STEM OPT Approval Rate — Current Stats (2026 Data)

Here's the Honest Answer: USCIS Does Not Publish STEM OPT Approval Rates

If you're searching for an official STEM OPT approval rate — a percentage USCIS releases annually or quarterly — you won't find one. The agency publishes approval data for some benefit types (H-1B petitions, for instance, appear in annual reports with denial rates by employer and occupation). STEM Optional Practical Training extensions do not receive the same treatment. No official approval rate exists in USCIS publications, the Federal Register, or the annual immigration statistics yearbook published by the Department of Homeland Security.

What you will find instead: anecdotal reports from universities, aggregated data from a handful of large institutions, and estimates based on practice observation. This matters because decisions on your I-765 STEM extension application turn on criteria you control — employer compliance with the Training Plan requirements, form accuracy, and whether your degree and employer role qualify under the STEM Designated Degree Program List — not on hitting a statistical benchmark.

This article explains what adjudicators actually evaluate, where approval outcomes hinge on employer and applicant actions, and what the available (incomplete) data suggests about denial patterns. It covers what you can verify through official sources and what remains inference.

What STEM OPT Extension Adjudication Actually Tests

Form I-765 with the STEM OPT extension category requires three elements:

1. An eligible F-1 status holder currently on standard OPT linked to a STEM degree from a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school.
2. A STEM degree that appears on the official STEM Designated Degree Program List published by the Department of Homeland Security. The list specifies degree programs by Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code — not by how technical the degree sounds. A degree in "Data Science" qualifies only if the issuing institution assigned it a qualifying CIP code.
3. A completed Form I-983 Training Plan signed by the student, the Designated School Official (DSO), and an employer maintaining E-Verify enrollment.

USCIS adjudicators verify that the employer is enrolled in E-Verify at the time of filing, that the Training Plan meets regulatory content requirements (learning objectives tied to the degree, evaluation mechanisms, oversight structure), and that the applicant's degree CIP code matches an entry on the current STEM list. They do not evaluate how "good" the job is, whether the applicant will succeed in it, or whether the employer is a desirable sponsor for future visa petitions. The test is compliance with 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C), not merit.

When USCIS denies a STEM extension, the denial notice cites one or more regulatory deficiencies: employer not verified in E-Verify, Training Plan missing required elements, degree not on the STEM list, or applicant not maintaining valid F-1 status at filing. These are binary compliance failures, not subjective evaluations.

Why No Official Approval Rate Exists — And What That Tells You

USCIS aggregates and publishes approval and denial data for petition-based benefits where the agency tracks employer sponsors, occupations, and wage levels — categories that inform policy analysis and enforcement priorities. STEM OPT extensions, by contrast, are student-driven work authorization requests tied to individual degree programs and Training Plans. The agency does not release itemized approval statistics for them, and no Freedom of Information Act pattern has successfully compelled it.

This absence is itself information: it signals that STEM OPT extensions are not structured as employer petitions subject to fraud-detection quotas or per-employer caps. The regulatory framework treats them as an educational benefit — an extension of the academic training component of F-1 status — rather than as an immigration pathway subject to annual numerical limits. Denials happen when the form, the degree, or the employer fails to meet published criteria, not because the agency is managing approval rates to a target percentage.

Universities with large international graduate programs occasionally report internal approval percentages to their student bodies: "98% of our STEM OPT applicants were approved last year." These figures reflect applicants who filed through that institution's DSO office with institutional advising and form review. They are not representative of the national applicant pool — smaller schools, applicants who file without attorney or DSO guidance, and cases involving employers new to the E-Verify system face different error rates.

What Denial Patterns Reveal About Common Errors

While USCIS does not publish an approval rate, immigration attorneys and DSO offices track the denial reasons that appear most frequently in their practice:

The pattern common to the top three reasons: they are documentation and compliance errors, not merit judgments. An employer that maintains continuous E-Verify enrollment, a Training Plan drafted to regulatory specifications, and a degree verified against the official STEM list before filing will not encounter these denials. The outcome depends on executing the process correctly, not on meeting an unstated approval threshold.

What the Available Data Does and Does Not Show

No single dataset captures every STEM OPT extension filed nationwide, but three sources provide partial visibility:

1. SEVP annual reports (published by ICE) include total counts of STEM OPT participants by school and degree level but do not break out approval versus denial rates.
2. University-published statistics from schools with large F-1 populations occasionally report internal approval percentages, always above 90% where published.
3. Attorney practice observations aggregated across multiple cases suggest that properly prepared applications — employer verified in E-Verify, Training Plan meeting all eight regulatory elements, degree confirmed on the STEM list — are approved in the vast majority of filings.

What none of these sources show: the national denial rate for first-time STEM extension filers, the approval rate for applicants using smaller or newer employers, or how outcomes differ by field of study within the STEM designation. That data either does not exist in aggregated form or has not been released.

The Employer's Role in the Outcome

The single most controllable variable in a STEM OPT extension application is employer compliance. USCIS requires the employer to:

• Maintain active enrollment in E-Verify throughout the student's STEM OPT period.
• Attest that the position provides at least 20 hours per week of work directly related to the student's STEM degree.
• Participate in formal training, evaluation, and reporting as documented in the I-983.
• Report to the DSO if the student's employment ends or if the Training Plan is materially altered.

Employers that have filed STEM extensions for prior employees understand these obligations. Employers filing their first I-983 — particularly smaller companies or startups — are more likely to overlook E-Verify renewal deadlines or draft Training Plans that USCIS finds insufficiently specific. This is not a defect in the employer's business; it is unfamiliarity with regulatory compliance in an educational immigration context.

Students selecting or negotiating offers should confirm E-Verify status before accepting a position contingent on STEM OPT. The employer's enrollment can be verified at e-verify.gov by searching the company name. An employer willing to sponsor STEM OPT but not currently enrolled can join E-Verify — the registration process takes days, not months — but the enrollment must be active before Form I-983 is signed.

What If My Degree Title Sounds Like STEM But Isn't on the List?

Degree eligibility for STEM OPT is determined exclusively by the CIP code assigned by your school, not by the degree title. A Master of Science in "Business Analytics" qualifies only if the institution classified it under a CIP code present on the STEM list (for instance, 52.1301 Management Science). A degree titled "Information Systems" may or may not qualify depending on how the registrar coded it.

Your I-20 lists your major and degree program but may not show the CIP code. Request official confirmation from your DSO before assuming eligibility. If the degree title suggests STEM content but the CIP code is not on the list, the extension will be denied regardless of how technical the coursework was. There is no appeals process based on arguing that the degree "should" count — the regulation ties eligibility to the published list, and the list is updated periodically via Federal Register notice.

What If My Employer Lets E-Verify Enrollment Lapse During My Extension?

If the employer's E-Verify enrollment expires or is terminated while your STEM OPT extension is in effect, you are required to report the change to your DSO within 10 business days. The DSO will update your SEVIS record, and your work authorization may be affected. USCIS does not issue a mid-period revocation notice; instead, the next time you interact with immigration authorities (at a border crossing, on a future application, or during a compliance check), the lapsed E-Verify enrollment will be flagged.

Some employers allow enrollment to lapse inadvertently — E-Verify is free to use, but maintaining it requires periodic affirmation of participation, and smaller HR departments sometimes overlook the renewal. The solution is straightforward: the employer re-enrolls, and the student confirms the renewed status with the DSO. The gap itself, if brief and corrected, is not an automatic bar to future filings, but extended lapses can complicate status.

What If USCIS Issues an RFE on My STEM Extension?

Requests for Evidence on STEM OPT extensions most often ask for:

• Proof that the employer is enrolled in E-Verify (a screenshot from e-verify.gov showing active status).
• A revised Training Plan correcting deficiencies in the original I-983 (missing evaluation dates, vague learning objectives, no supervisor signature).
• Clarification of the degree's STEM eligibility (a letter from the registrar confirming the CIP code and its presence on the STEM list).

An RFE is not a denial. It is a request to supply missing documentation or correct a deficiency that USCIS identified during initial review. Response deadlines are typically 87 days from the date of the RFE notice. The response must directly address every item requested — partial responses or explanations of why the evidence is unavailable do not satisfy the RFE and lead to denial.

If the RFE asks for E-Verify proof and the employer was enrolled but the system did not reflect it at adjudication, the employer can provide a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or enrollment confirmation letter. If the Training Plan is deficient, revise it with the employer and DSO, have all parties sign the corrected version, and submit it with a cover letter itemizing the changes made.

Where to Confirm Your Degree's STEM Eligibility Before Filing

The official STEM Designated Degree Program List is published by the Department of Homeland Security and is available at studyinthestates.dhs.gov. The current list, as of 2026, contains over 400 degree programs identified by six-digit CIP codes. Your DSO has access to this list and can confirm whether your specific degree qualifies.

Before you file Form I-765 with the STEM category, verify three facts:

1. Your degree program's official CIP code, as recorded by your school's registrar.
2. That CIP code's presence on the current STEM list.
3. The expiration date of your current OPT work authorization, so you file within the permitted window (applications accepted up to 90 days before standard OPT expires and no later than the expiration date itself).

These are yes-or-no checks. If any of the three fails, the application will be denied, regardless of how strong your Training Plan is or how compliant your employer is.

The Bottom Line USCIS Does Not Publish

You will not find an official STEM OPT approval rate because USCIS does not release one. What you can verify: the regulatory criteria that determine approval (degree on the STEM list, employer enrolled in E-Verify, Training Plan meeting eight specified elements, valid F-1 status maintained). What approval depends on: meeting those criteria exactly. What it does not depend on: a hidden approval quota, how impressive your resume is, or whether the job sounds sufficiently technical.

Practice data from universities and immigration attorneys suggests that applications meeting all regulatory requirements are approved in the overwhelming majority of cases. The denials that do occur trace to missing E-Verify enrollment, Training Plan deficiencies, or degree ineligibility — all of which are detectable and correctable before filing.

This article is general information about the STEM OPT extension process and does not constitute legal advice. It does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration outcomes depend on individual circumstances, and errors in the application process can result in denial and loss of work authorization. Consult a licensed immigration attorney before filing.

Need help confirming your STEM eligibility, reviewing your Training Plan, or responding to an RFE? The Law Offices of Peter D. Chu has guided F-1 students and their employers through the STEM OPT process since 1981. Schedule a consultation by calling 858-268-8823 or visiting peterchu.com. The consultation fee is $250.

Schedule a consultation with the Law Offices of Peter D. Chu — 4615 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111 · 858-268-8823 · Mon–Fri, 8:30 AM–5:30 PM. Consultation fee: $250.