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International Student Services

Optional Practical Training

What is it?
What are the kinds of OPT?
When do I apply?
How do I apply?
How is it approved?
When can I start?
How long is it?

F-1 students may qualify for optional practical training (OPT), which is training that allows the student to engage in temporary authorized employment in order to obtain practical experience directly related to his or her major.

There are two kinds of OPT:

  1. Pre-completion OPT, which is OPT available prior to the student’s program end date; and 
  2. Post-completion OPT, which is OPT available after the student’s program end date 

Post-completion OPT has three different kinds: standard post-completion OPT, STEM extension OPT, and H-1B cap-gap extension OPT. For further information on the STEM extension OPT and H-1B cap-gap extension OPT, please see the USCIS websites. The information we provide focuses on standard post-completion OPT.

For standard post-completion OPT, the application should be mailed or submitted online to USCIS as early as 90 days before graduation (SEVIS program end date) up to the end of the 60-day grace period.

For pre and post-completion OPT, the process is as follows:

  1. Complete the DSO Recommendation form. It will prompt you to complete the mandatory OPT orientation and upload completion to the recommendation form.
  2. Set up an appointment with your advisor in order to request an DSO recommendation for post-completion OPT. The recommendationis a necessary part of the application process and needs to be done in SEVIS by a DSO. You will receive the recommendation as an updated I-20 that is valid only for 30 days from the day that it is issued. You will need to submit the I-765 application to USCIS within 30 days. We recommend F-1 students to apply online.
  3. Complete and submit Form I-765 with all required documents. For instructions on how to fill out the I-765, please see the official instructions from the USCIS website.  
  4. Prepare to pay the application fee.

USCIS reviews and adjudicates each application. If approved, you will first receive the Form I-797C notice, then your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) from USCIS. Whether you mailed or filed your application online, USCIS will respond with the Form I-797C. If you mailed in your application, you will receive the Form I-797C by mail. If you applied online, you can monitor application status through your USCIS account and, if approved, access the Form I-797C on your dashboard. Make sure to watch the mail for you EAD card. You may not engage in employment while waiting for your EAD card. Doing so is classified as unauthorized employment and violates your legal status as an F-1 visa holder.

If post-completion OPT is denied, the student’s F-1 status expires 60 days from the date the degree program ends or the date of the denial, whichever is later. However, if the application is denied because the student failed to maintain F-1 status, s/he must immediately depart the United States.

After USCIS approval and receiving your EAD card, you may start OPT based on the effective start date on your card. This date was determined by you and your advisor during the DSO recommendation of the application process. The start date is within 60 days after your graduation date or SEVIS program end date.

IMPORTANT: Do not engage in employment while waiting for your EAD card. Doing so is unauthorized employment.

You can do standard post-completion optional practical training for up to 12 months. This amount is reduced contingent upon if you completed full-time curricular practical training prior to graduation. If you completed more than 12 months of full-time CPT, you are automatically ineligible for OPT. Post-completion optional practical training should not go longer than 14 months following the original program end date on your I-20.