Can You Get OPT Twice? OPT After a Higher Degree, a Second STEM OPT and the Proposed Re-Charge

A new degree earns new OPT only if it is a higher level, STEM OPT stops at two extensions for life, and the proposed fee, which schools would pay, might treat a second OPT as a new one.

Yes, you can get OPT twice, but only by moving up a degree level. As of November 1, 2026, the rule in effect, 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10), allows 12 months of OPT per educational level. A master's after a bachelor's, or a PhD after a master's, earns a fresh 12 months. A second master's or a second bachelor's generally does not. STEM OPT follows the same logic: at most two 24-month extensions in a lifetime, the second based on a higher-level degree. Whether the proposed OPT fee, which schools would pay, would charge a fresh $70,000 for that second OPT is still open.

Status as of 2026-11-01

• In effect: 12 months of OPT per educational level; two lifetime STEM OPT extensions; 90 days of allowed unemployment on post-completion OPT, 150 in aggregate with STEM OPT.
• Proposed: the OPT fee rule (91 FR 64566). Comments close 2026-11-09. No final rule exists, and nothing is collected.
• Blocked: the Duration of Status final rule (91 FR 44976), which would bar F-1 status for a new program at the same or a lower level. Blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14; summary judgment briefed; DHS's appeal pending.

Can you get OPT twice? The short answer

You can get a second period of post-completion OPT only when your new US program is at a higher educational level than the one your first OPT came from: bachelor's to master's, or master's to doctorate. The limit is 12 months per level, not per degree, so a second degree at the same level adds no new OPT time.

The regulation says it in one sentence: "A student may be authorized 12 months of practical training, and becomes eligible for another 12 months of practical training when they change to a higher educational level." That text is in 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10), and USCIS applies the per-level count on its OPT for F-1 students page.

How OPT eligibility works by degree level

Your Form I-20 records each program's education level. OPT is counted against that level, so two master's degrees share one 12-month pool, while a master's and a PhD each have their own.

What counts as using your 12 months?

OPT authorized at a level counts against that level, pre-completion OPT included. USCIS's example: a year of full-time pre-completion OPT reduces post-completion OPT by "100% of the previously authorized year at the same education level"; a year of part-time (20 hours a week) pre-completion OPT reduces it by 6 months. CPT can matter too: "Students who have received one year or more of full time curricular practical training are ineligible for post-completion academic training." Ask your DSO how earlier CPT counts at your current level.

What happens to OPT you are still on when you start a new degree?

It ends. Under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(B), OPT "is automatically terminated when the student transfers to another school or begins study at another educational level." Start a master's with four months of bachelor's OPT left and those months are gone; the master's earns 12 months, not 12 plus your leftover (our reading of "another 12 months").

The 90-day unemployment cap applies "during any post-completion OPT period," so our reading is that each new period carries its own 90 days; confirm with your DSO. The SEVIS Help Hub unemployment counter explains how days are counted.

Which degree paths earn OPT twice?

OPT and STEM OPT by degree path, as of 2026-11-01 (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10) and the STEM OPT Hub; US degrees from SEVP-certified schools; assumes you used OPT after the first degree; your DSO's SEVIS determination governs)

Can you get OPT for a second master's degree?

Usually not. A second master's shares the first master's 12 months. If you used master's-level OPT, the second master's earns no new OPT, and without a valid OPT period there is nothing for a STEM extension to extend, even if the new degree is STEM.

Two edge cases:

• You never used OPT at the master's level. Because the limit is per level, a student who went straight from one master's into another may still have those 12 months. Your DSO decides that in SEVIS; confirm it before you commit tuition.
• The blocked Duration of Status rule. Its text would bar a student who completes a program after September 15, 2026 from F-1 status "through a program at the same educational level or a lower educational level" (91 FR 44976). That bar is not in force: the rule has been blocked since 2026-09-14, and USCIS says it "will proceed under the previous regulatory provisions." Our Duration of Status summary judgment explainer tracks the case.

Weighing a second master's for more H-1B lottery chances? Our decision framework for a second master's degree and OPT now versus a second master's comparison weigh tuition, timing and lottery odds; on OPT itself, the level rule above controls. Take strategy to a licensed immigration attorney and SEVIS eligibility to your DSO.

Can you use STEM OPT twice?

Yes, once per higher degree level and twice in a lifetime. The regulation: "In no event may a student be authorized for more than two lifetime STEM OPT extensions." DHS's STEM OPT Hub adds: "To participate twice in the STEM OPT extension, a student must earn a second qualifying degree at a higher education level."

The SEVIS Help Hub STEM OPT page lists the conditions for a second extension: you are in a period of active post-completion OPT, your second STEM degree is "at a higher level than the one used for the first STEM OPT extension," and no earlier extension was based on it. The STEM OPT Hub adds that students "may not apply for STEM OPT extensions during the 60-day grace period" after OPT. The usual E-Verify employer and Form I-983 rules apply.

Can you use a prior STEM degree?

Yes, in some cases. If you hold a US STEM bachelor's and are on OPT after a non-STEM master's, you may be able to base an extension on the bachelor's. Under the regulation, that earlier degree must come from a US school that is accredited and SEVP-certified when your DSO recommends you, be in a category on the current STEM Designated Degree Program List, have been conferred within the 10 years before the recommendation, and never have been the basis for an extension. Your Form I-983 must show how the training relates directly to it.

One wording gap: the regulation counts the 10 years back from the DSO recommendation, while the STEM OPT Hub says "within 10 years of applying for the STEM OPT extension with USCIS." Near the line, raise it with your DSO early. The Help Hub says USCIS "highly recommends sending transcripts" for a prior-degree extension, and our guide to STEM OPT and school accreditation covers the accreditation test.

The ceiling (our arithmetic): US STEM bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees could mean 12 plus 24 months after each of the first two, then 12 months after the doctorate, with no third extension.

Worked timeline: bachelor's OPT, then a master's

Would the proposed $70,000 OPT fee apply again for a second degree?

Undecided, because the fee is only proposed. Under the OPT fee NPRM of 2026-10-08 (91 FR 64566, docket ICEB-2026-0100), the SEVP-certified school, not the student, would pay $70,000 before a student's initial OPT recommendation and $30,000 before each later one, STEM OPT included, and could pass the cost on. Recommendations dated before a final rule's effective date would not be covered, and the fee would start 60 days after a final rule. The docket had more than 4,700 comments as of 2026-11-01; comments close 2026-11-09.

How the proposal could price a second OPT, as of 2026-11-01 (proposed only; the school is the legal payer; per DSO recommendation; our reading)

The re-charge column is not the proposal. The NPRM says DHS "considered ... having the one-time initial fee of $70,000 apply again to any initial period of OPT following the F-1 student's change to a higher educational level" and "especially encourages input" on it (91 FR 64576-77). The fee-free row is a gap: the NPRM does not settle whether a student whose first OPT was fee-free would owe $70,000 or $30,000 on a later OPT (our reading). For the worked numbers, see whether a master's after bachelor's OPT could be charged $70,000 twice and six STEM OPT fee scenarios worked out.

How to check your own eligibility before you enroll or file

1. Ask your DSO for your SEVIS employment history: every CPT, OPT and STEM OPT authorization and the education level each was tied to.
2. Compare the level on your new program's Form I-20 with the level of your earlier OPT. Higher means a new 12 months; same or lower generally means none.
3. Look up your program's CIP code, and any earlier STEM degree, on the STEM Designated Degree Program List via the STEM OPT Hub, and check a prior degree against the accreditation, 10-year and never-used tests.
4. Request the OPT recommendation in SEVIS from your DSO, then file Form I-765 with USCIS within 30 days of it and within 60 days after your program end date. Under PA-2026-15 (in effect since 2026-10-23), a day-counted paper deadline ending on a weekend or holiday rolls to the next business day; online filings never roll. Confirm with your DSO how that applies to your windows.
5. Attach complete initial evidence (the recommended I-20, prior EADs, transcripts for a prior-degree extension): since 2026-08-05 USCIS can deny an OPT I-765 without an RFE when initial evidence is missing (PA-2026-05, in effect and challenged in court).
6. Budget from Form G-1055 (edition 10/26/26): $520 paper or $470 online for Form I-765, plus $1,780 for optional premium processing (30 business days). On 2026-11-01 the USCIS processing-times tool showed 80% of F-1 student (c)(3) I-765s completed within 5 months; check the live figure.

Common mistakes

• Counting degrees instead of levels. Advice that a second master's "resets" OPT is wrong under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10); only a higher level earns new OPT.
• Starting a new program mid-OPT without a plan. OPT ends when you begin study at another level or transfer, and leftover months do not carry forward.
• Applying for STEM OPT in the 60-day grace period. You must be in valid post-completion OPT.
• Treating the blocked D/S same-level bar as law. It has been blocked since 2026-09-14.
• Assuming you, not your school, would owe the proposed fee. The school would be the legal payer and could pass the cost on; nothing is owed unless a final rule takes effect.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get OPT again after a master's if I used it after my bachelor's?

Yes. As of 2026-11-01, 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10) allows 12 months of OPT per educational level, and a master's is a higher level than a bachelor's, so it earns a new 12 months. A STEM master's can also support a 24-month STEM OPT extension.

Do I get OPT for a second master's degree?

Usually not. A second master's is the same educational level as the first, so it shares the 12 months already used at that level and earns no new OPT or STEM extension. If no OPT was ever authorized at the master's level, ask your DSO what remains.

Can I use STEM OPT twice?

Yes, twice in a lifetime at most, as of 2026-11-01. The second extension must rest on a STEM degree at a higher level than the one behind the first, and you must apply while in a valid period of post-completion OPT, not during the 60-day grace period.

Would the proposed $70,000 OPT fee apply again for a second degree?

Undecided, because the fee is only proposed (91 FR 64566, comments close 2026-11-09). The proposed text has the school pay $70,000 before an initial OPT recommendation and $30,000 before each later one, and DHS is asking whether to charge the $70,000 again after a move to a higher degree level.

Does unused OPT carry over to a new degree?

No. A higher level earns its own 12 months, not 12 plus your leftover, and OPT you are still on ends when you begin study at another level. STEM eligibility can carry over, because a STEM degree from an accredited, SEVP-certified US school, conferred in the last 10 years and never used for an extension, can support one later.

Sources

• 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10), CFR 2025 edition
• USCIS: OPT, STEM OPT, I-539, G-1055, processing times, PA-2026-05, PA-2026-15
• Study in the States: STEM OPT Hub eligibility, SEVIS Help Hub STEM OPT, unemployment counter
• OPT fee NPRM, 91 FR 64566: Federal Register, govinfo PDF
• Duration of Status final rule, 91 FR 44976

How we checked this: we read 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10), the USCIS OPT and STEM OPT pages, the STEM OPT Hub, the SEVIS Help Hub, the OPT fee NPRM and the Duration of Status rule text, and checked each item's status on 2026-11-01.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your own I-20, EAD and SEVIS record govern, and your DSO (for OPT and SEVIS questions) or a licensed immigration attorney (for strategy) can apply the rules to your case.

If you are heading into a second OPT period and want a job search aimed at employers that sponsor, F1Jobs works with international candidates on exactly that.