Curricular Practical Training - CPT

Students in F-1 status who want to engage in practical learning, such as internships, student teaching, practicum, co-operative education, fieldwork, required professional experience, or other “hands on” learning activities off-campus must first apply for and be granted authorization for Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

Federal law at 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10) defines CPT as “Curricular practical training is defined to be alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required internship or practicum that is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school.”

According to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) in the US Department of Homeland Security, CPT “is only available to F-1 students when it is an integral part of an established curriculum. In practical terms, ‘integral part of an established curriculum’ means an opportunity must be required by the curriculum or, if not required, the student must receive credit for the training… There is no restriction on compensation during CPT. Compensation is not a consideration when determining whether an opportunity qualifies as CPT,” however, CPT authorization is absolutely required for any curricular activity that is or should be compensated.

Practical Training activities may be an optional or required part of your program of study, but must be an integral part of the curriculum and directly related to your major area of studies. That means that you must receive academic credit or your program explicitly requires all students to engage in off campus training activities.

The ISSS team authorizes CPT for F-1 students to engage in qualifying opportunities through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), and I-20 is issued to show the authorization.  CPT must be authorized before any CPT activities, paid, or unpaid, may start.

CPT Information and Resources from the Department of Homeland Security

• Study in the States F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
• Study in the States CPT blog post July 3, 2019
• Study in the States CPT reminders blog post December 12, 2019
• Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) CPT Fact Sheet

Students apply through the UNC Global Portal.  Please remember to start only one application per CPT opportunity.  You can go back to any application you have started from your user home page.

CPT FAQs For Employers

Does CPT require visa sponsorship?
No! CPT is a benefit of F-1 status, and does not require “sponsorship” from any employer, but the student must have a practical training offer from the employer and an endorsement from their academic advisor before they can apply for CPT authorization. 

What do I need to do to hire a student on CPT?
An F-1 student will need an offer from your company or organization. This letter must be on letterhead, signed by the supervisor or hiring authority and provide the name of the company or organization hiring the student, the dates of the proposed employment, internship, or practicum, the position title, a description of the position the student will fill, the physical address where the student will work, supervisor name, and supervisor contact information.

The student must upload the completed offer letter their online CPT request in  the Global ISSS portal, and the information will be shared with their academic advisor for their endorsement. If CPT is approved, an I-20 will be issued to the student, which can be used for I-9 purposes.

A student cannot start employment (including training), until the I-20 has been issued.  

Who authorizes CPT?
CPT is authorized by a Designated School Official (DSO) on the Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for F-1 Status. . An F-1 student must request authorization from the school at which they are enrolled full-time with their F-1 I-20 in order to be authorized.  It may take 10 business days to review and approve a student’s CPT request after submission and endorsement from the student’s academic department, and not all CPT can be approved.

What about CPT for volunteering?
CPT is both for paid and unpaid experiences. Remuneration of any kind, including parking, meals, housing, books, etc., may be considered payment for immigration purposes, so CPT is recommended for any off campus training opportunity, regardless of employment status and Department of Labor criteria for internships and volunteer positions.

I’m interested in hiring an F-1 student for CPT, but I still have questions.  Who do I call?
You can reach out to a member of the International Student and Scholar Services team at the Office of Global Engagement: 970.351.2396.  We must still follow federal privacy regulations when it comes to individual student information (even if they have applied to work with you), but we will be happy to explain CPT information to you and provide general guidance.