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
Semester and Hours Earliest Possible Start Date Latest Possible End Date
Summer Term- Vacation Term (Full Time or Part Time May 13th, 2024 August 16th, 2024

Summer Term- Last Term (Part Time only)

May 13th, 2024

August 2nd, 2024

Fall Semester- Part Time Only!

August 19th, 2024

December 14th, 2024

 

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

To be eligible for CPT, you must:

  • Have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis for one academic year unless your academic program requires immediate participation for all students.
  • Be in lawful F-1 status
  • Have CSUEB approved health insurance
  • Have a job offer/internship offer related to your major
  • You must be still working towards the completion of the academic program indicated on your I-20.
    • If you have completed all degree requirements (even if you have not filed for graduation), you are no longer eligible for CPT.
  • You must be a student in good academic standing. If you are on Academic Probation or Disqualification, you will NOT be authorized for CPT.
  • The employment must be considered an ‘integral part’ of your academic program.
  • You must enroll in either your academic department's Internship class. If your department does not offer an internship course, you are not eligible for CPT.
    • CPT I-20 approval is based on the internship course enrollment. Once you start your CPT employment, you cannot drop the internship course even if you would like to discontinue your CPT employment.
  • You must be enrolled full time or have approval for a Reduced Course Load before your I-20 can be issued. There are NO exceptions to this. 

NOTE: CPT is processed and authorized term by term. 

  1. Review the CPT Tutorial and CPT Handout
  2. Obtain an internship offer letter
    • See tutorial for offer letter requirements
  3. Contact your major department to confirm availability of internship class and departmental procedures
    • Confirm you have meet all departmental requirements- Pre-Req completions, no Academic Dishonesty Reports, etc...
  4. Review the Academic Internships procedure outlined on the Internships Office webpage.
  5. Confirm your internship site is registered in CalStateS4
    • If not, you will need to request your internship site to Initiate a Partnership Agreement
  6. Once registered, you will need to confirm your internship site has listed your internship opportunity in CalstateS4
    • Instructions for adding new Opportunities is available on the Internships Webpage
  7. Complete the Internship Course Intake Form
  8. Complete your Placement in CalStateS4
  9. Enroll in the internship class
  10. Full time enrollment- during Fall and Spring semesters, you must be enrolled full time or have an approved Reduced Course Load. If summer is your final semester, you must have an approved a Reduced Course Load
  11. Confirm you have meet all of CIE's eligibility requirements (see section above)
  12. Request a CPT I-20 from CIE
  13. Processing time for the CPT I-20 is 2-5 business days after ALL requirements are completed and submitted. Your I-20 will be emailed to your horizon email once processed
  14. If you do not currently have an SSN, you can apply for a support letter from CIE at the same time you apply for the CPT I-20. Please review the SSN procedures. 

  1. Obtain an internship offer letter
  2. Contact your major department to confirm availability of internship class and departmental procedures
    • Confirm you have meet all departmental requirements- Pre-Req completions, no Academic Dishonesty Reports, etc...
  3. Request your Internship Site to "Add a New Opportunity" in CalStateS4
    • Information on the procedure is located on the Internships website
  4. Once you can view the opportunity in CalStateS4, complete the Internship Course Intake Form and your confirm your Placement in CalstateS4
  5. Enroll in the internship class
  6. Full time enrollment- during Fall and Spring semesters, you must be enrolled full time or have an approved Reduced Course Load. If summer is your final semester, you must have an approved a Reduced Course Load
  7. Confirm you have meet all of CIE's eligibility requirements (see section above)
  8. Request a CPT I-20 from CIE
  9. Processing time for the CPT I-20 is 2-5 business days. Your I-20 will be emailed to your horizon email once processed

Please schedule an appointment with an international student advisor to discuss your required internships.

Internships that are required to complete your degree requirements involve a different procedure depending on your academic department. 

Please review and complete the CPT Handout for Degree Requirements

If you do not currently have an SSN, you can apply for a support letter from CIE at the same time you apply for the CPT I-20. Please review the SSN procedures. 

Part-Time vs. Full-Time CPT

Fall and Spring

During Fall and Spring semesters we will only be authorized for part time CPT. This includes if you are currently on an approved Reduced Course Load and/or its your last semester!

Summer Term

If summer is your annual vacation and you will be returning for Fall semester, then we will authorize full time CPT.

If summer is your last term, you need to submit a Reduced Course Load and you will only be authorized for part time CPT.

Part-time CPT: Employment for 20 hours or less per week is considered part-time.

Full-time CPT: Employment for more than 20 hours per week is full-time.

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.