STEM OPT Denials Tracker
Hello everyone,
I’ve been noticing a worrying trend of STEM OPT RFEs and outright denials lately—specifically hitting STEM MBAsand business programs. The common reason cited by USCIS seems to be that the underlying degree title (MBA) is not considered STEM-related, despite having a STEM-designated CIP code on the I-20.
Because this is causing a lot of anxiety for those of us waiting on decisions, I wanted to create a central thread where we can crowd-source data and see what's actually getting approved versus what's getting flagged.
If you have a STEM MBA or a specialized business master's, please share your experience using this quick format:
- School:
- Exact Degree Title (on Transcript): (e.g., MBA, or MBA with Data Analytics Concentration)
- CIP Code (on Page 1 of I-20):
- Status: (Approved / Denied / RFE / Pending)
- Filing Timeline: (Standard or Premium? When did you apply?)
- Nationality: (Optional, but helpful for tracking trends)
- If RFE/Denied, what was the reason & what did you do? (e.g., Submitted a Dean's support letter, filed an I-290B Motion to Reopen, etc.)
Hopefully, this can help those who are currently panicking while reading these scary posts, and give us a blueprint of what evidence USCIS is actually accepting right now.
Thank you, and good luck to everyone navigating this process!