Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

CPT is degree-related training in which an F-1 student can participate, if the student's program meets the required eligibility (listed below). The goal of CPT is to help students get experience in their future fields, and to provide a more practical understanding of possible employment within their industry. CPT can be categorized as an internship, clinical hours, or practicum hours, depending on the program requirements and verbiage. 

In order to be eligible for CPT an F-1 student must:

• Have an "internship," "practicum" or "clinical" hour requirement as part of the degree-completion requirement. If the program does not require an internship to earn the degree then a student will not be eligible to participate in CPT.
• Have been enrolled for one full academic year, unless the program requires  internship/practicum/clinical hours to begin immediately after enrollment into the program.
• Be language proficient. IEP students cannot participate in CPT.
• Accept an internship in a field that is related to the degree.

F-1 students who meet the eligibility requirements list above can begin their CPT hours (be them on or off campus) only after receiving approval from a DSO. That CPT approval must be entered in SEVIS, and a new I-20 issued to the student before starting CPT hours.

Students must not begin any internship, practicum or clinical hours without prior approval from both the program and their International Student Advisor. Completing any hours toward CPT without approval from a DSO is a violation of F-1 visa regulations, and could negatively affect a student's immigration status.

Tip: Ask yourself "Have I been given an I-20 that has CPT authorization on it?" If the answer is yes then you can start CPT hours. If the answer is no then you cannot start CPT hours yet.

To be approved for CPT students will need to submit to their International Student Advisor the following information prior to beginning the internship, practicum or clinical hours:

• A letter from the department (program director, or approved adviser) that states:
  • That an internship, practicum or clinical hours are a degree requirement
  • How many hours are needed to meet that requirement
  • The semester or dates during which the student will complete this requirement.
  • Download a sample department letter here.
• A letter from the employer (internship, practicum or clinical site) that lists:
  • The name of the company the student will work for
  • The address where the student will be working (company address)
  • Job title
  • Employment start date
  • Employmnet end date
  • Download a sample employment letter here.
• A clear request for either full-time or part-time CPT.

Please note that enrolling in full-time CPT for 12 months or more will affect a student's OPT eligibility.

Once received by the International Center you may put in a CPT Request in Terra Dotta, then your International Student Advisor will review your documents and file your CPT authorization in SEVIS. You will then be issued a new I-20 that includes CPT authorization.

Yes, you can work at more than one location in order to complete your CPT hours. This is common for programs that have on-going CPT, like Nursing where there are clinical hour requirements in most semesters.

In this case please have your program director (or approved advisor) indicate in your letter that you will be completing your hours "at various locations, similar to" and then list one location at which you'll be doing your CPT hours. At least one physical address is required to be entered into SEVIS and printed on your I-20, so your International Student Advisor will need at least one address to log as an approved CPT location.

See a sample of a CPT letter in the section above.

In almost all circumstances your International Student Advisor will only issue CPT approval for one semester. If your internship, practicum or clinical hours require you to do CPT for multiple semesters then you will need CPT approval from your International Student Advisor for each semester in which you need to complete your hours. Contact your program director (or approved advisor) for a new letter every semester in which you will need CPT approval, and submit the new letter to your International Student Advisor along with completing a CPT Request in Terra Dotta.

Yes, you may be paid for the internship, practicum or clinical hours worked while on approved CPT. If you have been approved for part-time CPT you may not work more than 20 hours per week.

If you have an on-campus job and have been approved for part-time CPT you are also permitted to work 20 hours for your CPT hours and an additional 20 hours for your on-campus job.

Please be mindful that paid employment in the United States will require you to file taxes with the US government. Check out this resource from Study in the States regarding paying taxes as an international student.

If approved for full-time CPT then you are eligible to work more than 20 hours a week at your internship, practicum or clinical hours site(s). However, please be mindful that working full-time CPT for 12 or more months may result in you not being eligible to apply for OPT after graduation. For this reason we strongly suggest that F-1 students only work part-time CPT to ensure they are still eligible for OPT after the completion of their program.

The total number of hours you are eligible to work for CPT will be dictated by your program's requirement. If your program requires 200 hours of internship then you cannot work more than 200 internship hours while on CPT.