Curricular Practical Training
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is an authorization for off-campus training opportunities that are an integral part of your program of study, whether paid or unpaid. CPT is authorized for opportunities such as:
- Required off-campus clinicals/employment/internships/practicums/training
- Credited internships
- Authorized cooperative education
Eligibility
The eligibility requirements for CPT approval are listed below.
- 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 in your current program of study.
- You are in good academic standing
- You must:
- Receive academic credit for the training experience.
OR
-
- The training is a non-credited requirement of your program. This means that the training experience is a requirement of all students in the same program of study and is listed in the course catalog.
- 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).
- Students with a Graduate Assistantship are not eligible to apply for CPT during official
school terms (Fall and Spring). They can only work 20 hours a week total (including
CPT hours and GA hours combined).
- The only exception to this policy is for those participating in the NSF I-Corp program.
Apply
It’s recommended that students apply for CPT as soon as possible. Applications are normally approved within 3-5 business days; however, unforeseen circumstances may arise, causing delays. We ask that applications be submitted no later than a week before your expected training experience. .
Please note, students should submit completed applications for review. Incomplete application packets will not receive authorization.
You should not start any work off campus until you have your CPT approval I-20 and you are within the approved CPT start and end dates listed on page 2 of your updated I-20.
Resources
Additional resources can be found below.
- Review the CPT Checklist.
- Review the CPT Student Guide - make sure you are enrolled in credit and have a job offer letter
- You can 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.