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CPT Steps

Determine if you are eligible. Contact DIAI and see the informatoin below.
Find an appropriate internship. You can consult with your Professor, seek advice from the Career Development Office or explore the local market on your own.
Prepare a written proposal fully describing the duties of the position or the parameters of the project, what you expect to learn, how it relates to the course in which you are enrolled, and your career objectives.
Obtain a letter from the employer describing the work to be performed by the student including the beginning and ending dates of employment, salary, and the employer's address.
CPT Recommendation Form which contains:

Verification signature from your Faculty, Graduate Advisor, and Graduate Program Director.
A description of how the program relates to your field of study and serves an academic purpose.
Name and course number of the internship or research course for which you will be earning credit, name of the supervising professor and the semester in which the course credit will be earned.
Name and address of the company/institution where you will be working
Beginning and ending dates of employment and the hours per week to be worked.

6. Make an appointment to see the DIAI advisor. Bring the approved

application, your proposal, employment letter, passport, I-94, and I-20

(original).

Deadline for Application

Last day of Add-Drop

You may NOT begin work until the employment is entered into SEVIS and you have received a new I-20.

Registration for course credit is required. This means a grade will be assigned based on a required body of academic work. Approval is generally for one semester at a time. Part-time CPT is not limited and does not impact OPT. However, 12 months of full-time CPT eliminates OPT.

Requirements for all F-1 Visa Students seeking CPT

You must have been in valid F-1 status for one full academic year.
You must have an offer of employment to apply for CPT because the authorization is employer specific.
The internship course must be 1) an important and integral part of your program of study; 2) be listed in the catalog for credit; and 3) be approved by an appropriate faculty member, advisor and Graduate Program Director
CPT does not alter full-time enrollment requirements. When enrolled full-time, you may work only part-time - 20 hours per week. (You are not permitted to work part-time on campus while engaged in part-time curricular practical training. In other words, employment by any definition is limited to 20 hours per week during full-time enrollment.)
CPT is first recommended by the Graduate Advisor, but authorized by a DIAI advisor.
The number of hours you are allowed to work while on CPT is determined by your internship or requirements.
Full-time CPT (more than 20 hours per week) is permitted only during vacations or when you are enrolled less than full-time as in your final term. Under no circumstances is full-time CPT permitted during full-time enrollment.
All students seeking CPT must complete the CPT Recommendation Form
CPT authorization is done through SEVIS, the federal government database, for a specified employer at a specified location for a specified period of time.
The Curricular Practical Training authorization on Page 3 of your I-20 is your proof to accept employment. Therefore, your I-20 and I- 94 may be used to complete the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 that all U.S. employers are required by law to complete within three days of the start of employment.
If you change employers during your internship, you must apply for a new period of CPT authorization before you work for the new employer.
You are authorized for specific dates of employment on your I-20. You may not begin before the start date or continue working after the end date. If you expect that you will need to work past your end date, you must have an extension of CPT authorized by an Immigration Advisor in the DIAI beforeyou can continue working past the CPT end date on your I-20.

An internship, either paid or unpaid, is a work opportunity/experience directly related to your studies available to you during your academic program. Immigration regulations state that “an F-1 student may be authorized by the Designated School Official to participate in a curricular practical training program which is an integral part of an established curriculum and related to the major field of study.” (Italics supplied) Curricular Practical Training is intended to be an important part of an educational program. It is not to be seen or used as a convenient means to circumvent USCIS employment restrictions.

Important! Do not Forget!

Do not ignore any deadline and deliverables assigned by your professor required for your grade.

You must complete a new CPT application for each semester even if you are staying with the same employer.