What does this research mean for the field?

Expansions to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program increased STEM degree completions in the United States by 14–15 percent, crowding in rather than crowding out domestic STEM students. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to analyze the impact of OPT reforms on the supply of STEM skills in the U.S.

May 16, 2026

OPT Reforms and the Relative Supply of STEM Skills

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This research aims to analyze the impact of OPT reforms on the supply of STEM skills in the U.S.
Utilized staggered expansions of STEM-OPT from 2008 to 2016 for analysis
Assessed changes in STEM degree completions at bachelor’s and master’s levels
Compared domestic STEM completions against international graduate completions
OPT reforms led to a 14–15% increase in STEM degree completions
Both international (from OPT) and domestic students increased their degree completions
Expansion of OPT appears to have positively affected domestic STEM student enrollment rather than negatively impacting it.

Resumen

Since the late 2000s, reforms to the optional practical training (OPT) program have allowed international STEM graduates to work in the United States for up to three years after graduation. We study how these reforms affected the supply of STEM skills in the United States. Exploiting the staggered 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2016 STEM-OPT expansions, we find that OPT reforms increased STEM degree completions by 14–15 percent, with gains evident at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. Domestic completions increased as well, suggesting that OPT expansions may have crowded in domestic STEM students rather than crowding them out.

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OPT Reforms and the Relative Supply of STEM Skills

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