STEM designation, OPT and the visa clock

For international students the program code is not decoration. The Classification of Instructional Programs code attached to your degree decides how long you may work after graduation.

The sequence

1. Form I-20 — issued by the certified school after admission and proof of funds for year one.
2. F-1 visa interview — embassy appointment with your I-20, financial evidence and a coherent study plan.
3. On-campus work — up to twenty hours per week during term.
4. OPT — twelve months of work authorization after graduation.
5. STEM extension — twenty-four additional months when the degree is STEM-designated and the employer is E-Verified.

What counts as STEM

Computer and data science, most engineering, the natural sciences, statistics, information systems and several public health programs are STEM-designated. Humanities, communications and general business usually are not, although an analytics concentration inside an information-systems code may be.

Ask the registrar for the exact code. Do not rely on the marketing name of the program.

Cost side

International students pay the out-of-state rate at public universities and the standard rate at private ones. Undergraduate scholarships are scarce; funding is far more available in doctoral and research master programs.