Curricular Practical Training

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is work authorization granted to students on F-1 visas for internships or positions off campus and directly related to / an integral part of their major.

CPT allows students to work 20 hours or less each week during the academic year or more than 20 hours during the holiday and summer breaks.

If students are paid for employment they must obtain a Social Security Number. Contact the International Scholar and Student Services Coordinator – Christine Shaw – for information on how to obtain a Social Security Number.

Students must not begin work until CPT is approved by the International Scholar and Student Services Coordinator.

CPT Eligibility

Undergraduate students must have been in lawful status as a full-time international student at CSU for one full academic year.  There is no exception to this rule for undergraduate students.

Graduate students may receive permission to begin CPT immediately, if their program of study requires it.

Students’ training must be directly related to their field of study and correspond with their educational level.

The training must be a requirement of the program, and students must receive course credit.

Your training must be a requirement of the program, and you must receive course credit.

Your CPT dates must align with the current semester start and end dates.

The dates of CPT employment must align with the current semester start and end dates.

Applying for CPT

To apply for CPT students need to submit the following at least one week prior to the start of employment:

• CPT Checklist and Advisor Verification
  Complete 1 per semester
• Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Employer Cooperative Agreement & Offer Letter
  Complete one form per employer (can submit multiple per semester)

Students will need their employer’s name and email address to complete this form.

CPT Approval

Once approved, the student will be issued a new I-20 listing the employer and CPT employment dates.

More than one employer can be entered at a time, so please combine employment offers as much as possible to decrease the number of I-20's that need to be printed.

CPT must be approved for each semester, with new approval forms and employment letters submitted.