F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Employment Authorization

What You Need To Know About It

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is an employment option available to F-1 students where the practical training employment is considered to be an integral part of the curriculum or academic program. According to the immigration regulations, this employment may be an internship, cooperative education job, a practicum, or any other work experience that is either required for your degree (as defined in the course catalog) or for which academic credit is awarded.

To be eligible for CPT:

· You must be in valid F-1 status and have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis for one full academic year. Exceptions to the one academic year requirement are provided for students enrolled in graduate programs that require immediate participation in CPT.

· Your employment must be an integral part of your degree program or requirement for a course (as defined above).

· You must have an offer of employment offering work that qualifies as CPT.

CPT may be authorized:

· Full-time (20 or more hours per week) during summer vacations and semester breaks.
Please note: students who accrue more than 365 days of full-time CPT during a program of study forfeit Optional Practical Training (OPT) for that program of study.

· Part-time (less than 20 hours per week) employment while school is in session. Part-time CPT will not affect OPT eligibility.

CPT will be authorized one semester at a time. Students may not work past the authorization date noted on page 3 of your Form I-20 without applying for and receiving an additional authorization of employment.

How do you apply for CPT?

1.  Meet with your academic advisor to inquire about pursuing an internship to see if your degree program meets the requirements of pursuing CPT.
2. Obtain a letter of employment from the potential employer on company. The letter must be on company letterhead and include the following information:
   a) Employer name and complete address where employment will occur.
   b) A summary of your internship responsibilities.
   c) The start date (must be a future date, not a date in the past) and end date of the internship.
   
   d) The number of hours you will work per week (hours cannot exceed 20 hours per week while school is in session unless required by your program of study as described in Hofstra University's course catalog.)
   
   e) Whether the internship is paid or unpaid.
3. Complete the CPT request form. Both you and your academic advisor must each complete a section of the application form.
   
4. If approved, CPT will be authorized by a Designated School Official (DSO) one semester at a time.

You cannot start working until your CPT is authorized by a DSO, working inside the U.S. without authorization is a violation of your F-1 immigration status.

Click here to access the CPT application.