Last reviewed September 2026
Overview: CPT is tied to a curriculum requirement and authorized while a student is still enrolled; OPT is a broader benefit usable before or after completion, with its own application and time limits. Misusing CPT can jeopardize OPT eligibility. Since September 15, 2026, post-completion OPT also interacts with a new fixed admission period, which changes how students need to track their status around an OPT application, even though the OPT program itself was not eliminated.
What CPT is and how it's authorized
Curricular Practical Training is work integrated into the curriculum itself, such as a required internship or cooperative education component, authorized by the school's designated school official and reflected on the student's Form I-20. It is available only while the student remains actively enrolled and does not by itself extend the student's authorized stay beyond the program.
What OPT is and how it's authorized
Optional Practical Training is a separate benefit tied to the student's field of study, authorized by USCIS through Form I-765 rather than the school alone. It can be used before completion (pre-completion OPT, generally part-time) or after completion (post-completion OPT, generally full-time), and pulls from the same 12-month standard allotment either way.
Full-time CPT and its effect on OPT eligibility
A long-standing rule remains unchanged by the 2026 admission-period rule: a student who accrues 12 months or more of full-time CPT loses eligibility for OPT entirely. Part-time CPT does not count against this limit. Students combining a curriculum-required internship with post-graduation OPT plans should track cumulative full-time CPT carefully, since this specific rule was not part of what the September 2026 change addressed.
Pre-completion vs. post-completion OPT
Pre-completion OPT is generally limited and part-time during the academic year, though it can be full-time during official school breaks. Post-completion OPT is the more commonly used benefit, applied for as graduation approaches and used after the degree is finished.
What changed for post-completion OPT in September 2026
Under the rule ending duration of status for F-1 students, an approved OPT application or an updated Form I-20 no longer automatically extends a student's authorized stay the way it effectively did before. If a student's I-94 expiration falls before the OPT period ends, a separate Form I-539 extension-of-stay application generally becomes necessary alongside the I-765. DHS built in a transition window: students in the country on September 15, 2026 who file their post-completion OPT application by March 18, 2027 do not need to also file the I-539 for that specific transition; after that date, or for anyone who travels internationally and re-enters under the new fixed-admission system before applying, both filings are generally required. This is a mechanical filing change, not a change to who qualifies for OPT or how long it lasts.
Application timing and processing
OPT applications can generally be filed within a window around the program end date; the timing details did not change with the September 2026 rule, but the consequence of a mismatched I-94 date did. Students should confirm their current I-94 expiration date directly, rather than assuming continued status the way duration of status previously allowed.
Common mistakes that jeopardize OPT
Beyond the long-standing full-time CPT limit, the newest risk is travel timing: a student who leaves the country and is readmitted after September 15, 2026 before filing for post-completion OPT generally loses the transition exemption and needs to file the I-539 alongside the I-765 immediately. Students planning international travel near graduation should confirm this with their school's international student office before booking.
Official sources
- USCIS: optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 students
- Study in the States: final rule establishing a fixed time period of admission
Related reading
TR Immigration is an independent immigration information platform. It is not a law firm. Nothing here is legal advice, an eligibility determination, or a prediction about your case. Rules and fees change often, so confirm anything you rely on against the official page it links to.