H-1B Cap-Exempt Employers: Which Sponsors Can Hire You Without the Lottery? Top 50 Ranked

If you missed the H-1B lottery — or you're an F-1 student with OPT running out — a cap-exempt H-1B employer is the most direct path to staying in the U.S. legally. Universities, government and nonprofit research organizations, and university-affiliated nonprofits can file H-1B petitions any time of year, with no lottery, no random selection, and no annual cap. This article ranks the 50 largest cap-exempt H-1B employers in the U.S., pulled directly from the Ellis Visa Sponsors database (with 2,314+ cap-exempt sponsors).

Browse 2,314+ cap-exempt sponsors → Filter the Ellis cap-exempt database by employer type, city, or filing volume.

Top Sponsors at a Glance

• Largest cap-exempt H-1B employer: University of Michigan. 2,381 H-1B filings — the most of any cap-exempt sponsor in the U.S.
• Largest research-nonprofit sponsor: Mayo Clinic. 2,139 H-1B filings — the leading hospital/research nonprofit.
• Largest federal research lab sponsor: National Institutes of Health. 999 H-1B filings — the largest government research employer.
• Highest green card commitment (cap-exempt): Pennsylvania State University. 25.6%.
• Largest Ivy League sponsor: Harvard University. 1,379 H-1B filings — the leading Ivy by sponsorship volume.

Filter by employer type → The Ellis cap-exempt database lets you filter universities, research organizations, and junior colleges.

What is an H-1B cap-exempt employer?

A cap-exempt H-1B employer is one that can file H-1B petitions without being subject to the annual 85,000-visa cap (65,000 regular + 20,000 advanced-degree). The cap is what makes the H-1B lottery necessary — there are far more applicants than visas. Cap-exempt employers skip the lottery entirely.

Under 8 CFR § 214.2(h)(8)(ii)(F) and Section 214(g)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, four employer categories qualify as cap-exempt:

1. Institutions of higher education: accredited public and private universities and colleges.
2. Nonprofit entities related to or affiliated with a U.S. institution of higher education: typically university hospitals, medical schools, and affiliated research centers.
3. Nonprofit research organizations: independent research nonprofits like the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
4. Governmental research organizations: federal, state, and local government research entities like NIH and the national laboratories.

A worker employed at one of these institutions is "cap-exempt," meaning the H-1B can be filed and approved at any time of year, with no lottery and no risk of being rejected because the cap was reached.

Why cap-exempt H-1B employers matter in 2026

The H-1B lottery has become quite competitive. For FY 2026, USCIS reported approximately 339,000 eligible unique beneficiaries competing for 85,000 visas — roughly a 25% selection rate. Cap-exempt employment can be a helpful alternative.

A few situations where cap-exempt H-1B employers are especially valuable:

• You're a researcher, physician, or academic. Most cap-exempt sponsors hire heavily in these fields, and the H-1B path is often easier to navigate than at private employers.
• You weren't selected in the H-1B lottery. You can later transfer to a cap-subject employer through the cap-exempt portability provisions, though re-entering the cap-subject system has rules.
• Your OPT is expiring. Cap-exempt jobs let you transition to H-1B status without waiting for the next lottery cycle.
• You're trying to maintain H-1B status after a layoff. Cap-exempt employers can hire H-1B workers within the 60-day grace period without lottery delays.

Top 50 Cap-Exempt H-1B Employers in 2026

Ranked by total H-1B filings on record at each cap-exempt sponsor.

1. University of Michigan

• Type: University
• Location: Ann Arbor, MI
• Employees: 63K

The largest cap-exempt H-1B sponsor in the U.S. Sponsors across medicine, engineering, and academic research.

2. Mayo Clinic

• Type: Research nonprofit / hospital
• Location: Rochester, MN
• Employees: 74K

The largest research-nonprofit cap-exempt sponsor. Significant physician, scientist, and clinical researcher sponsorship across Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida campuses.

3. Columbia University

• Type: University
• Location: New York, NY
• Employees: 15K

The leading Ivy League cap-exempt sponsor by H-1B volume. Significant hiring across the medical school, engineering, and business school.

4. University of Pennsylvania

• Type: University
• Location: Philadelphia, PA
• Employees: 41K

Significant cap-exempt H-1B sponsor.

5. Harvard University

• Type: University
• Location: Cambridge, MA
• Employees: 19K

The leading Ivy by sponsorship volume. Significant sponsorship across Harvard Medical School, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Kennedy School.

6. Yale University

• Type: University
• Location: New Haven, CT
• Employees: 21K

Sponsors heavily across Yale School of Medicine, Yale Law, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

7. Stanford University

• Type: University
• Location: Stanford, CA
• Employees: 13K

Leading Bay Area cap-exempt sponsor. Sponsors across School of Medicine, School of Engineering, and graduate research programs.

8. Johns Hopkins University

• Type: University
• Location: Baltimore, MD
• Employees: 35K

Sponsors heavily in medicine, public health, and Applied Physics Laboratory research.

9. University of Florida

• Type: University
• Location: Gainesville, FL
• Employees: 30K

Significant sponsorship in medicine, engineering, and agriculture.

10. Emory University

• Type: University
• Location: Atlanta, GA
• Employees: 41K

Anchored by Emory School of Medicine and Emory Healthcare. Strong sponsor for physicians and clinical researchers.

11. The University of Chicago

• Type: University
• Location: Chicago, IL
• Employees: 10K

Sponsors broadly across the medical school, Booth School of Business, and academic research.

12. University of California, San Francisco

• Type: University
• Location: San Francisco, CA
• Employees: 24K

Health sciences-focused UC campus. Significant physician and biomedical research sponsorship.

13. University of Pittsburgh

• Type: University
• Location: Pittsburgh, PA
• Employees: 15K

Strong sponsor across medicine, public health, and computing. UPMC partnership extends sponsorship reach in healthcare.

14. The University of Iowa

• Type: University
• Location: Iowa City, IA
• Employees: 26K

Anchored by Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Health Care.

15. University of California, San Diego

• Type: University
• Location: La Jolla, CA
• Employees: 100

Strong sponsor in oceanography, engineering, and the UC San Diego Health system.

16. University of Wisconsin–Madison

• Type: University
• Location: Madison, WI
• Employees: 4K

Significant sponsorship in life sciences and engineering.

17. The Ohio State University

• Type: University
• Location: Columbus, OH
• Employees: 40K

Anchored by Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and the College of Engineering.

18. University of Minnesota

• Type: University
• Location: Minneapolis, MN
• Employees: 2K

Sponsors broadly across the medical school, engineering, and life sciences.

19. Purdue University

• Type: University
• Location: West Lafayette, IN
• Employees: 15K

Engineering-heavy sponsorship.

20. University of California, Los Angeles

• Type: University
• Location: Los Angeles, CA
• Employees: 26K

Anchored by UCLA Health and the Geffen School of Medicine.

21. University of Maryland, College Park

• Type: University
• Location: College Park, MD
• Employees: 4K

Strong engineering and computer science sponsor, with proximity to federal research institutions.

22. University of Colorado Boulder

• Type: University
• Location: Boulder, CO
• Employees: 15K

Strong sponsor in aerospace engineering, atmospheric science, and computer science.

23. National Institutes of Health

• Type: Government research organization
• Location: Bethesda, MD

The largest federal research cap-exempt sponsor. Significant biomedical scientist sponsorship across NIH's 27 institutes and centers. Zero PERM filings reflects that federal sponsors typically don't file PERM.

24. UT Southwestern Medical Center

• Type: University-affiliated medical center
• Location: Dallas, TX
• Employees: 19K

Leading cap-exempt sponsor in Texas medicine. Significant physician and clinical researcher sponsorship.

25. Washington University in St. Louis

• Type: University
• Location: St. Louis, MO
• Employees: 20K

Anchored by WashU Medicine and McKelvey School of Engineering.

26. UT MD Anderson Cancer Center

• Type: University-affiliated cancer center
• Location: Houston, TX

The leading oncology-focused cap-exempt sponsor. Significant physician-scientist hiring.

27. Texas A&M University

• Type: University
• Location: College Station, TX
• Employees: 10K

Strong engineering and agricultural sciences sponsor.

28. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

• Type: Research nonprofit / cancer institute
• Location: Boston, MA
• Employees: 7K

Harvard-affiliated cancer research nonprofit. Significant physician-scientist sponsorship.

29. University of Missouri

• Type: University
• Location: Columbia, MO
• Employees: 5K

30. Baylor College of Medicine

• Type: Medical school
• Location: Houston, TX
• Employees: 11K

Independent medical school cap-exempt sponsor. Significant physician and biomedical researcher hiring.

31. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Type: University
• Location: Cambridge, MA
• Employees: 12K

Leading STEM-focused cap-exempt sponsor. Significant hiring across engineering, computer science, and applied research labs.

32. The University of Texas at Austin

• Type: University
• Location: Austin, TX
• Employees: 24K

Strong engineering, computer science, and natural sciences sponsor.

33. Michigan State University

• Type: University
• Location: East Lansing, MI
• Employees: 10K

Notable potential long-term sponsorship pipeline.

34. University of Washington

• Type: University
• Location: Seattle, WA
• Employees: 30K

Strong sponsorship across computer science (Allen School), medicine (UW Medicine), and bioengineering.

35. University of Southern California

• Type: University
• Location: Los Angeles, CA
• Employees: 28K

Anchored by Keck School of Medicine and Viterbi School of Engineering.

36. University of California, Davis

• Type: University
• Location: Davis, CA
• Employees: 24K

Strong veterinary medicine, agricultural sciences, and engineering sponsor.

37. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (UT-Battelle)

• Type: Government research organization
• Location: Oak Ridge, TN
• Employees: 7K

The largest DOE national lab cap-exempt sponsor. Significant physical sciences, computing, and materials research hiring.

38. Princeton University

• Type: University
• Location: Princeton, NJ

Significant H-1B sponsor but zero PERM filings. Typical of some Ivy League institutions that sponsor short-term academic appointments.

39. Weill Cornell Medicine

• Type: Medical school
• Location: New York, NY
• Employees: 9K

Cornell University's medical school in NYC. Significant physician and biomedical researcher sponsorship.

40. University of Utah

• Type: University
• Location: Salt Lake City, UT
• Employees: 38K

Anchored by U of U Health.

41. Arizona State University

• Type: University
• Location: Tempe, AZ
• Employees: 19K

Strong engineering and computer science sponsor.

42. New York University

• Type: University
• Location: New York, NY
• Employees: 18K

Anchored by NYU Langone Health and Stern School of Business.

43. Pennsylvania State University

• Type: University
• Location: University Park, PA
• Employees: 29K

Strong potential long-term sponsorship pipeline across engineering and life sciences.

44. University of Illinois Chicago

• Type: University
• Location: Chicago, IL
• Employees: 11K

Strong medicine, public health, and engineering sponsor in downtown Chicago.

45. Northwestern University

• Type: University
• Location: Evanston, IL
• Employees: 11K

Anchored by Feinberg School of Medicine and McCormick School of Engineering.

46. University of Alabama at Birmingham

• Type: University-affiliated medical center
• Location: Birmingham, AL
• Employees: 23K

Anchored by UAB Health System. Significant physician sponsorship.

47. Cornell University

• Type: University
• Location: Ithaca, NY
• Employees: 11K

Strong engineering, computer science, and life sciences sponsor. Weill Cornell Medicine (#39) files separately.

48. University of California, Berkeley

• Type: University
• Location: Berkeley, CA
• Employees: 24K

Significant engineering, computer science, and statistics sponsorship.

49. Rutgers University

• Type: University
• Location: New Brunswick, NJ
• Employees: 20K

Anchored by Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences.

50. Howard Hughes Medical Institute

• Type: Nonprofit research organization
• Location: Chevy Chase, MD

The leading independent research nonprofit cap-exempt sponsor. HHMI funds biomedical research at universities across the U.S.

How H-1B cap-exempt jobs work

A few important rules:

• Anyone can apply. Cap-exempt status is a property of the employer, not the worker. Any H-1B-eligible candidate can take a cap-exempt job.
• No lottery, any time of year. The petition can be filed and approved without waiting for the March registration window.
• Standard H-1B prevailing wage rules still apply. Cap-exempt employers must still file an LCA and pay the prevailing wage for the role.
• The petition is still subject to USCIS adjudication. Cap-exempt skips the cap but doesn't skip the merits review.
• Concurrent employment is allowed. A worker can hold a cap-subject H-1B at one employer and a cap-exempt H-1B at another simultaneously — but the cap-subject petition must still go through the lottery if it's the first H-1B.
• Cap-exempt → cap-subject portability has rules. A worker on cap-exempt H-1B who wants to move to a cap-subject employer must still go through the lottery for the cap-subject role unless they've previously been counted against the cap.

How to use this list in your job search

• Apply year-round. Cap-exempt employers don't have a March deadline. Apply when positions open.
• Don't dismiss state flagship schools. Some of the highest Green Card Commitment rates on this list belong to state schools (Penn State 25.6%, Michigan State 19.6%, University of Utah 19.3%, University of Washington 18.7%, Purdue 17.4%) — not the Ivies.
• Look at university hospitals and affiliated nonprofits. A university's medical center often files separately and may have its own H-1B program. Worth searching for the institution and its affiliated entities.
• Combine with cap-subject planning. If your long-term goal is private-sector work, a cap-exempt job is a bridge — not a permanent endpoint. Plan early for transferring or refiling under the cap.

Need help mapping your H-1B options? Ellis pairs you with an immigration attorney who can review your case and help you target the right sponsor. Book a consultation.

How does cap-exempt compare to cap-subject H-1B?

Final tips

• Cap-exempt is the most overlooked H-1B path. Most candidates don't realize that universities and research nonprofits operate outside the lottery — and the application timeline is much friendlier.
• Salary tends to run lower than private sector. The tradeoff is certainty: you won't lose a lottery you don't have to enter.
• Green Card Commitment varies wildly across cap-exempt employers. Penn State (25.6%) versus Princeton (0%) is a 25-point gap among elite institutions. Check before assuming all universities sponsor PERM.
• Cap-exempt employment counts as H-1B time for the 6-year clock. Make sure to plan H-1B extensions and AC21 portability accordingly.
• Verify cap-exempt status before signing. Some employers are partially cap-exempt or qualify only for certain roles. Confirm with HR and your attorney.

Need help mapping your H-1B options? Book a consultation with Ellis.

The information in this article is for general guidance only and is not legal advice. Cap-exempt eligibility depends on the specific employer's legal structure and the worker's role. For advice on your specific case, consult a licensed immigration attorney.