The grace period comes up on many EADly pages, each time in passing. This post brings together what official sources say about the 60 days after post-completion OPT or STEM OPT ends: how the dates work, what isn't allowed, the options the sources list, and when there is no grace period at all.
Some situations have their own posts, linked below: an H-1B petition in F-1 to H-1B: cap-gap and the grace period, a denied application in Your OPT application was denied, the unemployment limit in What happens if you go over 90 days, and trips in Travel on OPT.
Not legal advice. This article summarizes official U.S. government sources. It is not legal or immigration advice. EADly is not a law firm and is not affiliated with USCIS, DHS or ICE. Whether a grace period applies to you, and which option fits, is a question for your DSO or a qualified immigration attorney. Last checked October 22, 2026. Each source's own date is in the Sources list.
When does the grace period start and end?
- The rule. "An F-1 student who has completed a course of study and any authorized practical training following completion of studies will be allowed an additional 60-day period to prepare for departure from the United States or to transfer" (8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(iv)).
- After post-completion OPT. For a student with approved post-completion OPT, duration of status ends "60 days after the OPT employment authorization expires" (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(D)). The USCIS Policy Manual says a student who completed post-completion OPT "may remain in F-1 status for 60 days beyond the EAD expiration date," and that "This is commonly known as a grace period" (USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 2, Pt. F, Ch. 5).
- After STEM OPT. The regulation calls STEM OPT a "24-month extension of post-completion OPT" (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)), and the SEVIS Help Hub says students who finish "post-completion practical training (employment)" have a grace period (Complete Student SEVIS Status). EADly counts the 60 days from the STEM OPT EAD end date. Confirm the date with your DSO.
- After your program, if you have no OPT yet. The same 60 days follow the end of your studies. The post-completion OPT filing window also runs to 60 days after the program end date; see the OPT filing window. The Help Hub lists "Recommend optional practical training" among the actions a DSO can take during the grace period (same page).
How the days are counted. EADly treats the day after your EAD end date as day 1 and counts calendar days, so the last day of the grace period is the EAD end date plus 60 days. That matches the regulation's "60 days after" wording and the cap-gap post's calculator.
A fictional example
Fictional dates. Not your dates. Ana's OPT EAD says "Card Expires" Thursday, December 31, 2026. She has no STEM degree and no H-1B petition.
| Date | What it is |
|---|---|
| Thursday, December 31, 2026 | Last day of OPT work authorization on her EAD |
| Friday, January 1, 2027 | Day 1 of the grace period |
| Friday, January 15, 2027 | Last day she can update her SEVP Portal details (up to 15 days after the OPT end date) |
| Saturday, January 16, 2027 | Her portal account becomes read-only |
| Monday, March 1, 2027 | Day 60: the last day of the grace period, as EADly counts it |
Three more fictional cases, counted the same way:
| Last authorized date | Last day of the grace period |
|---|---|
| STEM OPT EAD ends Thursday, May 31, 2029 | Monday, July 30, 2029 |
| Program ends Friday, December 18, 2026, no OPT | Tuesday, February 16, 2027 |
| OPT EAD ends Monday, March 15, 2027 | Friday, May 14, 2027 |
The dates were computed with Python's datetime (end date + 60 days). The portal dates are explained below.
Can you work during the grace period?
Official sources say no:
- USCIS: "F-1 students who have entered the 60-day grace period are not authorized to work" (USCIS, cap-gap page).
- ICE, on-campus jobs: "May an F-1 student work on campus during the 60-day grace period after the program end date? No." ICE adds that the period "is for an F-1 student to prepare to leave the United States, unless the student is beginning a new program of study" (ICE, SEVIS employment FAQ).
- The regulation's exception for a new program. A student with a Form I-20 for a new program "who intends to enroll for the next regular academic year, term, or session at the institution that issued the Form I-20 ... may continue on-campus employment incident to status." Otherwise, an F-1 student "may not engage in on-campus employment after completing a course of study, except employment for practical training" (8 CFR 214.2(f)(9)(i)).
Two rules can keep OPT work going past the EAD end date, and both depend on a filing made before the EAD ends: a timely STEM OPT application (see STEM OPT below) and cap-gap, if your OPT was still valid when the H-1B petition was filed (see cap-gap). Both are compared in Can you work while your OPT or STEM OPT application is pending?
Can you travel during the grace period?
- Inside the U.S.: yes. The SEVIS Help Hub, written for school officials, lists "Travel within the United States and prepare to depart by the end of the grace period" (Complete Student SEVIS Status).
- Leaving ends it. The same page says the student "may not depart and return to the United States during the grace period. If the student departs the United States before the end of this grace period, the rest of the grace period is lost."
- No re-entry on it. ICE: "Can I reenter during the 60-day period after finishing my program or OPT? No. The 60-day 'grace' period is only to prepare to leave the country." (ICE, Travel)
- Your SEVIS record. If you leave during the grace period, the DSO may complete your record manually. The Help Hub says that when a record is manually completed, the grace period ends and the record "cannot be reactivated" without an SEVP-adjudicated correction or a USCIS-adjudicated reinstatement (Complete Student SEVIS Status).
- Leaving before your OPT ends. SEVP's 2010 OPT guidance suggests reporting "Completing OPT and exiting the United States" and your date of exit (§7.3.1, SEVP Policy Guidance 1004-03). ICE says that guidance "remains in effect," except where its 17-month STEM content conflicts with the 2016 STEM rule (ICE, Practical Training).
More on trips is in Travel on OPT. Talk to your DSO before booking anything.
What you can do: the options official sources list
The regulation gives the period "to prepare for departure from the United States or to transfer" (8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(iv)). The Policy Manual says that during it a student "may contact their DSO to change their education level, transfer to another SEVP-certified school, or file an application or petition with USCIS to change to another nonimmigrant or immigrant status" (Ch. 5).
| Option | What official sources say | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare to depart | The purpose of the period (8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(iv)) | Once you leave, the rest of the period is lost (Help Hub) |
| Transfer to another SEVP-certified school | A DSO can "Transfer" a record during the grace period (Help Hub) | After OPT, you "must be able [to] resume classes within 5 months of transferring out of the school that recommended OPT or the date the OPT authorization ends, whichever is earlier" (8 CFR 214.2(f)(8)(i)) |
| Start a new program or change education level | Students can "Apply and be accepted to a new academic program to start within five months," and a DSO can "Change educational level" (Help Hub) | If you transfer or start the new level while OPT is still running, OPT work authorization ends then (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(B)) |
| Change to another status | Students can "Apply to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for a change of class of admission" (Help Hub) | USCIS says a change-of-status request must be filed "before your authorized stay expires," and "do not change your activity" until it is approved (USCIS, Change My Nonimmigrant Status) |
| An H-1B cap-subject petition filed by an employer | A petition filed during the grace period can count as timely (USCIS, cap-gap page) | Status is extended, but not work authorization. See below |
Dependents. The Policy Manual says "The F-1 student and any dependents must depart the United States by the end of the grace period if they do not either change the student's nonimmigrant status, or transfer to an ICE SEVP-certified school" (Ch. 5).
Which option fits you, if any, is a judgment for your DSO or an immigration attorney.
When is there no grace period?
- A status violation. The regulation says a student who "fails to maintain a full course of study without the approval of the DSO or otherwise fails to maintain status is not eligible for an additional period for departure" (8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(iv)).
- A record terminated for a violation. For "Termination for any violation of status," the SEVIS Help Hub says "No grace period." The student must apply for reinstatement, or the student and dependents must leave the United States immediately (Terminate a Student).
- A denial for a status violation. If an OPT application is denied because the student failed to maintain F-1 status, the Policy Manual says "they must immediately depart the United States" (Ch. 5). For an H-1B change of status denied "due to a status violation, misrepresentation, or fraud," USCIS says the 60-day grace period doesn't apply (USCIS, cap-gap page).
If you went over the unemployment limit
- "During post-completion OPT, F-1 status is dependent upon employment," with a limit of 90 days of unemployment, or 150 in total with a STEM extension (8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(E)).
- SEVP's 2010 guidance says a student who exceeded the limit "has violated his or her status unless he or she has taken one of the following actions": applied to change education level or transfer, departed the United States, or taken action to otherwise maintain legal status (§7.4.2, SEVP Policy Guidance 1004-03).
- "DHS maintains responsibility for determining whether a student has violated his or her status by exceeding the permissible limit" (§7.4.3, same guidance).
So if you passed the limit, don't plan around the 60 days after your EAD end date. What official sources say happens, and what to bring your DSO, is in What happens if you go over 90 days of unemployment. Talk to your DSO or an attorney before you reach the limit.
The grace period and an H-1B cap-gap petition
- Filing during the grace period can be timely. USCIS defines timely filed as filed during the H-1B filing period "and while the student's authorized F-1 duration of status (D/S) admission was still in effect," including "the 60-day departure preparation period commonly known as the 'grace period'" (USCIS, cap-gap page).
- Status, not work. A student who has entered the grace period "will receive the automatic extension of their F-1 status, but will not be authorized to work since the student was not authorized to work at the time H-1B petition was filed" (same page).
- If the petition fails. The standard 60-day grace period follows, but official sources describe its start date differently. The comparison is in the cap-gap post.
- Not the H-1B 60-day period. The period of up to 60 days after an H-1B job ends is a separate rule, 8 CFR 214.1(l)(2). See Part 2 of the cap-gap post.
The grace period and STEM OPT
- You can't apply during the grace period. SEVP: "Students may not apply for STEM OPT extensions during the 60-day grace period following an initial (usually 12-month) period of post-completion OPT" (Study in the States, Determining STEM OPT Extension Eligibility). SEVP also says that if USCIS receives the Form I-765 after your post-completion OPT end date, "the STEM OPT extension application will be denied" (Study in the States, Applying for Practical Training).
- A timely application keeps work going. If you filed on time and your OPT EAD expires while the application is pending, work authorization is extended for up to 180 days or until USCIS decides. How that works, with a fictional example, is in Can you work while your OPT or STEM OPT application is pending?
- If the STEM application is denied after your OPT EAD expired, the Policy Manual says "OPT employment authorization ends on the date of the decision and the student's F-1 status ends 60 days after the date of denial" (Ch. 5). Fictional: OPT EAD ended December 31, 2026; denial on Wednesday, March 10, 2027; 60 days later is Sunday, May 9, 2027. A denial for failing to maintain status is different: the student "must immediately depart" (same chapter).
- After STEM OPT ends, the 60 days follow the STEM OPT EAD end date (see the table above).
Your SEVIS record and the SEVP Portal during the grace period
- The record completes on its own. "SEVIS auto-completes the student's record after the appropriate grace period has passed" (Complete Student SEVIS Status).
- 15 days of portal edits. "Students can change their contact and employment information up to 15 days after the end date of their optional practical training (OPT)" (SEVIS Help Hub, SEVIS and the SEVP Portal). Accounts become "Read Only" on the 16th day after OPT or the STEM extension ends (SEVP Portal Release 6.1). After that, the portal's email notice says to contact your DSO to make changes (Portal Email Notices).
- Address changes still have a 10-day deadline. The F-1 address rule in 8 CFR 214.2(f)(17) isn't limited to OPT. Who to tell and by when is in Moved while on OPT or STEM OPT?
How EADly shows the grace period
EADly is a private, local-first app for iPhone and Android. For the grace period it gives you:
- Departure Period on Home. Once the OPT or STEM OPT EAD end date you saved has passed, Home shows the Departure Period phase, and your Timeline shows Departure Period Ends 60 days after that date, counted as in the examples above.
- STEM OPT pending instead. If you saved a STEM OPT application filed by your OPT EAD end date, EADly shows STEM OPT pending, not a departure period, for up to 180 days after the OPT EAD end date.
- Something changed? checklists with sources for a move or a trip, and Reporting & SEVP for a dated record of what you reported.
These are on EADly Free. What it doesn't do: EADly counts from the dates you save. It doesn't know whether you left the U.S., a STEM OPT denial you save doesn't change the dates it shows, and it doesn't decide whether you are in status or whether a grace period applies to you. It doesn't report anything to your DSO, SEVIS or USCIS.
Get EADly on the App Store or Google Play. The download is free.
Common questions
How long is the grace period after OPT?
60 days. The regulation says F-1 status after post-completion OPT ends "60 days after the OPT employment authorization expires." EADly counts the last day as your EAD end date plus 60 days.
My EAD expires December 31, 2026. When does my grace period end?
Counting the day after the EAD end date as day 1, day 60 is March 1, 2027. Confirm the date your DSO and SEVIS use.
Can I work during the grace period?
No. USCIS says students who have entered the 60-day grace period are not authorized to work, and ICE says on-campus work isn't allowed either. The regulation's one exception is continuing on-campus work at the school that issued a Form I-20 for a new program starting the next term.
Can I leave the U.S. and come back during the grace period?
No. SEVP says a student may not depart and return during the grace period, and leaving forfeits the rest of it. ICE says you can't re-enter during the 60 days.
Can I apply for STEM OPT during the grace period?
No. SEVP says students may not apply for STEM OPT during the 60-day grace period after post-completion OPT, and that an application USCIS receives after the OPT end date will be denied.
Is there a grace period if I went over the unemployment limit?
The regulation gives no grace period to a student who fails to maintain status, and SEVP's guidance treats exceeding the limit as a status violation unless you took one of the listed actions. Talk to your DSO or an attorney before you reach the limit.
Does an H-1B petition filed during my grace period let me work?
No. USCIS says the petition extends your F-1 status but not work authorization, because you weren't authorized to work when it was filed.
Sources
All checked October 22, 2026. The date in brackets is the date each page showed.
- 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(iv), (f)(8)(i), (f)(9)(i), (f)(10)(ii)(B), (f)(10)(ii)(C), (f)(10)(ii)(D) and (f)(10)(ii)(E), eCFR as of Sept 14, 2026: https://www.ecfr.gov/on/2026-09-14/title-8/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-214/subpart-A/section-214.2 [eCFR version of 09/14/2026; checked October 22, 2026. We cite this version because USCIS says it "will proceed under the previous regulatory provisions" after a court postponed the July 17, 2026 rule: https://www.uscis.gov/i-765]
- USCIS, Form I-765 (court-order alert): https://www.uscis.gov/i-765 [last reviewed 10/07/2026; checked October 22, 2026]
- USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 2, Pt. F, Ch. 5: https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-2-part-f-chapter-5 [current as of 10/02/2026; checked October 22, 2026]
- USCIS, Extension of Post-Completion OPT and F-1 Status for Eligible Students (cap-gap): https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/h-1b-specialty-occupations/extension-of-post-completion-optional-practical-training-opt-and-f-1-status-for-eligible-students [last reviewed 01/17/2025; checked October 22, 2026]
- USCIS, Change My Nonimmigrant Status: https://www.uscis.gov/visit-the-united-states/change-my-nonimmigrant-status [last reviewed 04/11/2024; checked October 22, 2026]
- ICE, SEVIS employment FAQ: https://www.ice.gov/sevis/employment [updated 12/30/2025; checked October 22, 2026]
- ICE, Travel: https://www.ice.gov/sevis/travel [updated 07/08/2025; checked October 22, 2026]
- ICE, Practical Training: https://www.ice.gov/sevis/practical-training [updated 12/10/2024; checked October 22, 2026]
- SEVP Policy Guidance 1004-03, Update to Optional Practical Training: https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/opt_policy_guidance_042010.pdf [dated 04/23/2010; checked October 22, 2026]
- Study in the States, SEVIS Help Hub, Complete Student SEVIS Status: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-records/completions-and-terminations/complete-student-sevis-status [last updated 07/27/2026; checked October 22, 2026]
- Study in the States, SEVIS Help Hub, Terminate a Student: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-records/completions-and-terminations/terminate-a-student [last updated 04/30/2026; checked October 22, 2026]
- Study in the States, Determining STEM OPT Extension Eligibility: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/stem-opt-hub/for-students/students-determining-stem-opt-extension-eligibility [last updated 03/25/2026; checked October 22, 2026]
- Study in the States, Applying for Practical Training: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students/work/applying-for-practical-training [last updated 08/24/2026; checked October 22, 2026]
- Study in the States, SEVIS Help Hub, SEVIS and the SEVP Portal: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-records/fm-student-employment/sevis-and-the-sevp-portal [last updated 02/14/2023; checked October 22, 2026]
- Study in the States, SEVP Portal Release 6.1 Planning Guide: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/sevp-portal-release-61-planning-guide [last updated 05/24/2024; checked October 22, 2026]
- Study in the States, SEVIS Help Hub, Portal Email Notices: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-records/fm-student-employment/sevis-and-the-sevp-portal/portal-email-notices [last updated 07/27/2026; checked October 22, 2026]
This article summarizes official U.S. government sources and is not legal or immigration advice. EADly is not a law firm and is not affiliated with USCIS, DHS or ICE.