NSC Advises Cannot Combine Coursework for OPT Eligibility
November 28th, 2008 by Brian D. Zuccaro
An individual attended school under F-1 status at “College A” for one year and graduated with an Elementary Teacher certificate.
This individual now wanted to return to College A under F-1 status to obtain her Master’s degree. Because of the prior coursework completed, she would only need to complete one semester of coursework at College A in order to obtain her Master’s degree.
According to 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(10), F–1 students who were enrolled on a full-time basis for at least one full academic year are eligible to apply for up to 12 months of optional practical training (OPT) after graduation. The question was: Could this individual combine her coursework to meet the one full academic year requirement for OPT?
No, says the USCIS Nebraska Service Center, which handles F-1 student and school issues, in a response to our inquiry. The NSC did not elaborate on its reasoning. Presumably the rule is that you cannot combine coursework in this manner for purposes of OPT, but instead must complete the one full academic year in its entirety.
