according to SEVP, so the job can continue while USCIS decides.

Rules that continue after approval

The extension comes with reporting duties. The student must report changes to legal name, address, email and employer details to the DSO within 10 days, and must confirm the information every six months even when nothing has changed. A new employer means a new Form I-983, due within 10 days of starting, and the new employer must be enrolled in E-Verify before the student starts paid work. Employers report material changes on a modified I-983 and must tell the DSO within five business days if the student leaves.

Unemployment is capped. Post-completion OPT allows up to 90 days without work, and the STEM extension adds 60 more, for a total of 150 days across both periods. Days without work during the automatic extension count toward the same limit.

What to check before accepting an offer

A graduate weighing offers can ask three questions before saying yes: whether the employer is enrolled in E-Verify, whether it will sign a Form I-983 training plan, and whether the role is directly related to the degree. Then confirm the degree's CIP code with the school's international office and check it against the current DHS list. The DSO is the right person for the timing questions, since the 60-day clock starts with the DSO's own entry.

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