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Welcome to News and Updates from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). This message provides useful information for the international student and academic communities.

What is the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List?

The DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List is a complete list of fields of study that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considers to be science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields of study for purposes of the 24-month STEM optional practical training (OPT) extension.

What are CIP Codes?

Schools throughout the United States and its territories offer thousands of similar programs of study, but each have their own unique program names and descriptions. The U.S. Department of Education, which collects and reports data about these programs of study, developed the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) to:

• Map those programs to a shared understanding of what a given program of study includes.
• Collect data from schools on programs of study offered.
• Create reports on educational trends for use by the federal government and the public.

The CIP’s comprehensive list of programs is broken into related categories. Each program has a name and an individual code.

Updated DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List

DHS published a Federal Register notice on Jan. 21, 2022, announcing the addition of 22 CIP codes to the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. No CIP codes or fields of study have been removed from the list as part of this update.

CIP Code Nomination Process

DHS is also providing guidance to stakeholders about how to submit CIP code nominations for potential inclusion on or removal from the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. Find instructions about how stakeholders can nominate CIP codes at ICE.gov/SEVIS/Schools, under the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List and CIP Code Nomination Process header.

Additional Information and Resources

For additional information about the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List and fields of study that qualify for the STEM OPT extension, please refer to:

• The Federal Register notice announcing the CIP code additions.
• The updated DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List.
• The Eligible CIP Codes for the STEM OPT Extension page on the Study in the States STEM OPT Hub.

For additional information about CIP codes and how interested parties, including members of the public, can submit CIP code nominations, please refer to:

• The Classification of Instructional Programs page on the SEVIS Help Hub.
• gov/SEVIS/Schools, under the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List and CIP Code Nomination Process header.

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