Understanding proposed changes to Optional Practical Training (OPT)
Comment on proposed changes to Optional Practical Training (OPT)
APS expresses concern over the proposed $100,000 total fee for STEM OPT and urges the Department of Homeland Security to withdraw the rule.
Background on Optional Practical Training and proposed changes
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a critical pathway that allows international students on F-1 student visas to gain up to 12 months of temporary employment in their field of study after graduation, with an additional 24-month extension available for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates. The OPT/STEM OPT program is used by international graduates of U.S. institutions to work in industry or to pursue postdoctoral research at a university or national lab. Approximately 80% of international physics students use OPT after graduation.
On Oct. 8, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a rule change that would impose a $70,000 fee for standard OPT and an additional $30,000 fee for the STEM extension (an aggregate $100,000 per student) to be paid by the applicant’s university. Universities are highly unlikely to have the resources to support OPT applicants under this proposed fee, therefore severely restricting or eliminating international student participation in post-graduate training.
Right now, these new fees are just a proposal. If enacted, we expect legal challenges to be mounted against the rule, which may be successful given the limited legal grounding for the proposal.
Severe restriction of OPT/STEM OPT destroys the primary bridge to future employment-based visas for foreign-born scientists who wish to pursue a career in the United States. The functional loss of OPT/STEM OPT severs a primary talent pipeline that retains top U.S.-trained scientific minds and keeps America innovating.
Write your comment
Use APS’ tool to submit an original, substantive comment opposing excessive OPT fees. The deadline to submit your comment is Nov. 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Comment anonymously
If you wish to submit an anonymous comment, you may do so through Regulations.gov.
Read the full, proposed rule
You can read the full rule and DHS justification on the Federal Register.
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