Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

If your CPT application is approved, an OGE staff member will process your application, and issue you a new I-20 with your CPT employer and work start and end dates listed on the second page. This I-20 authorizes you to work only for the employer listed and the dates designated. You cannot start your CPT job before the work start date or without the I-20, so you must apply more than two weeks in advance of your proposed start date to be sure you can work when your employer expects you to. The CPT start date cannot be backdated!

Yes, but OGE advises you to use caution when making this decision as it can be stressful to balance a full-time course load with a full-time job. Please talk with your academic advisor and CPT-related course professor about this. If they think you can handle this load, they may sign your CPT Application recommending this. If full-time CPT is approved, your academic advisor, professor, and OGE will monitor you throughout the semester. If you are not attending your classes or your academic work is suffering because of your job, your CPT work authorization may be canceled by OGE. Please keep in mind that having your CPT canceled could adversely affect your ability to maintain F-1 status.

Yes, CPT is for any work done as an integral part of the curriculum and directly related to your major. It doesn’t matter if the work is paid or unpaid.

No. A CPT-related course is one that requires employment in order for a student to successfully complete the course, so all students in the class will also be eligible for the same employment. Eligible courses include courses that require fieldwork, a practicum, internship, etc.; and the Cooperative Education Program. Please note that Cooperative Education has its own set of requirements for participation in the program; for specific requirement information, please contact Career Services.

CPT cannot be authorized for elective courses.

Not if you have already begun your CPT employment. Since CPT employment requires registration in a course or Cooperative Education, dropping the course would render that past employment illegal and would result in the loss of your immigration status. A student may take an incomplete in a Practical Training course, but he or she is still required to complete the CPT-related course assignments and receive a grade prior to graduation. Students should keep in mind that failure to receive a grade in a CPT-related course prior to graduation will be reflected on the academic transcript, which may be requested by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as part of the application for certain immigration benefits (such as OPT or H-1B), and could adversely affect a student’s ability to receive such benefits.

If you decide not to participate in CPT before the authorized employment start date listed on your I-20, please contact your OGE advisor to request cancellation of your CPT authorization in SEVIS.

CPT employment authorization cannot be canceled once the start date has passed—even if you work only a few days—so consider this carefully if you have concerns about your ability to work and handle your academic responsibilities at the same time.

No.

CPT is not meant for uninterrupted employment. CPT is meant to be used for short-term required practical training that is required for the student to complete their program. 

*If the student is graduating at the end of the semester in which the CPT is authorized, CPT authorization will end the last day of that semester. If the student wishes to remain employed after that date they must apply for OPT.

You should apply for pre-completion OPT employment.

No. CPT is meant to be directly related to your academic program, which means that it happens as part of your other coursework—not in place of it.

Yes, because CPT can only be authorized for a course that is a graduation requirement.

No. Once you can or have completed all degree requirements, you must do so and move on to the next phase of your F-1 status (apply for OPT, change degree levels, etc.) regardless of when your I-20 end date is. You may not continue taking courses that are not required to complete your program; to do so would negatively affect your F-1 status.

Only if you need the CPT-related class in order to graduate. This must be verified by your academic/faculty advisor.

Yes, but only if an internship/practicum/co-op is a required part of the thesis or dissertation course. Your academic/faculty advisor will need to explain to OGE how the CPT work will contribute to your thesis/dissertation. Failure to make normal progress on your dissertation/thesis as a result of CPT work may result in the cancellation of your CPT or the denial of a future program extension request.

No. All CPT and OPT jobs have to be directly related to your major. Minors are not eligible for CPT.

No. As an F-1 student, you are required to actually participate in on-campus coursework, not just enroll in on-campus courses and work remotely. OGE will only approve CPT during the fall and spring semesters for jobs located within a reasonable commuting distance from Montclair State University’s campus.

If you wish, you may choose to pursue long-distance CPT opportunities during the summer, provided the summer will not be your last semester of study, in which case the above rule applies.

Yes, but only under certain circumstances and with faculty recommendation. In order to change jobs, you must submit a new completed CPT Application along with your new job offer letter. You are not eligible to work for a new employer unless OGE reviews your request and creates a new I-20 for you with your new employer’s information on the second page, and until the start date of your second CPT authorization arrives.

No, you will need to spend one semester in your new degree program before you may be eligible for CPT again unless the employment is required in your first semester by your academic program.