Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Your internship job offer needs to have these components:

Signed letter from supervisor or hiring official (electronic is ok)
Appropriate start and end dates for the semester
Description of duties/internship position that is directly related to field of study
Company letterhead/logo
Address of employer (must be in the U.S.)
Email and phone of employer
Part time or full time, number of hours per week
Paid or unpaid

Your internship start date should be at least 7-10 business days into the future to allow academic internship course registration and CPT request approval by your department, registration by the Registrar, and CPT approval and processing by OIA.

Do not begin working without CPT even if it is unpaid – as that can be considered unauthorized employment. CPT is employer, semester, and date -specific. Starting to work before, or continuing to work beyond, the dates authorized on your CPT I-20 page 2 is a violation of federal regulations, resulting in the loss of valid immigration status. CPT cannot be authorized retroactively.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) can be granted to a degree-seeking F-1 student enrolled consecutively for one academic year. You can apply for CPT only after receiving your internship offer, with your academic department reviewing and approving the offer and assisting you to enroll in an appropriate academic internship course. When your CPT application is complete, you will receive an updated I-20 with employer-specific CPT authorization on page 2.

Only part-time CPT is permitted during the Fall and Spring semesters, while full-time CPT is also permitted in the summer. Part-time CPT is 20 hours a week or less and full-time is anything above 20 hours per week. Taking a relevant internship course is required for any semester you wish to do CPT, as that academic work is what formalizes the internship as “an integral part of your established curriculum.” Non-degree students are not eligible for CPT.

CPT is required for both paid and unpaid internships and/or any off-campus work experience. If the opportunity is something you would put on your resume or CV as work-related experience, you need CPT. An exception is unpaid charitable work that is unrelated to your field of study. In cases of true charitable community service, you do not need CPT. Example: volunteering at a local food pantry or helping clean up a park.

Use of part-time CPT (20 hours or less) does not affect eligibility for OPT. Receiving full-time CPT for a total of 12 months or more eliminates eligibility for OPT – but this does not happen at Pratt.

You have to get the internship offer first before you can apply for CPT, because the authorization is employer-specific. You also need to have the internship course registered in your student academic record before OIA can authorize your CPT.

Steps before getting an internship offer:

1. Watch the Internship Orientation video with the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) and complete the quiz for international students

2. Review the Academic Internship Guide and make sure you understand the process in your own department, including which internship course you will register for and what your department will require for you to register for it.

Important note: Different academic departments have different procedures about this! Contact the listed internship coordinator in your academic department if you have any questions about the requirements. You can find that person’s contact information in the Guide.

3. Review the letter requirements for your internship job offer (above section), so when you receive an offer, you are ready to communicate what you need.

Steps after getting your internship offer:

4. Obtain a formal offer letter with the complete information listed in the above section. If your offer does not include all items your CPT approval will be delayed. Your start date should be at least 7-10 business days into the future. The process with your department and Registrar to get the internship course, followed by OIA processing of the CPT, takes time.

5. Submit your CPT application in your OIA Student Portal. You will need to provide your Employer name, address, internship start and end dates, and upload the internship offer letter and your current I-94 (not travel record).

6. If you have not yet already, enroll in the appropriate internship class for the appropriate semester. Remember as listed in #2 above, your academic department may have specific instructions for this. Once enrolled, you also must successfully complete this course to maintain your F-1 status.

6. Wait to begin your internship activity until the CPT process is complete. This is critical for your immigration status compliance. You must receive CPT authorization from OIA before starting your internship, whether paid or unpaid.

You must have your CPT I-20 in hand before you can begin your internship, even if it is unpaid. Do not begin working without pay as an alternative, as it is still considered unauthorized employment if you are not paid.

7. Your department’s OIA Student Portal approver for CPT will review the application you submit in the Portal. Please monitor for any emails from them with questions or requests regarding your application. If you are not yet registered for the internship course, they will need to help you get registered in this stage.

8. You can monitor the case status in the OIA Student Portal, the case status definitions are on your Portal homepage. Once your department approver approves your request, it gets “submitted” to OIA, where our Designated School Official (DSO) will review your application, job offer letter, and look for your internship course. As with all applications, for equity reasons OIA processes requests in the order they are received. We not accept expedite or emergency requests. The approval process and CPT authorization in SEVIS happens over multiple days.

8. Provided your CPT request is approvable, we will authorize your CPT on page 2 of an updated I-20. We will notify you when the request is “completed” status which means the new I-20 is ready for you to download in the OIA Student Portal. You should print your CPT I-20 out, and then sign and date the paper copy. Make sure you review the CPT authorization start and end dates and the employer listed on page 2.

9. You should present your CPT I-20 to begin working at your internship location, along with your passport and I-94. You are also eligible to apply for a Social Security Number with your CPT I-20, if the position is paid and you do not have an SSN yet. Keep records of your internship documents, such as offer letters, agreements, and pay stubs in an electronic folder.

Remember that your CPT work authorization is only for specific dates on page 2 of the I-20 and for that specific employer. If you want to continue your internship services beyond the end date of your CPT, you need an additional authorization. You must follow the process again and receive a new CPT I-20 before you continue any services at that site. CPT is authorized semester by semester and you need a new internship course and approval from your academic department for each semester.

If you cannot complete your internship as planned, contact your academic department internship coordinator. If you want to change your employer during the semester, you need an updated CPT authorization, before starting at any new employer.

Failure to receive updated CPT authorization for an additional internship experience period or different employer means you are working without authorization and violating your immigration status due to unauthorized employment, even for unpaid internships.

OIA wishes you a productive internship experience!

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

CPT INFO/RESOURCES

APPROVABLE INTERNSHIP DATES (PER OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR)

INTERNSHIP JOB OFFER REQUIREMENT

THE FINE PRINT ABOUT CPT

HOW TO APPLY FOR CPT

AFTER YOU APPLY FOR CPT