I-983 Training Plan: A Section-by-Section STEM OPT Guide
Complete the I-983 with your STEM OPT employer, write specific training goals, and understand signatures, material changes, and required evaluations.
Direct answer
Form I-983 is the STEM OPT training plan completed by the student and employer and provided to the DSO. Explain how the job builds on your STEM degree, who supervises you, and how progress is measured. Keep the plan accurate throughout employment; evaluations and material changes require follow-up, not just the initial signature.
What You Should Know First
- The training plan must describe the real job, employer, supervision, and learning goals.
- Coordinate with the DSO before the STEM OPT recommendation and filing.
- Report material changes and complete the required evaluations.
- Sample wording is a structure to adapt, not evidence that your arrangement qualifies.
Before writing: gather the facts with your employer
Use the current official Form I-983 and instructions. Gather your student information, degree details, employer legal name, EIN, E-Verify information required for the STEM OPT process, worksite, compensation, hours, and supervisor details. Confirm those facts with the employer instead of guessing from a public website.
Ask the DSO which school fields and submission process apply. A school may require its own review before making the STEM OPT recommendation. Start early enough to correct an incomplete plan without pushing the I-765 filing past the applicable deadlines.
The form is a substantive training agreement, not a generic job description. The employer must be able to make the certifications and deliver the supervision described. If the arrangement involves staffing, remote supervision, or more than one entity, discuss the actual structure with the DSO and qualified counsel rather than copying another student’s form.
Sources: Form I-983 Overview; Form I-983 instructions; STEM OPT Hub
Student, employer, and certification sections
Complete the student information and certification accurately, including the degree and requested training period. Use the employer’s official information in the employer section, and identify the people authorized to make the required certifications. Read each certification before signing; signatures should reflect an understanding of the real arrangement.
The student and employer have different responsibilities. A student can draft a description for discussion, but should not invent an employer’s supervision plan, compensation commitment, or evaluation method. The employer must review the final plan and provide the required signature through an acceptable method under the current instructions.
Keep the signed version and the DSO submission record. If the DSO asks for corrections, make them with the employer and save the final version. A screenshot of a signature page alone is not a reliable record of the full plan that was agreed.
Sources: Form I-983 instructions
- Verify student and degree fields with the I-20 and school.
- Confirm employer and worksite information with HR or the supervisor.
- Read certifications together.
- Sign, submit through the DSO’s process, and save the final plan.
Write training goals that connect the job to the degree
Describe what the student will do, which degree-based knowledge the work uses, and what new skills the training develops. Specific goals are easier to understand than “gain professional experience.” Use responsibilities, tools, and learning outcomes that actually match the job.
Explain the learning process. Will the student work on increasingly complex projects, receive code or design reviews, shadow a qualified colleague, or practice a particular research method? Choose details the employer can deliver. Avoid promising advanced work that is absent from the actual role.
A useful structure is: degree knowledge → real work → supervised learning → observable progress. The goal is clarity, not legal-sounding language. Generic copy can hide gaps that a direct description would reveal.
Sources: Form I-983 Overview; Form I-983 instructions
Example: Nina drafts a data-engineering training goal
Fictional example: Nina has a qualifying STEM degree and a data-engineering role. Her first draft says, “I will learn data engineering.” Her supervisor asks what that means in this team’s daily work.
They revise the draft to describe building and testing data pipelines using the database and programming concepts from her degree. They identify supervised code reviews, weekly technical feedback, and measures such as documented tests and explanations of design choices. They also confirm the worksite, hours, and compensation.
This is illustrative wording, not an approved template or a determination that Nina qualifies. Another student should replace the details with the actual degree, job, and supervision. If a supervisor cannot explain how progress will be assessed, the plan needs more discussion before signature.
Explain supervision and measures of progress
Name the oversight structure and how the employer checks learning. An evaluation method can include review of completed work, feedback against defined goals, project discussions, or documented skills assessments. It should be concrete enough that the student and supervisor know what to do during the training period.
Remote work does not remove the need for real oversight. Describe how supervision operates in the actual arrangement and ask the DSO about any worksite or reporting questions. The form should remain consistent with how the employer really manages the student.
Submit the completed plan to the DSO through the school’s process. Form I-983 is generally retained through the school process for the STEM OPT recommendation; follow current USCIS filing instructions and any specific evidence request rather than automatically attaching every document to the I-765.
Sources: Form I-983 Overview; STEM OPT Hub; Instructions for Form I-765
Evaluations, material changes, and a new employer
The student completes the required progress evaluations and the employer reviews and signs them. The official instructions describe the first evaluation at 12 months and the final evaluation at the conclusion of training, including when employment ends early. Submit the required evaluation to the DSO no later than 10 days after the relevant reporting period ends.
A new employer requires a new plan and the applicable reporting steps. Do not keep using a previous employer’s I-983 because the job title is similar. Coordinate the old employment’s final evaluation and the new plan with the DSO.
Material changes can include certain employer-identity changes, a compensation reduction unrelated to reduced hours, significant hour changes, or changes to learning objectives and employer commitments. Report changes promptly through the DSO’s required process. Keep separate reminders for the six-month STEM validation and the I-983 evaluations; they are related responsibilities with different submissions.
Sources: Form I-983 Overview; Form I-983 instructions; Pre-rule OPT filing requirements (8 CFR 214.2(f), September 14, 2026)
Your Action Checklist
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Copying another student’s plan unchanged.
- Describing supervision that does not exist.
- Treating the initial signature as the end of reporting.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who completes Form I-983?
The student and employer complete and sign their respective sections and provide the plan to the DSO through the school’s process.
Can I copy the example training goal?
Use its structure for discussion, but replace it with the actual degree, duties, supervision, and evaluation method. Example wording does not establish eligibility.
When are the I-983 evaluations due?
The instructions require a first evaluation at 12 months and a final evaluation at the end of training, including an early end. Submit the required evaluation to the DSO within 10 days after the relevant period ends.
Do I need a new I-983 when changing employers?
Yes. Coordinate the new employer’s plan, reporting, and the previous training’s final evaluation with your DSO.
Official Sources
Rules can change. We checked this guide against the primary sources below; always open the current form instructions or agency page before acting.
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Written by Vinay Kumar
Vinay is a content writer at TrackMyOPT who specializes in immigration guidance for international students. All content is researched using official USCIS, SEVP, and Department of Labor sources and reviewed for accuracy by the TrackMyOPT team, which includes former F-1 students who navigated OPT, STEM OPT, and H-1B transitions firsthand.