Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Information for Students

ELIGIBILITY

F-1 students may be eligible to participate in internships or other off-campus opportunities if they meet the following requirements:

• Student is enrolled full-time
  • 12 credits for undergrads, 9 credits for grads and 6 credits for doctoral students
• Student must be in F-1 status for a full academic year (a fall and spring semester)
• The internship is directly related to their major/program of study

APPLICATION PROCESS

CPT authorization is processed and approved by OISSS. To request CPT authorization, students must submit the Student Request Form and request "Form I-20 for CPT Request" with the following documents completed and uploaded: 

• Curricular Practical Training Request Form
• Copy of the job description or letter from employer detailing expected responsibilities

Once approved, OISSS will issue a new Form I-20 to the student with the CPT authorization appearing on the second page of the I-20. This new I-20 is the proof of work authorization and must be received BEFORE beginning any position. You will be required to show this to your employer as evidence of work authorization.

If there is a third-party provider who will be listed as the employer of record, signatures are required from both the employer AND the site supervisor, along with the name of each company and address for each.

WORK AUTHORIZATION DURING EXTENSIONS OF CPT AUTHORIZATIONS

Additionally, OISSS approves CPT for only 1 semester at a time. A new application for CPT authorization must be submitted for each semester of which work authorization is desired. The new application must be submitted at least 1 week before the end of the current CPT authorization period.

If students do not submit a new application in a timely matter, the student’s work authorization will end on the date indicated on their I-20 and must stop working that same day. If the student continues working beyond that date without having the new authorization request approved, the student will be out of status and face termination of their F-1 status. It is extremely important that students be aware of their CPT authorization dates, ensure timely submission of their requests for a new semester and maintain good communication with OISSS and the employer regarding their work authorization and CPT requests.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ELIGIBILITY

In order to be paid for work, students must have a Social Security Number. Visit the Social Security Number page for more information about it.

CPT AUTHORIZATION AND GRADUATION

CPT authorization is only available to students prior to their graduation. The only way for students to continue working with the employer after graduation is through Optional Practical Training (OPT). Students would have to carefully plan their OPT application and apply as early as possible. However, even under the best of circumstances, students may not receive their EAD until after their current CPT authorization ends. If this occurs, the student must stop working on the last day of CPT authorization and wait until the EAD is received and the start date on it has been reached before resuming employment. Failure to stop working is a violation of the F-1 status and would make the student out of status immediately.

FINDING AN INTERNSHIP

Internships can be found in a variety of ways. There are hundreds of internships available in Handshake, the online career platform that includes job boards, self-assessments, mock interview resources and more through the Center of Career and Life Planning and the Crummer Career Resource Center.

There are also a number of resources through which students may find an internship. However, if it is not found through Handshake, the student will be required to submit an approval form to the Center for Career and Life Planning (for undergraduate and Holt students) or the Crummer Career Resources Center (for Crummer students).