To be eligible for the STEM Extension, you must: 

• Be maintaining valid F-1 status.
• Be on a period of standard Post-Completion OPT.
• Have not exceeded 90 days of unemployment during Post-Completion OPT.
• Hold a degree which qualifies as STEM eligible, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s STEM Designated Degree Program List.
• Have not previously used the STEM Extension for this degree level.
• Have not previously used the STEM Extension more than once.
• Not be self-employed.
• Demonstrate the job is directly related to your STEM degree.
• Apply before your current Post-Completion OPT expires.
• Work for or have a job offer from an employer who meets the below Employment Requirements.

In addition to the student requirements above, your employer must... 

• Be enrolled in E-Verify.
• Be willing and able to complete the Form I-983 to prove a bona-fide employer-employee relationship.
• Pay you for your work.
• Employ you FULL TIME (20 hours or more per week).

If your most recent degree earned is not STEM-eligible, you may still be eligible for STEM OPT based on an older degree you earned in the U.S. In order to do this, you must:

• Have received your most recent degree (which does not need to be STEM-related) from Rowan University.
• Have received your prior, qualifying STEM degree in the U.S. within 10 years of applying for the STEM Extension.
• Have been previously authorized for Post-Completion OPT based on the prior degree.
• Have proof of institutional accreditation from the school in which you earned the STEM degree.

The qualifying STEM degree must be on the Department of Homeland Security's STEM Designated Degree Program List at the time you submit your STEM OPT extension application (rather than at the time you received the degree).

The earliest date you can apply for STEM OPT is 90 days before the expiration of your current EAD card. The latest date you can apply for STEM OPT is the expiration date of your current EAD card.

Under no circumstances should you wait until the last possible day to apply for STEM OPT.

Please watch our STEM OPT Workshop for detailed instructions on the application process.

All STEM OPT I-20 applications must be submitted via the STEM Extension OPT I-20 request found in Terra Dotta.

All STEM OPT applicants are automatically granted a 180-day extension of the initial OPT period while the STEM OPT application is pending with USCIS. If the STEM OPT application is denied, that 180-day extension is automatically terminated and you will have to depart the U.S. immediately.

Do not file a STEM Extension application with USCIS until you receive a new I-20 with a STEM OPT recommendation from the International Center. If you file without receiving the STEM OPT I-20, your application will be denied by USCIS.

File the complete STEM OPT application with USCIS within 60 days after the date the DSO issued the STEM OPT recommendation, or before the expiration of your Post-Completion OPT authorization, whichever is sooner. If you file your I-765 more than 60 days after receiving your STEM OPT I-20, your application will be denied by USCIS.

You, as the STEM OPT applicant, are solely responsible for the filing of a timely, complete, and accurate STEM OPT application and for carefully reading and following all instructions from the IC and USCIS. Before submitting to USCIS, carefully review the entire STEM OPT application (including the new I-20).

Similar to the initial OPT period, during the 24-month STEM Extension, you must report the following changes to the International Center within 10 days:

• Physical or mailing address
• Employer name
• Employer address OR site address
• Loss of employment
• New employer information
• Any “material” changes as defined on the Form I-983 (i.e. salary, benefits, supervisor information, etc.)
• Leaving the U.S.
  • If you decide to leave the U.S. and abandon your OPT/F-1 status, you must notify the International Center.

All changes of employment must be made through the OPT Employer Update in Terra Dotta. Kindly refrain from editing the information in your SEVP portal directly.

If you stop working for an employer on STEM OPT, you must complete the Final Self-Evaluation (located on the last page of the I-983) and submit it via Terra Dotta as a part of your OPT Employer Update request.

On STEM OPT, you are permitted up to 150 total unemployment days. Any unemployment days accrued on your initial OPT period are subtracted from this total.

Every six months (starting 6 months after your STEM start date), you must submit a completed STEM Validation Report via Terra Dotta.

During the 12-month and 24-month validation reports, you must submit a Self-Evaluation found on the last page of your I-983. This should be signed by your employer

The Final Evaluation must be submitted when one of the following happens:

• You change from F-1 status to another status
• You transfer to a new school
• You start a new degree program
• Your STEM OPT ends
• You end employment with one of your STEM employers

Traveling abroad while your STEM Extension application is pending with USCIS is extremely risky and could result in the denial of your application. If you are denied, depending on when your initial EAD card’s expiration date is, you may be ineligible to reenter the U.S.

If you travel abroad on an expired F-1 visa, you will need to apply for a new visa. Visa applications for F-1 visa holders on OPT can be considered high-risk for denial. This risk is elevated even further if you are on STEM OPT or have a pending STEM OPT application. Please plan accordingly.

As always, you must receive a Travel Signature on your I-20 before leaving the U.S. Please request a Travel Signature 2 weeks prior to your travel via Terra Dotta.

Your STEM OPT authorization will end under the following circumstances:

• You request a transfer to a new school
• Start a new degree program at Rowan
• Change to another status (such as H-1B)
• Your EAD card expires
• Your STEM Extension application is denied
• If on the H-1B Cap-Gap Extension, if your H-1B petition is rejected

In any case, you are strongly encouraged to submit a Final Self-Evaluation I-983 to the International Center. Failure to do so may create unforeseen immigration issues in the future.