Curricular Practical Training

Please read the instructions on how to complete this eForm carefully. There are two pages in the eForm that must be submitted in order for our office to process your CPT request.

A student can only participate in CPT according to the start and end dates listed for that CPT employer on pg 2 of their I-20. Work is not permitted outside of those dates. Not everyone qualifies for CPT.

CPT Request eForm

Employer Information PDF

There are a few steps to this process which include review by your academic advisor and information from your employer.

Please review the “What is CPT” and “What Must I Do to Be Eligible for CPT” sidebar options first. Then read the instructions below for each step.

Note: if your CPT will be paid and you don’t yet have a Social Security Number, you’ll need to follow the instructions on our SSN webpage after you get the CPT I-20 to get the SSN.

We recommend you meet with your academic advisor to discuss your CPT plans as well as your prospective employer to fill out the Employer Information PDF prior to starting this eForm request.

Step 1 – Academic Advisor Review of eForm Request

  1. Log into your WorldRams account by clicking the eForm link above. This will take you to the CPT Request eForm dashboard.
    • To start a new request, click the “Start a New Request” link.
    • There are two eForm pages for your request.
      • The first page is information about your academic program and the relevancy of your CPT employment. This page will be reviewed by your academic advisor after you submit it.
      • The second is the employer information upload page where you will upload the completed Employer Information PDF.
      • Both pages are required in order for our office to review your request.
  2. Click the “F-1 Student Curricular Practical Training Request” link and complete the information required in the eForm. Submit the eForm page.
    • Please be sure to enter your academic advisor’s email and contact information.
    • Once your academic advisor has reviewed your eForm, it will be forwarded to our office for final review.

Step 2 – Employer Information Submission

  1. Meet with your prospective employer, have them complete the CPT Employer Information PDF, and return the signed document to you.
    • Digital signatures and scanned copies are acceptable.
    • If the internship will be performed remotely, the employer should both indicate such on the form and also still provide their company’s address.
  2. Upload the completed CPT Employer Information PDF to the second page of your CPT Request eForm.
  3. Submit the eForm page.

Step 3 – Immigration Advisor Review and I-20 Creation

  1. Both pages of the CPT Request eForm must be submitted before an immigration advisor will review your request.
  2. Once your request has been reviewed by an immigration advisor, our office will email you when your I-20 is ready, if eligible.

Please note: Depending on the time of academic year, it may take up to 7-10 business days for our office to process your request once it is forwarded to our office. Please allow time for your academic advisor and employer to complete their portions of this process. Students are not allowed to begin working until their CPT request has been approved and they have a new I-20 that shows their CPT approval on the second page.

Once you receive the email from our office requesting your review of the student’s CPT request:

  1. Fill in all of the required fields, marked with an asterisk (*).
    1. If you would like to see the information provided by the student in their section of the eForm, the links to their eForm are at the top of your eForm page.
  2. Depending on which reason you select, additional required fields may appear.
  3. When you click “Submit,” your portion of the eForm will be automatically forwarded to ISSS for final review.
    • Your part of the process is complete, but the international student will need to wait to begin working until the eForm has been approved by ISSS and the student has received a new I-20. Our office will email the student as soon as their request has been approved.

CPT is work authorization for F-1 international students to receive further training that is directly related to their degree level and major. CPT authorization is dependent upon the student being academically eligible and the employment meeting federal government regulations.

The employment must be an integral part of the student’s established curriculum. “Integral” here is defined as employment that has a strong and measurable connection to the student’s academic program/goals. When describing the learning objectives of the proposed employment and how those objectives are an “integral” part of the student’s academic program, it is not sufficient justification to state that “the employment is related to the student’s major and provides valuable work experience.”

Most commonly, CPT occurs in these four situations below, when the employment…

  1. is required by all students in a given degree program
  2. facilitates the successful completion of thesis or dissertation research
  3. fulfills a specific course requirement
  4. earns internship or practicum credit

In other words, the program curriculum and learning objectives, rather than the student’s desire for employment, should drive the decision of whether the opportunity should be approved as CPT.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Maintain valid F-1 status
  • …Must have been enrolled for at least one academic year* to be eligible for CPT.
    • *Intensive English Program participation time does not count toward CPT eligibility
    • If you have concerns about your situation, please seek ISSS advising
  • Are you in a graduate program that requires of its students immediate participation in practical training?
    • If so, then the one academic year requirement prior to CPT may be waived.
  • Students on CPT must maintain full-time academic enrollment unless otherwise eligible for a reduced course load.
    • Undergraduate: 12+ credits/semester
    • Graduate : 9+ credits/semester
  • The opportunity must be shown to be an “integral part of an established curriculum”
  • Paid or unpaid, compensated or not, F-1 students must apply for CPT authorization if they intend to work off-campus as an integral part or planned option of their established curriculum.
  • CPT may be part-time (20 hours/week maximum) or full-time (more than 20 hours/week).
  • Students on CPT must continue to make normal academic progress on their degree program.

Timing your course registration

If your CPT justification is internship credit, then this should help you plan how to register for that credit.

  • Will your CPT for internship credit only be for the Summer semester?
    • If yes, then you’re required to register for the credit for the Summer semester.
  • Will your CPT for internship credit extend over both Fall and Spring semesters?
    • If yes, then you are required to register for the credit in both semesters.
  • Will your Spring semester CPT for internship credit extend over the summer?
    • If yes, you’re only required to register for the Spring semester.
    • Likewise, a student participating in CPT during the summer and extending into the fall semester is only required to register for the credit during the Fall.

Our CPT eForm helps us to adequately document that the proposed employment is in compliance with federal regulations regarding CPT. According to the regulations:

An F-1 student may be authorized…to participate in a curricular practical training program which is an integral part of an established curriculum.” – 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(I)

A student authorized for full-time CPT may be considered to be pursuing a full course of study if the CPT is required for completion of thesis or dissertation research, or otherwise required for completion of the degree as indicated in an official university publication.

Immigration regulations do not prohibit full-time CPT for students who are still enrolled in coursework, nor do they prohibit CPT during the first year of a new degree program if students have already enrolled at a U.S. university for an academic year at another degree level (please note that time spent studying in an Academic English Program does not count toward CPT eligibility).

CPT opportunities must not adversely affect normal academic progress, prior academic commitments, or performance. Graduate assistants, especially, take note.

8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)

(10) Practical training. Practical training may be authorized to an F-1 student who has been lawfully enrolled on a full -time basis, in an approved SEVP-certified college, university, conservatory, or seminary for one full academic year. This paragraph (f)(10) also includes students who, during their course of study, were enrolled in a study abroad program, if the student had spent at least one full academic term enrolled in a full course of study in the United States prior to studying abroad. A student may be authorized 12 months of practical training, and becomes eligible for another 12 months of practical training when they change to a higher educational level. Students in English language training programs are ineligible for practical training. An eligible student may request employment authorization for practical training in a position that is directly related to their major area of study. There are two types of practical training available:

8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(i)

(i) Curricular practical training. An F-1 student may be authorized by the DSO to participate in a curricular practical training program that is an integral part of an established curriculum. Curricular practical training is defined to be alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education or any other type of required internship or practicum that is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school. Students who have received one year or more of full time curricular practical training are ineligible for post-completion academic training. Exceptions to the one academic year requirement are provided for students enrolled in graduate studies that require immediate participation in curricular practical training. A request for authorization for curricular practical training must be made to the DSO. A student may begin curricular practical training only after receiving their Form I-20 or successor form with the DSO endorsement. To grant authorization for a student to engage in curricular practical training, a DSO will update the student’s record in SEVIS as being authorized for curricular practical training that is directly related to the student’s major area of study. The DSO will indicate whether the training is full-time or part-time, the employer and location, and the employment start and end date. The DSO must sign, date, and return the Form I-20 or successor form to the student prior to the student’s commencement of employment indicating that curricular practical training has been approved.

What are the limitations to Curricular Practical Training?

  • Students cannot begin working until authorized by ISSS on Page 2 of their I-20 and the start date on Page 2 of their I-20 has arrived.
  • Employment for the primary purpose of gaining work experience/financial compensation does not qualify.
  • A student authorized for CPT may only be employed by a specific employer, at a specific location, and for specific dates as approved by ISSS. Any changes in the employment (i.e. employer, location, dates of employment) will require a new CPT application.
  • In general, CPT will be limited according to the following guidelines unless your department further restricts CPT participation: 1) two semesters + one summer, 2) three summers, or 3) one semester + two summers. Some exceptions apply for students whose programs require longer participation.
  • Students who use 12 months of full-time CPT will lose eligibility for Optional Practical Training (OPT).
  • Part-time CPT or less than 12 months of full-time CPT does not have any effect on OPT eligibility.
  • Students may not work past the authorization date listed on page 2 of their I-20 without applying for and receiving an additional authorization for employment.

How do I find out if my CPT request has been approved?

You will be notified by e-mail when your new I-20 with your CPT authorization is complete.