Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

If you wish to accept employment off-campus in the form of an internship, you should pursue Curricular Practical Training (CPT). CPT is defined as employment which is an integral part of an established curriculum, including: “alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required internship or practicum which is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school.” Source: [8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(i)]. CPT is available only prior to the completion of your degree program and you must have a job offer at the time of application. CPT employment may not delay the completion of the academic program.

 **DO NOT BEGIN YOUR INTERNSHIP UNTIL YOU HAVE YOUR CPT I-20**

 

CPT Eligibility Dates

 CPT Eligibility Dates for Academic Year 2024-2025
Semester and Hours Earliest Possible Start Date Latest Possible End Date

Fall 2024 (Part Time Only!)

August 19th, 2024 December 14th, 2024

Spring 2025- New CPT (Part Time Only!)

January 21st, 2025

May 17th, 2025
Spring 2025- Continuing CPT* (Full Time or Part Time) December 15th, 2024 May 17th, 2025
Summer 2025- Vacation Term  (Full Time or Part Time) May 18th, 2025 August 15th, 2025

Summer 2025- Last Term      (Part Time Only!)

May 18th, 2025

August 1st, 2025

Continuing CPT must meet all eligiblity requirements:
  1. Must be with same company/internship site;
  2. Must have new I-20 in hand before 12/14/2024;
  3. Must be enrolled in internship course for Spring 2025; and
  4. must be enrolled Full Time or have an approved Reduced Course Load by 12/13/2024

Continuing CPT allows for Full Tume during the smester break (12/15/2024-1/20/2025) and Part Time during the semester. 

 

 

CPT Tutorial, Handout & Request Form

Please review the CPT Tutorial for information regarding CPT and the procedure to apply for CPT at CSUEB for optional internships. You are responsible to reading the CPT Handout and completing the request form. If your internship is required to complete your degree requirements, please schedule an appointment with an international student advisor to discuss your procedure. 

Eligibility and Procedures

Unpaid Internships and CPT

Immigration regulations consider employment to be any type of work performed, or services provided, in exchange for money, tuition, fees, books, supplies, lodging, or any other benefit. 

The U.S. Department of Labor has guidelines for those seeking an unpaid internship. Please review these guidelines to confirm your unpaid internship offer meets US Labor Law. 

You are not required to obtain work authorization to engage in an unpaid internship that meets all the criteria, however, we do strongly recommend you obtain CPT as CPT authorization is more than just permission to get paid. 

CPT authorization for unpaid internships is beneficial to you for the following reasons. 

  1. CPT authorization by CIE serves to demonstrate that this is a practical experience that is part of the curriculum. 
  2. CPT authorization maintains an accurate record in SEVIS of your activity, employment and location where you will be interning. 
  3. CPT covers you incase you ever end up doing a job on an unpaid basis that the Department of Labor later classifies as paid position. 
  4. If your employer decides to compensate you for your work in any way, you would not be able to accept the compensation without CPT authorization. 

If you do accept an unpaid internship without CPT authorization, we advise that you get documentation from your employer explaining the nature and terms of your work and confirmation that there was no remuneration or any other type of compensation provided in any form during the dates you were participating in the internship. Keep the letter for your records. 

 

Internships and CPT Workshop (April 4, 2023)

If you missed the workshop, you can view the slides here.