Curricular Practical Training

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is an authorization for training opportunities that are an integral part of your program of study, whether paid or unpaid. CPT is authorized for opportunities such as:

Required internships/training
Credited internships
Authorized cooperative education

Eligibility

CPT must be authorized before the first day of your training program. If you do not receive this authorization first, you will be engaging in unauthorized employment. While you should should prepare all documents and ensure you have appropriate signatures before setting up a CPT appointment, from time to time issues do arise that prevent you from being authorized for CPT at the time of your appointment. While authorization does normally happen during the CPT appointment, we do suggest you give yourself at least a week before you need to begin working just in case something comes up.

You are eligible for CPT to work off campus after you have maintained F-1 student status in the United States for one academic year.
You must have a minimum 2.0 GPA as an undergraduate student or a 3.0 as a graduate student.
You must receive academic credit in your program of study for the employment.
CPT can be authorized only for periods during your program of study. It cannot be authorized after you have completed the program.
If participating in CPT during the regular semester, you may work part-time (no more than 20 hours per week) and must continue to be enrolled in a full course of study as defined by your program. Full-time CPT will only be approved during official school breaks (winter, spring, summer).

Apply

To apply for CPT, you must work with an International Student Advisor.

Review the CPT Checklist.
Review the CPT Student Guide - make sure you are enrolled in credit and have a job offer letter
Complete the CPT Application - You provide your academic advisor with the CPT Department Guide and employers with CPT Employer Guide if they have questions about their role in the process.
Email your documents to an International Student Advisor or schedule an appointment for document review.
If everything is in order, the advisor will authorize CPT and create a new I-20 for you. Please note, students should submit completed applications for review. Incomplete application packets will not receive authorization