Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

CPT is the participation in an internship, practicum or clinical hours that are required for a student to complete in order to earn a degree in their program. 

CPT can be paid or unpaid work at part-time or full-time hours. The number of CPT hours you will be authorized to complete will depend on your program requirements. 

CPT can only be completed after the student receives authorization from a DSO once eligibility for CPT has been verified by the DSO. 

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 one of those categories to earn the degree then the 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.

J-1 students are not eligible for CPT.

Unfortunately, no. As per DHS regulations CPT authorization is only available for students who must complete some off-campus work as part of the degree requirement. If you do not have to have an internship to complete your degree you will not be eligible for CPT. 

To be authorized 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
  • Employment end date
  • Download a sample employment letter here.
• A clear request for either full-time or part-time CPT.

This documentation can be submitted in Terra Dotta for the ISSS staff to review. Once approved by ISSS an International Student Advisor will authorize CPT on a student's SEVIS record, and issue a new I-20 that shows evidence of CPT authorization. Only after a student has received an I-20 with CPT authorization may they begin their CPT hours. 

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

CPT is for when a student is still in their academic program and has not yet graduated. CPT is only available to students who meet the eligibility criteria listed above. 

OPT (Optional Practical Training) is for students who have completed their program and would like to gain work experience in their field. Most F-1 students are eligible to apply for OPT after they graduate, and eligibility requirements can be read about at calbaptist.edu/OPT.

Please note: As per DHS regulations working 12 months of full-time CPT will make you ineligible for OPT. 

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

Students must not begin any internship, practicum or clinical hours without prior authorization from both the program and their International Student Advisor. Completing any hours toward CPT without authorization 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.

Yes, students who are approved for full-time CPT may work more than 20 hours a week at their internship, practicum or clinical hours site(s).

However, please be mindful that working full-time CPT for 12 or more months may result in the student not being eligible to apply for OPT after graduation. For this reason we strongly suggest that F-1 students only work the program-required number of hours for CPT and not to exceed 11 months of full-time CPT to ensure they are still eligible for OPT after the completion of their program.

The total number of hours a student is eligible to work for CPT will be dictated by their program's requirement. If the program requires 200 hours of internship then our office recommends not work more than 200 internship hours while on CPT. 

Yes, a student can work at more than one location in order to complete their 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 the program director (or approved advisor) indicate in their letter that the student will be completing your hours "at various locations, similar to" and then list one location at which the student will be doing the CPT hours. At least one physical address is required to be entered into SEVIS and printed on your I-20, so our International Student Advisors will need at least one address to log as an approved CPT location.

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

Your CPT end date will be determined by your department and job letters. CPT end dates vary from student to student, so you'll want to check page 2 of your I-20 to confirm your CPT end date. 

Please note that employment beyond your CPT end date is illegal, and could have serious consequences. 

If you need additional CPT authorization, or to extend a current one, please contact your DSO for assistance prior to extending your CPT or starting CPT at a new location.

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.