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International Student Advising
Office of International Programs

F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT)/ Internships

WHAT IS CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING (CPT)?

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a type of off-campus work authorization for F-1 students. The purpose is for students to gain experience in their respective field(s) to enhance their classroom learning.

AM I ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

CPT applicants must be: enrolled full-time for one academic year (at least one fall and one spring semester, summer enrollment is not included) before beginning CPT; in good academic standing; maintaining F-1 status. The only exception is for graduate students whose program requires an immediate internship.

WHAT TYPE OF WORK EXPERIENCE QUALIFIES AS CPT?

F-1 students may apply for off-campus employment or internships through Curricular Practical Training (CPT) only if the employment experience is an integral part of an established curriculum. Students MUST be registered for a course corresponding to the internship or practicum for each semester of CPT. CPT must be directly related to the program of study and be completed under the supervision of an academic advisor. Since some departments have special procedures you must follow to be eligible for CPT, please directly contact the department to verify the procedures.

HOW MUCH CPT CAN I USE?

CPT may be full- or part-time. More than 20 hours of work per week is considered to be full-time by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS); part-time is 20 hours per week or less. CPT is limited to part-time (20 hours/week or less) during the academic year (fall and spring semesters), but can be full-time (more than 20 hours/week) during summer and semester breaks (with proper authorization). Students who use a total of 12 months or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training are not eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT). Part-time CPT does not affect eligibility for OPT.

HOW DO I APPLY?

To apply for CPT, the student must bring the following documents to OIP for authorization:

Completed Curricular Practical Training Form (PDF, 80K)
Proof of internship/practicum course registration for each semester CPT is requested.
A job offer letter from the prospective employer on company letter-head with:

Company name and address
Job title and responsibilities
The exact begin and end dates of employment (must be future dates)
The number of hours of work per week
The name of your supervisor and his/her contact information

After all required documents have been submitted, the International Student Advisor will review eligibility and documents to ensure that they meet the requirements. The advisor will issue a new SEVIS I-20 indicating CPT employment authorization on page 3 -- BEFORE EMPLOYMENT CAN BEGIN. If approved, you can pick up your signed approval notice and your new I-20 with CPT authorization three full business days after submission. Authorization for CPT must be renewed EVERY SEMESTER.

Working without authorization from OIP is considered a violation of F-1 status.

Admission | International Students | International Programs