OPT Approval and Denial Rate in 2026: What USCIS I-765 Data Shows for (c)(3)(A), (c)(3)(B) and (c)(3)(C)

The short answer: OPT approval rates by category

USCIS publishes Form I-765 counts by eligibility category every quarter. Each file lists receipts, approvals, denials and pending cases for every EAD code. OPT has three codes: (c)(3)(A) for pre-completion OPT, (c)(3)(B) for post-completion OPT and (c)(3)(C) for the 24-month STEM OPT extension.

We downloaded the four most recent quarterly files on November 8, 2026. They cover July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. The table adds up the approvals and denials across those four quarters for each OPT code.

The approval rate here is approvals divided by approvals plus denials. Pending cases are not in the rate, because they have no decision yet.

Sources: Immigration and Citizenship Data; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q3 (April 1 to June 30, 2026), XLSX

Post-completion OPT (c)(3)(B), quarter by quarter

Post-completion OPT is the 12-month OPT most students apply for near graduation. It is also by far the largest OPT category in the data.

The approval rate barely moved across the four quarters. It stayed between 96.6% and 97.2%. In plain terms, about 3 of every 100 decisions were denials.

The pending count changed much more than the rate. It was 6,089 at the end of September 2025 and 70,225 at the end of June 2026. USCIS warns that pending counts cannot be rebuilt from earlier files, because some actions, such as administrative closures and office transfers, are not shown.

Sources: Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2025 Q4 (July 1 to September 30, 2025), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q1 (October 1 to December 31, 2025), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q2 (January 1 to March 31, 2026), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q3 (April 1 to June 30, 2026), XLSX

• OPT EAD processing time 2026, updated monthly
• OPT EAD pending: delays in 2026

• Almost all (c)(3)(B) cases are filed as initial applications. In April to June 2026 there were 46,939 initial approvals and 1,366 initial denials, or 97.2%.
• The file also lists small "renewal" and "replacement" counts for (c)(3)(B). In April to June 2026 those were 147 approvals and 20 denials for renewals, and 253 approvals and 43 denials for replacements.

STEM OPT extension (c)(3)(C), quarter by quarter

The STEM OPT extension adds 24 months of OPT for eligible STEM degrees. USCIS lists most of these filings under the "renewal" filing type, and some under "initial". The table combines all filing types.

The rate was high in three of the four quarters. October to December 2025 was lower, at 93.7%, with 2,918 denials against 43,362 approvals. The file does not say why. Do not read a reason into it.

Sources: Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2025 Q4 (July 1 to September 30, 2025), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q1 (October 1 to December 31, 2025), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q2 (January 1 to March 31, 2026), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q3 (April 1 to June 30, 2026), XLSX

• STEM OPT processing time 2026
• STEM OPT extension guide

Pre-completion OPT (c)(3)(A): small numbers, lower rates

Pre-completion OPT is OPT used before you finish your program. It is a small category, with roughly 250 to 630 decisions a quarter. Small counts make the rate swing from quarter to quarter.

The approval rate ranged from 29.5% in January to March 2026 to 66.5% in July to September 2025. Across all four quarters it was 55.2%. That is far below the post-completion rate.

The data does not explain the gap. The rules for pre-completion OPT are different, though. You must have been enrolled full time for one full academic year before the work starts. While school is in session, pre-completion OPT is limited to 20 hours a week.

Sources: Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2025 Q4 (July 1 to September 30, 2025), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q1 (October 1 to December 31, 2025), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q2 (January 1 to March 31, 2026), XLSX; Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q3 (April 1 to June 30, 2026), XLSX; 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10) and (f)(11): practical training and the OPT application process (current eCFR text includes the postponed 30-day change, which USCIS is not applying)

• Pre-completion OPT vs CPT

How to read these numbers, and what they do not tell you

Each quarterly file counts what happened in that quarter. Receipts are new applications entered into USCIS systems. Approvals and denials are decisions made in the quarter, on applications filed at any time. Pending is the count still waiting at the end of the quarter.

That is why approvals can be larger than receipts in the same quarter. In July to September 2025, USCIS decided 62,971 (c)(3)(B) approvals but logged only 20,604 new (c)(3)(B) receipts.

A rejection is not a denial. A rejected filing is sent back without a decision, for example when the form is not signed. A denial is a decision on a case USCIS accepted.

USCIS also notes that counts can change between reports because of system updates and later actions. Our figures are the counts as printed in each file on the day we downloaded it.

Sources: Form I-765, Eligibility Category and Filing Type, FY2026 Q3 (April 1 to June 30, 2026), XLSX; I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (September 14, 2026 alert and When to File table)

• The rate is not your personal chance of approval. It mixes strong and weak filings from different months.
• The file has no reason field, so no one can rank denial reasons from this data.
• The data stops at June 30, 2026. A DHS rule that would shorten the post-completion filing window was postponed by a court on September 14, 2026, and USCIS says it is still following the previous rules.

Documented reasons OPT is denied

USCIS does not publish how often each reason appears. The regulation does require USCIS to explain a denial in writing. The reasons below come from the OPT rules and the Form I-765 instructions. They are grounds that can lead to a denial, not a ranked list.

Post-completion OPT has a strict filing window. You can generally file up to 90 days before and no later than 60 days after your program end date. You must also file within 30 days of the date your DSO entered the OPT recommendation in SEVIS. The I-765 instructions say USCIS will deny a request filed after that 30-day period.

A July 2026 DHS rule would cut the program-end limit from 60 days to 30 days. On September 14, 2026, a federal court postponed that rule. USCIS says it is following the previous rules for now. The eCFR website already shows the 30-day text, but USCIS is not applying it while the court order stands. Check with your DSO before relying on either window.

Eligibility gaps can also lead to a denial. Practical training generally requires one full academic year of full-time enrollment. You get 12 months of OPT per education level. Students who used one year or more of full-time CPT are not eligible for post-completion OPT.

For the STEM extension, the degree must be on the STEM Designated Degree Program List, and the employer must be enrolled in E-Verify. A completed Form I-983 must go to the DSO before the recommendation. You must file within 60 days of the DSO recommendation.

Process failures matter too. If you do not answer an RFE or a NOID by the deadline, USCIS may deny the case as abandoned, on the record, or both. Missing a biometrics appointment generally leads to a denial as abandoned, unless USCIS accepted a rescheduling request in time. Evidence that does not show you were eligible when you filed also leads to a denial.

Sources: I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (September 14, 2026 alert and When to File table); Instructions for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization (edition 08/21/25); Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media (final rule, July 17, 2026); 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10) and (f)(11): practical training and the OPT application process (current eCFR text includes the postponed 30-day change, which USCIS is not applying); 8 CFR 103.2(b): evidence, requests for evidence and abandonment

• OPT application denied: what to do next
• OPT RFE: how to respond to a Request for Evidence
• USCIS NOID response guide for OPT
• The 12-month CPT rule and OPT eligibility
• Check an employer’s E-Verify status before a STEM OPT offer

Example: Mei files on day 35

Fictional example: Mei’s DSO enters her post-completion OPT recommendation in SEVIS on March 1. She gets busy with final exams and files her I-765 online on April 5, which is 35 days later.

The I-765 instructions say the filing must come within 30 days of the DSO recommendation. Mei’s case is denied, and the denial notice states the reason. There is no appeal.

Mei calls her DSO the same day. They check whether a new recommendation and a new filing are still possible inside her program-end window. A 97% approval rate did not help Mei, because her problem was a rule, not chance.

The useful habit is simple. Write down the date the DSO enters the recommendation, and file well before day 30.

Track your own case, not the average

The quarterly data is useful for context. It cannot tell you what is happening with your receipt. Your own case status, and any notice USCIS mails you, is the official record.

Check the I-765 receipt in USCIS Case Status Online or your USCIS account. Watch for "Request for Evidence Was Sent", because that deadline matters more than any average. A tracker such as TrackMyOPT can check the status for you and email you when it changes. It is a tracker, not legal advice.

Sources: Check your immigration case status

• EAD card status: every USCIS status message explained
• OPT timelines reported by users: November 2026 snapshot
• How TrackMyOPT case tracking works