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Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

What is CPT?
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is an employment option available to F-1 students to engage in off-campus or on-campus internships (paid or unpaid), directly related to their field of study during their studies. Employment on CPT may include internships, practicums, or any other pre-approved work experience. 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 completion of the academic program.

Important:
A student must be authorized by the International Student Advisor and obtain the new I-20 with CPT Authorization on page two prior to beginning any employment/internship/training. Working without a CPT endorsed I-20 is a serious violation of your F-1 visa status and may result in the termination of your SEVIS record and forfeit your ability to remain in the US.

CPT Guidelines
  1. You must obtain a new I-20 with CPT authorization prior to the employment start date.
  2. CPT is available only to students that have been enrolled full-time at UT in F-1 status for at least one academic year. Graduate students are exempt from this but only when early participation is mandated by the program (listed as a requirement in the course catalog). Currently the MS in Exercise and Nutrition Science is the only program for which this exemption applies.
  3. CPT must be an integral part of the established major curriculum. At UT, this means you need to earn course credit for your employment, or it must be a required part of your degree program (listed as required in the course catalog). 
  4. CPT must be directly related to a student's major field of study and must be appropriate to the degree level.
  5. CPT can be used during the fall, spring, or summer semesters.
  6. Students must reapply for each semester they wish to participate in CPT.
  7. Students can have more than one employer in the same semester. Employments must be consecutive, not at the same time. However, CPT authorization is needed for each employer and each time period, so it needs to be requested separately and as part of the same registered class. All CPT requests need the approval of your Internship Coordinator.
  8. Students must continue to maintain a full-time course load of study during the period of employment if CPT participation occurs during regular semesters (fall and spring). The exception is only applicable for the summer terms.
  9. If you have already completed all course requirements for your degree you are not eligible for CPT. Any Internship class is not a criterium for delaying graduation and will be denied.
  10. There is no limitation on the number or length of times you participate in CPT, but if you accumulate twelve months or more of full-time CPT, you will not be eligible for optional practical training (OPT).
  11. Be aware that adding a CPT course may have an impact on your tuition and fees.
  12. Failure to remain enrolled in the CPT course while continuing your employment will result in your falling out of legal F-1 status.
  13. CPT authorization is only required when the training is inside the United States. For example, a summer internship in a student’s home country does not need CPT authorization.

CPT Requirements
  • Offer letter: Student must have an offer of employment/training that qualifies as curricular practical training (CPT). Students must obtain an official offer letter from the employer that must:
    • Be addressed to you
    • Include your job title
    • Specify exact dates of employment/internship (start and end dates). The start date you request must be at least two business days in the future when you submit your completed CPT application to allow for I-20 processing time.
    • Specify the number of hours of work per week.
    • Brief but detailed job description to show how the position is related to your field of study/major.
    • Include the employer's address (street, city, state, zip code). If the position is remote, this must be stated in your offer letter and also include the company's physical location.
    • Include full name and contact information of your direct supervisor.
    • Click here for a Sample Internship Offer Letter for CPT.
  • Location: CPT internship is authorized for a specific employer, location, and period approved and recorded in the student's SEVIS immigration record. A second internship with the same employer is only allowed if the second internship is under a new supervisor and entails different tasks. A third internship with the same employer is not allowed.
  • Hours per week: Student may only work/internship a total of 20 hours per week while school is in session unless program requirements mandate otherwise (must obtain approval from the International Advisor/DSO). Exception is only for the summer terms.
  • Start and end dates: CPT internships may start up to two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester. CPT Internships will end no later than the last day of the semester in which the internship occurs.
The CPT Presentation offers more information about CPT at UT.
Click for a CPT - Employers Guide To Hiring International Students.

CPT Application Process
  1. Check eligibility with International Programs Office. Students must have been on F-1 status for at least one academic year (fall and spring semester) to be eligible for CPT. (Change of Education Level students will be eligible after their first full-time semester in the new level)
  2. Receive offer letter for internship. You can search for internships on Handshake. Research opportunities related to your major. here ut.edu/career/exploration/where, use the Job Search Toolbox, and/or make an appointment with a Career Coach in the Career Services Office.
  3. College of Business students only: attend an internship registration session with Dr. Dean Koutroumanis (see dates and times listed below). 
  4. Apply for credit approval with the Office of Career Services. You can schedule an appointment or attend an internship drop-in session.
  5. Complete credit approval process (Career Services, Employer, Faculty).
  6. Complete the online Curricular Practical Training (CPT) request via your ISSS Portal profile in the Request & Document Center.
  7. As a part of the CPT application, you will send an electronic request to your Faculty Internship Coordinator to confirm the academic nature of your work experience. Approval must be received before your DSO will be able to review your CPT request.
  8. International Student Advisor (DSO) will review and process your request between 2-5 business days after being approved by your Internship Coordinator.
  9. Receive e-mail notification from IPO to access your I-20 with CPT authorization.
  10. Start employment only after receiving I-20 with CPT authorization and on or after the CPT start date listed on page two of your I-20.
  11. Your new SEVIS I-20 with the CPT Authorization is your proof of work eligibility. Bring a copy to your employer’s HR office.

CPT Deadlines
You can submit the online application form for CPT as soon as you are able to enroll in the internship course for the semester you are doing an internship, but no later than 3 business days before your internship start date. The deadlines to register for an internship course are below:

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  • Spring 2025 - Internship Registration Deadline – Friday February 7th – 5:00pm.

Employment Dates for CPT
Start and end dates of CPT must closely follow the academic calendar. CPT internships may start up to two weeks prior to the beginning of the semester. CPT Internships will end no later than the last day of the semester in which the internship occurs.
CPT is not permitted during semesters intersessions.

The allowable CPT employment dates for the following semesters are:
  • Spring 2025- start no earlier than January 7th, 2025, end no later than May 9th, 2025
No exceptions can be made.

College of Business Students Only
The internship approval process begins with contacting Christina Bevilacqua (cbevilacqua@ut.edu) in Career Services. Every student interested in completing an internship for credit should be instructed to contact Christina as a first step.
All COB Internships are like any other COB class, students must register for the internship the semester prior or in the first three weeks of the semester. There are no exceptions.
Students must get their companies approved on Handshake prior to registering for an internship (Career Services will assist them with this).
All students must attend a mandatory Internship Registration Session (via Zoom) with Dr. Koutroumanis to complete registration. The Zoom link will be provided to the student by Christina Bevilacqua/Career Services once their company has been approved.  If a student does not attend this mandatory session, they will not be able to register for an internship.
Dr. Koutroumanis serves as department chair designee for all COB departments. Students do not need to see their respective dept. chairs. Dr. K will sign off as their instructor and dept chair.
 
A few additional notes as a helpful reference:
1.      Beginning fall 2010 COB Internships became graded vs. pass/fail and went to a full 15 week semester. We do not offer 7 week internships during the fall and spring semesters. Summer internships are also registered for summer 12week (no 6 week internships). This was approved by COB and university curriculum committees.
2.      The university and COB do not recognize and will not approve any retroactive internship credit. So, a student that completes an internship in the summer and does not register for it in the summer cannot come back in the fall and attempt to register for internship credit at that time. Internship credit can only be earned in the semester it was completed and registered for, no exceptions will be made.
3.      Students cannot earn internship credit for a current “job” they are employed at. This is a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and a violation of their immigration status. Internships must be experiential learning experiences that have approved learning objectives

COB Internship Registration Session Dates for Spring 2025
Spring internship registration sessions will be live via ZOOM. Below please find the dates and the ZOOM link. All sessions will use the same ZOOM link.
  1. If a student has attended a previous registration session they do not need to attend another one. They can simply fill out the Internship Agreement and email it to Dr. Koutroumanis (dkoutroumanis@ut.edu), noting they had attended a session previously.
  2. For under grad students: they no longer need their department chair to sign off. Dr. Koutroumanis is officially every department chairs designee, so he will sign as department chair and instructor.
  3. If a student has not attended a registration session they must attend one of the sessions, it is mandatory and no exceptions. Working on their internship is not an excuse for not attending. If they do not attend a session, they will not be able to register for credit.
  4. Students should attend one of the sessions even if their internship has not been approved yet. If they plan on registering for an internship they can attend any session in advance in order to fulfill this requirement.
  • Students must attend one of the sessions below, There will NOT be individual sessions, no exceptions.


    COB Spring 2025 registration sessions: 

    ** please note that there are only two registration sessions for 2024. Any student wanting to be registered for their internship prior to the end of Fall 2024 semester will need to attend one of these two sessions. Everyone else will have to register once the Spring 2025 semester begins.  

     

    Thursday, November 21st – 2:00pm

    Monday, December 2nd – 10:00am

    Tuesday, January 21st – 2:00pm

    Wednesday, February 29th – 10:00am

    Tuesday, February 4th – 2:00pm

    Friday, February 7th - 10:00am – Deadline for Spring 2025 Internship Registration and last registration session.


Join Zoom Meeting:
https://utampa.zoom.us/j/265750564