60-day grace period
Students on OPT are allowed a 60-day grace period following the OPT end date to:
- Leave the United States
- Change immigration status
- Transfer SEVIS record to a new school
- Or begin a new program.
You may want to pursue these options before the end of your OPT. If you remain in the U.S. past the end of your 60-day grace period without transferring to a new school, beginning your new program, or having applied for a timely filed Change of Status, you may begin accruing days of Unlawful Presence, which has serious consequences depending on the length of the overstay.
Employment Per Degree Level
If you finish your OPT then you are no longer eligible to apply for OPT at the same degree level. There is only one OPT allowed per degree level. If your OPT was at the Bachelors level, you may apply for OPT if you complete a Masters or PhD level program.
Ending OPT or STEM OPT Early
There's a variety of reasons you could want to end your OPT/STEM OPT early and each one has certain reporting requirements, such as:
- Departing the U.S. with no plans to return — Email your DSO about your intentions and your departure date.
- Changing Program Levels — Follow the instructions on our Change of Degree Program Level page.
- Transfering to a New Institution — Follow the instructions on our Transfering to a New Institution Page
- Changing to a Different Visa Status —Email your DSO a copy of your I-797 Approval Notice or green card.
Changing to an H1-B Visa
If you are planning to apply for a change of status to an H-1B visa, and your OPT end date is between April 1 and October 1 during the year that you apply for the H-1B status, you may be eligible for an extension of your OPT to accommodate for the gap between the end of your OPT and the beginning of your H-1B.
This extension is known as Cap Gap and you can find more information on our Cap Gap Extension page.
