The Trump administration has proposed a dramatic increase in the cost of placing international students into the United States’ Optional Practical Training programme, a move that could make it significantly harder for Nigerian and other foreign graduates to gain work experience in the country after completing their studies.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing a $70,000 fee for an initial Optional Practical Training (OPT) recommendation and $30,000 for each subsequent OPT recommendation involving an F-1 international student.
The proposal is part of the administration’s broader effort to tighten oversight of foreign students and employment programmes, with DHS saying the new charges are intended to combat fraud, strengthen immigration-system integrity and protect U.S. workers.
Importantly, the proposal does not mean Nigerian students would immediately be required to personally pay $70,000 to obtain OPT. Under the proposed system, the fee would be paid by the U.S. educational institution before its designated school official recommends the student for OPT. However, DHS would allow institutions to recover the cost from students, employers or other sources, potentially making the financial burden fall on international students in practice.
What the proposed OPT fee means
Under existing rules, eligible students can receive up to 12 months of OPT at an educational level. Graduates with qualifying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) degrees can potentially receive an additional 24-month STEM OPT extension, bringing the total post-completion period to as much as three years.
The proposed DHS rule would fundamentally change the cost structure surrounding the programme.
A school would face a $70,000 charge the first time it recommends a particular F-1 student for OPT after the rule takes effect. A later OPT recommendation for the same student would attract another $30,000 charge.
That means a student who progresses from ordinary post-completion OPT to a qualifying STEM OPT extension could potentially trigger $100,000 in new institutional fees.
The proposal is broader than simply applying a $30,000 charge to a STEM extension. DHS says the subsequent $30,000 fee would apply to later OPT recommendations generally.
Nigerian students could feel the impact
The proposed rule is particularly significant for Nigerians because the United States remains one of the major destinations for Nigerian students seeking postgraduate education, professional training and international work experience.
According to the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors 2025 data, 21,847 Nigerian students were studying in the United States during the 2024/25 academic year, making Nigeria the eighth-largest place of origin for international students in the country. The same data put the economic impact associated with Nigerian international students at about $889 million.
Not all of those students would be eligible for or seek OPT, so the proposed fee should not be interpreted as applying to every Nigerian student in America.
Its significance is instead concentrated among F-1 students who intend to work in the United States through OPT after or during their studies.
For Nigerian graduates pursuing fields such as computer science, engineering, data science, healthcare-related technology and other specialised disciplines, OPT can provide an important bridge between university education and professional employment.
A major increase in the cost of accessing that pathway could therefore influence where prospective students choose to study and whether universities remain willing to support OPT participation.
The proposed cost is far above the existing application fee
The scale of the proposed change becomes clearer when compared with the existing process.
Students seeking employment authorization through OPT must file Form I-765 with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The current general I-765 filing fee is $470 for online filing or $520 for paper filing, subject to the applicable category and fee rules.
The proposed $70,000 institutional charge would therefore be dramatically higher than the existing federal employment-authorization filing fee.
It would also introduce a cost that previously did not exist at the point when a university’s designated school official makes an OPT recommendation.
Why American universities are concerned
The proposal could create a difficult financial calculation for U.S. colleges and universities.
International students contribute substantial tuition revenue to American higher education, and many institutions actively recruit students from overseas.
If universities become responsible for tens of thousands of dollars per student who receives an OPT recommendation, schools could decide to limit participation, increase charges, shift costs to students or employers, or reconsider how aggressively they recruit international students.
The consequences could extend beyond universities.
Companies in technology and other specialised industries frequently recruit international graduates who have acquired U.S. degrees and are eligible for employment through OPT. A significant reduction in OPT participation could therefore affect employers seeking workers with specialised technical skills.
The proposal has already drawn opposition from NAFSA, the Association of International Educators.
NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw argued that OPT gives international students practical experience while helping employers address labour shortages, particularly in STEM-related occupations. The organisation warned that discouraging international talent could damage U.S. innovation, economic growth and workforce development.
What DHS says the policy is designed to achieve
The administration is presenting the proposal from a different perspective.
DHS says the fees are intended to address fraud and abuse associated with OPT, strengthen the integrity of the immigration system and protect American workers.
The department argues that requiring institutions to pay substantial fees would encourage schools to conduct more extensive reviews before recommending students for OPT.
In other words, the administration views the proposed charge not simply as a revenue measure but as a mechanism for increasing institutional scrutiny of international student employment.
That position contrasts sharply with the argument from international-education organisations that the cost could discourage legitimate students and employers from using a programme that has operated for decades.
The proposal is not yet law
For Nigerian students and other international students planning to study in America, one of the most important points is that the $70,000 and $30,000 fees are not currently in force.
DHS has issued a proposed rule, meaning it must go through the federal rulemaking process before becoming binding.
The proposal is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on October 8, 2026, after which the public-comment process will begin. Reports indicate that the substantive proposal will be open for public comment for 30 days.
DHS will then have to review comments before deciding whether to finalize, modify or abandon the proposal.
If finalized, the new charges would take effect only according to the implementation terms of the final rule.
This means students who are currently considering U.S. study should not assume that they must suddenly find $70,000 to qualify for OPT.
A possible $100,000 hurdle for some graduates
The potential financial impact becomes even more significant for STEM students.
A qualifying STEM graduate could initially enter regular OPT and later seek the 24-month STEM OPT extension. Under the proposed structure, those two recommendations could result in a combined $100,000 in institutional fees.
DHS’s proposal also makes clear that the fee would be connected to the OPT recommendation rather than simply to a particular type of degree or extension.
The possibility of such a large cost could encourage universities and employers to reconsider who bears the financial responsibility.
It could also affect the attractiveness of the United States compared with other countries competing for international students and highly skilled graduates.
Timeline: What happens next?
October 7, 2026: DHS announced the proposed OPT fee rule.
October 8, 2026: The proposed regulation is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register.
Following publication: The public-comment period begins.
After comments close: DHS will review submissions and determine whether to finalize, revise or withdraw the proposal.
If finalized: The new fee structure would take effect according to the final rule’s implementation timeline.
Until that process is completed, the proposed $70,000 and $30,000 charges should not be treated as current OPT fees.
What Nigerian students should know
Nigerian students planning to study in the United States should distinguish between the current OPT system and the new proposal.
For now, eligible F-1 students continue to follow the existing OPT process, including obtaining a recommendation from their designated school official and applying to USCIS for employment authorization.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement guidance confirms that OPT must be directly related to the student’s major or course of study. Regular OPT can generally last up to 12 months, while qualifying STEM graduates may receive a further 24-month extension.
Students considering U.S. universities should therefore continue checking official DHS, USCIS and university guidance rather than making decisions based solely on headlines about the proposed fee.
At the same time, the proposal is significant enough that prospective students should watch how universities respond, particularly if institutions begin warning applicants about possible additional costs.
Why the proposal matters beyond students
The debate over the OPT fee goes beyond immigration policy.
For the United States, the issue touches higher education, international recruitment, technology-sector hiring and the competition for highly skilled workers.
For countries such as Nigeria, it could influence where students choose to pursue postgraduate education and where they seek early-career professional experience.
If the proposed fees survive the rulemaking process, the United States could become considerably more expensive and complicated for international students hoping to transition from university education into U.S. employment.
For now, however, the most important fact is simple: the $70,000 OPT fee is a proposal, not a fee Nigerian students are currently required to pay.
Kindly Share:
Discover more from LMSINT MEDIA
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.