The information below is provided by OIE during the SP25 semester. Please confirm these details remain the same in future semesters.
As an F-1 student, you may be eligible to apply to participate in pre-completion OPT after you have been enrolled in school for one full academic year (Fall and Spring semester). If applying to do pre-completion OPT while completing coursework, you can only apply for part-time (20 hours per week or less).
When school is in session you may apply for part time pre-completion OPT.
Thesis students done with coursework may apply for full-time pre-completion in their final term but must stop any GRA/GTA work prior to beginning pre-completion OPT work authorization.
The academic department must also support the pre-completion OPT request. It is recommended that in this situation students enroll part-time only in thesis credits; however, full-time enrollment may be permitted if the academic department can verify that no required coursework will be taken.
Any pre-completion OPT used deducts from your post-completion OPT. Part-time pre-completion OPT is deducted at a half-time rate.
For example, if you use 4 months of part-time pre-completion OPT, only 2 months of OPT will be deducted from the 12 months of post-completion OPT available.
Full-time pre-completion OPT deducts at a full-time rate. For example, if you use 4 months of full-time pre-completion OPT, then 4 months of OPT will be deducted from the 12 months of post-completion OPT available.
The earliest you can submit the pre-completion OPT application in iStart is 95 days prior to the requested start date. The earliest you can apply for pre-completion OPT is 90 days prior to the requested start date.
You do not accumulate unemployment on pre-completion OPT. Please note the time for which you are authorized will be deducted from your 12-month allowance, whether you work or not.
If applying for pre-completion OPT in your final term, it cannot be authorized beyond the final day of the semester and your on-campus work authorization would end on the final date of the semester as well.
If you plan to apply for post-completion OPT after pre-completion OPT, you must apply separately. You would need to separately apply for post-completion OPT to begin after the fall term. The earliest you can apply for post-completion OPT is 90 days before your program end date. There may be a gap between the end of pre-OPT and the start of post-OPT.
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