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CPT

What is CPT?

CPT stands for Curricular Practical Training. CPT authorization must be approved by the University’s Designated School Official (DSO) and the work or internship must be related to the program of study.

  • CPT internships/jobs are directly related to the area of professional study.
  • Training/internship/job is an integral part of the school’s established curriculum.
  • The DSO authorizes CPT in the SEVIS system and must print the authorization on the student’s Form I-20.
  • Occurs prior to the student’s program end date on the I-20 form.
  • CPT authorization is employer-specific and for a specific time period.
  • The student must obtain an internship/job offer prior to obtaining CPT authorization.
  • CPT must be authorized before the student begins the internship/job.
  • Students may have multiple CPT authorizations at the same time.
  • Students who use full-time CPT for more than one year automatically lose their OPT status.

How to apply for CPT

Having a job is a prerequisite to applying for CPT. After communicating with the employer about the job, you can ask them to make you a written offer of employment on company letterhead with the name of the company, location, contact information and the student’s name, a detailed description of the job duties (so that the school can check if they are related to your major), weekly hours and specific start dates, and other important information.
The documents required to submit an application generally include: a job offer letter from the employer, CPT application form, CPT agreement, proof of employment, etc. The DSO will confirm the relevance of the CPT internship/job to the student’s field of study and make recommendations for applications that do not pass muster.
After the CPT application is approved, the school issues a new I-20 form with a note on the second page of the form indicating the type of work, employer, full or part-time, and start and end dates of the CPT.
After receiving the I-20, students should carefully review the information on the form, especially the CPT-related information. If the information is incorrect, explain the incorrect information to the school and ask the school to reissue it immediately.
Submit a copy of the Form I-20 to the employer’s HR department for reporting, confirm the period of employment, and ask HR to remind you to renew CPT before it expires or terminate your employment in a timely manner. You can officially work for the employer when the CPT requirement date arrives. * Communicate with the school in advance about the CPT application because it takes time for the school to process the student’s CPT application. * Most schools require students to submit CPT applications once per semester or per academic year * If there is a change in the hours, duration, or employer of the CPT job, the school must be notified in order to update the I-20. * The physical address of the job must be the same as the CPT job address on the I-20.

Part-Time vs. Full-Time CPT

Part-time CPT: Employment for 20 hours or less per week is considered part-time. You must be simultaneously enrolled in classes full-time and be physically present on campus in order to maintain lawful F-1 status during fall and winter terms.

Full-time CPT: Employment for more than 20 hours per week is full-time. Please be aware that 12 months or more of full-time CPT will eliminate your eligibility for Optional Practical Training (OPT). 

Detailed CPT Description

Your employer or company must officially offer you a training opportunity. Ask your employer to write a Detailed Training Description. It must:

  • Be written on the company’s letterhead
  • Be addressed to you
  • Include job title
  • Provide a detailed job description (at least a few sentences describing specific duties, tasks, goals, etc.)
  • Specify the street address where employment will take place (street, city, state, and zip code). If you will work remotely, the letter should specify this and list the company’s physical address.
  • Specify number of hours per week you will work
  • Specify start and end dates of CPT employment (keep in mind that CPT can only be authorized one term at a time).

Do F-1 students need CPT authorization to participate in unpaid internship?

CPT authorization is strongly recommended for all unpaid internships, whether the student does or does not need to provide employment authorization documents to the company. The F-1 regulations are written in such a way that CPT is an authorization to do practical training as part of the curriculum for the academic program, and as such is significant in more ways than simply for the employer to verify employment eligibility. CPT authorization is more than just permission to get paid.

You should have CPT authorization for unpaid internships for the following reasons: 

  • CPT authorization by the university serves to demonstrate that this practical experience is part of the curriculum.
  • CPT authorization is a way of reporting in SEVIS the student’s activity, employment, and location where they are working and therefore maintaining their status.
  • If ever a student is doing a job on an unpaid basis that someone would be hired and paid for, employment authorization in the form of CPT, OPT, etc. is advised.
  • If the unpaid internship at some point changes into a paid one (or if your employer decides to compensate you for your work in any way – for example, give you a monetary gift), you won’t be able to accept the payment if your internship was not authorized as CPT. Please keep in mind that F-1 students cannot be retroactively remunerated or in any way compensated for work done in an unpaid internship if they did not obtain work authorization prior to when the work was performed.

Based on the above, we recommend that you apply for CPT authorization if you have an internship offer (paid or unpaid) that meets CPT eligibility criteria.

If the position is unpaid and for some reason it is not possible for you to obtain CPT authorization, please make sure that your prospective supervisor is aware of U.S. Department of Labor regulations concerning unpaid internships and that you have assurances (preferably written) to that effect before you accept the position. We also recommend that at the end of your internship you ask your employer to provide you with a letter confirming that there was no remuneration or any other type of compensation provided in any form during the dates you were participating in the internship. Please keep such a letter for your permanent records.