Office of Multicultural & International Student Programs

F-1 Curricular Training Employment Authorization

What You Need To Know About

WHAT IS IT?

Curricular training (CT) is off-campus employment authorization that allows F-1 students to attain work experience in their major field of study. The amount of work permitted is based on how many credits your academic department allows for an internship for the time during which you are an F-1 student. Curricular training applies during your studies only. You can work for any employer as long as the job is directly related to your major.

If you would like to work for a company as an intern before you have completed studies toward your bachelor's degree, you would have to meet with your departmental adviser and discuss how many credits in your major are allowed to be taken as an internship. For example, if your major has a three-credit internship component, you are permitted to register for the class and work part time only during the semester for which you have registered for the class! You can apply for CT benefits for the time you are an F-1 student, and for as many times as your department allows an internship to be taken.

HOW CAN IT BE USED?

1. Full-time employment during summer vacations and semester breaks.
2. Part-time employment while school is in session.

1. You must have been enrolled full time.
2. You must get a letter from your major adviser describing how the type of work you are seeking directly relates to your major. The letter must indicate the course number, credit amount, and the semester for which you will be registering for the class.
3. You must have a job offer from the company in writing and on company letterhead. The letter must state the company's name and location, job description, dates of proposed employment (which must match the semester dates for which you will be registered for the class), the salary and number of hours you will be working (may not exceed 20 hours a week while school is in session).
4. Please keep in mind that 20 hours a week is the limit set by INS for an F-1 student to work while school is in session. That means that if you wish to do an internship off campus, you will have to relinquish all other employment opportunities, including on-campus employment.

Pick up an application for F-1 Curricular Training Employment Authorization, fill it out and return it to us. We will then review your application to make sure that you qualify. If we agree that you do, we will recommend that INS authorize your CT employment and will send your application to INS for processing of your work authorization.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

After you return your application to the Office of Multicultural and International Student Programs, it will take approximately one week for your curricular training to be reviewed and processed. It is important to take processing time into consideration when planning the date you want to start working! YOU CANNOT BEGIN TO WORK UNTIL YOUR APPLICATION HAS BEEN APPROVED!