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Your STEM OPT timeline

Enter your OPT end date and see every date that matters: when you can file the STEM extension, when STEM OPT starts and ends, and your unemployment limits.

Quick answer: your STEM OPT starts the day after your OPT end date (the Valid To date on your EAD card) and runs for 24 months, even if USCIS approves it later. If your OPT ends December 18, 2026, your STEM OPT runs December 19, 2026 to December 18, 2028, and you can file from September 19 to December 18, 2026.

Estimates for planning only, based on standard USCIS/SEVP rules (12-month OPT; 24-month STEM extension; file the STEM application up to 90 days before OPT ends and before it expires; 90 unemployment days on OPT, 150 total with STEM). Your I-20, EAD card, and DSO are authoritative. Not legal advice.

Your OPT clock is set. Your job search does not have to wait on it.

We apply for you every week until you land an offer: a person picks roles you fit, tailors your real resume to each one, applies only to employers that have sponsored H-1B, and sends you a weekly report. Placement plan is $200 a month, and the placement fee is charged only once you are hired.

Have us apply for youor try 20 applications for $49

By field: data science · software engineering · data and business analyst · mechanical engineering · internships (CPT)

More free tools: STEM OPT timeline · H-1B lottery odds · Cap-exempt checker · OPT day calculator · Sponsor shortlist

Updated September 2026. Not legal advice, confirm your dates with your DSO.

How to calculate your STEM OPT dates

Everything keys off one date: the "Valid To" date on your OPT EAD card. Your 24-month STEM OPT extension starts the day after that date. Here is the order:

  1. Find your OPT end date on your EAD card. Standard OPT runs 12 months.
  2. Your filing window opens 90 days before that end date.
  3. File before your OPT ends. USCIS must receive Form I-765 by the end date, and within 60 days of your DSO recommending the extension in SEVIS.
  4. STEM OPT starts the next day and ends 24 months later.

Example: my OPT ends December 18. What is my STEM OPT start date?

If your OPT ends December 18, 2026, your STEM OPT extension starts December 19, 2026 and ends December 18, 2028. You can file from September 19, 2026 through December 18, 2026. If USCIS receives your application on time, you can keep working for up to 180 days past December 18 while it is pending.

STEM OPT start and end dates by OPT end date

Find the end date on your EAD card. Your filing window closes on that same date.

OPT endsFiling opensSTEM OPT startsSTEM OPT ends
Dec 18, 2026Sep 19, 2026Dec 19, 2026Dec 18, 2028
Dec 31, 2026Oct 2, 2026Jan 1, 2027Dec 31, 2028
Jan 14, 2027Oct 16, 2026Jan 15, 2027Jan 14, 2029
May 31, 2027Mar 2, 2027Jun 1, 2027May 31, 2029
Jun 30, 2027Apr 1, 2027Jul 1, 2027Jun 30, 2029
Aug 31, 2027Jun 2, 2027Sep 1, 2027Aug 31, 2029

How many unemployment days do you get on STEM OPT?

150 days in total. You get 90 days during regular OPT and 60 more with the STEM extension. It is one running count across both periods, so days you used on OPT come out of the 150. More detail in the OPT unemployment rules, or count yours with the OPT unemployment calculator.

What your employer needs for STEM OPT

The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and you and the employer complete a Form I-983 training plan. The job has to relate to your STEM degree and be at least 20 hours a week. Report employer changes to your DSO within 10 days. No offer yet? See STEM OPT without a job offer and what happens if OPT ends with no job.

Applying for jobs while the clock runs

The dates above are fixed. What you control is how many interviews you land before they run out. Most OPT searches stall on targeting, not effort: applications go to employers that never sponsor, with one generic resume.

Graduating or on OPT and still applying?

We apply for you every week until you land an offer: a person picks roles you fit, tailors your real resume to each one, applies only to employers that have sponsored H-1B, and sends you a weekly report. Placement plan is $200 a month, and the placement fee is charged only once you are hired.

Have us apply for youor try 20 applications for $49

By field: data science · software engineering · data and business analyst · mechanical engineering · internships (CPT)

Sources: USCIS STEM OPT extension guidance and DHS Study in the States. Rules can change, so check with your DSO before you file.