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Summer 2026 Graduates! Apply for Optional Practical Training
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is an employment benefit offered through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that enables international students with F-1 status to gain 12 months of off-campus work experience in their fields of study.
Graduating F-1 students who are eligible and interested in applying for Post-OPT work authorization are encouraged to apply early and must apply before the end of their 60-day grace period.
If you are graduating this summer and plan to apply for Post-OPT, you must meet the summer enrollment requirements to maintain OPT eligibility.
Program completion dates for summer 2026 graduates
To allow for both the ISSC and USCIS processing times, you may submit your Post-OPT I-20 eForm request to ISSC up to 97 days prior to your program completion date.
Undergraduate students
The program completion date is the ASU classes end date of the final session of enrollment.
For example: If your final summer class is a session C class, the program completion date would be the end date of that class.
Graduate students
- Non-thesis/dissertation students:
- In most cases, the program completion date in summer is the ASU classes end date of your final session of enrollment.
- For example: If your final summer class is a session C class, the program completion date would be the end date of that class.
- Thesis/dissertation students:
- The program completion date for thesis and dissertation students depends on academic requirements. The completion date can include dissertation approval after defense, receipt of comprehensive exam results, or project defense. Please consult with your academic advisor. That being said, you must have enrollment through your desired program completion date.
Note: The summer 2026 ASU degree conferral date will not necessarily be your program completion date, if you are not enrolled up to this date.
To allow for both ISSC and USCIS processing times, we recommend applying now for OPT.
Note: You do not need to have a job in order to apply for OPT.
Be advised, USCIS processing times generally increase with applications submitted later in the semester. Average processing time is 3.5 - 4.5 months at this time. Therefore, we recommend you apply early in the application season.