Optional Practical Training

To be eligible for OPT, you need to:

• maintain F-1 status for a minimum of one full academic year (fall and spring terms)
• be currently enrolled or have recently graduated*

* If you have recently graduated, you must submit your application to US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) within 60 days of your graduation date.

In order to participate in Optional Practical Training, you must find one role or multiple roles that directly relate to your major and can provide you a minimum of 20 hours of work per week. You may find employment with or without pay for a self-employed business owner, an employment agency or consulting firm, or on a work for hire contract. 

Each student has a limit to how many hours total you may work, based on your degree level and prior employment. For example, if you have been authorized for 12 or more months for Curricular Practical Training, or already used the entirety of your allotted work hours for OPT, you may no longer be eligible for OPT. 

First, complete the required OPT modules in Canvas. This course will walk you through how to submit your online OPT application. Before you submit your application, you will need to have all of the documents or your application will be denied. 

To apply you will need to gather the following materials:

• I-765 form (create a USCIS account to submit online) - a draft of the Form I-765 will be submitted as part of your OPT I-20 request. (Review Canvas modules for more information.)
• Copies of any previous I-20 forms that include CPT or OPT authorization
• Copy of your passport ID page
• Copy of your current F-1 visa
• I-94 record (obtain from the Department of Homeland Security)
• Copy of your employment authorization document (EAD) card (if previously authorized)
• US passport-style photograph (2 x 2") taken within the past month that has not been used for a previous government document
• I-765 filing fee (refer to online filing fee listed for "General Filing for initial, replacement, or renewal Employment Authorization Document (EAD)")

You must request your OPT I-20 from International Student and Scholar Affairs (ISSA) by logging in to your Terra Dotta student portal and submitting an OPT I-20 Request. 

Social Security Number

As of 2026, the I-765 form has been updated and does not allow the option to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) concurrently with OPT.  If you do not already have an SSN you will need to wait until you have received your EAD card from USCIS before applying for one.  You can review our SSN guide for more information. 

If you are on OPT, you must report your employment to our office, as well as any of the following:

• your employer’s name and address
• employment start date and (if known) end date
• employment changes (job change, end of employment, etc.)
• current US address
• any changes to your legal name
• any immigration status changes
• a transfer to a new US school/institution
• a departure from the US that will end your need for F-1 OPT

Remember that:

• your OPT employment must be related to your field of study
• you must work at least 20 hours per week (can be through a single job or multiple jobs)
• you can take up to 90 days of unemployment during OPT

You will report any changes in the Terra Dotta student portal, using the the Contact Information Update or OPT Employer Update forms.