Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

• Students may qualify for CPT through one of four ways:
  
  • 1. It is required for the degree (special course enrollment is not required).
  • 2. It is required for the degree via enrollment in a specific course.
  • 3. It is optional and will be taken for unit credit via enrollment in an internship course. 
    • Not all SDSU majors offer internship/special study courses that meet the CPT eligibility. Check with your department for information.
    • If you are adding the CPT course through a Petition for Late Schedule Adjustment (after the Schedule Adjustment Deadline), it can take several weeks for the Registrar's Office and Graduate Affairs or the Assistant Dean to approve the petition. Please do not contact the Registrar's Office, Graduate Affairs, or the Assistant Dean repeatedly while your petition is pending.
  • 4. It is taken as part of enrollment in a thesis, dissertation, or research course.
• The practical training can only be authorized during your program of study.
• The training must be authorized for a specific job at a specific company for a specified time period.
• OPT Eligibility: If your full-time CPT authorizations total or more 12 months, then you are not eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT).

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1-year, F-1 requirement

• To be eligible for CPT, you must have been a student in F-1 status for a minimum of one academic year (2 semesters).
• Graduate students whose program requires immediate participation in an internship may waive the one-year F-1 requirement, as long as their graduate advisor verifies that the internship must begin within the student's first year at SDSU.

CPT and graduate study

• Thesis/Dissertation: Students wanting to participate in an off-campus internship or job as part of their thesis or dissertation research must be enrolled in thesis/dissertation/research/special studies course and demonstrate to their graduate advisor the relationship between the proposed internship/job and the theis/dissertation.

Limit on CPT for students on thesis, project, or comprehensive exams

• When students have completed all substantive coursework, they can do CPT in the semester immediately after the semester of the final substantive course if they enroll in a Thesis/Project/Comprehensive Exam course plus the CPT course (when CPT eligibility is through CPT course) for that semester.
  • Substantive coursework means regular coursework excluding Thesis, Project, and Comprehensive Exams.
  • Students waiting for results of Comprehensive Exams may need to apply for Pre-Completion OPT instead.

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Application period

There is no specific application period for CPT. However, CPT documents must be sumbitted to the ISC early enough so that you will have the new I-20 with CPT authorization before you begin your CPT (or before the extension of your CPT). You must also be enrolled in the course (if required) before CPT can be authorized by the ISC.

How to apply

Follow these application steps:

1. Receive the job or internship offer letter. The letter needs to be on company letterhead and include: your name, company name, complete address of company, the anticipated start and end dates of employment, the number of hours per week, if the position is paid or unpaid, your job title, and a brief description of the duties. It also needs to be signed and dated by your employer.
2. Fill out the top part of the CPT Application Form (also available on ISC's Forms webpage), then submit it with the job offer letter to your department or graduate advisor. If they approve your job/internship, they will complete and sign the "Academic Department Recommendation" section of the form.
3. Enroll in the CPT course (if necessary).
4. Complete the online CPT Request Form (also on ISC's Forms webpage) and upload the fully signed and completed CPT Application Form and job offer letter.
5. CPT is only authorized for one term at a time, so if you need a CPT extension, it is important to follow these steps early enough to avoid a break in your CPT authorization.

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When can I start employment?

You can only begin the training opportunity after you receive CPT authorization from the ISC through your new CPT I-20. If you work before receiving CPT authorization, you are in violation of your F-1 visa which is grounds for termination of your SEVIS immigration record. This could result in the immediate departure from the U.S, an inability to finish your program at SDSU, and/or problems when applying for a new U.S. visa or trying to re-enter the U.S. in the future. CPT cannot be backdated to include illegal work that was performed before it was authorized by the ISC.

Processing Time

After uploading the required and submitting CPT documents to our CPT Request Form, CPT processing takes 7 business days, provided all documents are correct and you are enrolled in the CPT course (if required).

After the Schedule Adjustment Deadline, students who qualify for CPT through an internship or special study course will also need to submit a Petition for Late Schedule Adjustment to the Registrar's Office. Allow additional time for the petition to be approved and the CPT course added to your schedule. 

Students who do not have a Social Security Number (SSN), should allow additional time to receive the CPT I-20 via email after it is processed.

Dates of authorization

CPT is authorized according to term dates, except in cases where a job or internship is required for the degree program or for the thesis. For CPT authorization through unit credit, CPT can be authorized for the following terms and dates:

If this is not your final semester/term...

If this is your final semester/term*...

• Spring 2024:  December 30 - May 16
• Summer 2024:  May 20 - August 14
• Fall 2024:  August 19 - December 31

*Also applies to graduate students who have completed all substantive coursework and will continue working on their thesis/project/comprehensive exam

Hours allowed

Each SDSU academic department has their own policy for part-time or full-time CPT, within U.S. immigration policy for CPT.

Undergraduate Students:

When class is in session during the fall and spring semesters, an undergraduate student may work up to 20 hours per week on CPT. If working a campus job, a maximum of 20 hours per week is allowed between on-campus and off-campus employment. During the summer and official school breaks, full-time CPT is allowed with authorization, and on-campus employment does not impact this.

Graduate Students:

When class is in session during the fall and spring semesters, a graduate student may work a maximum of 20 hours per week on-campus and also work part-time or full-time CPT, as authorized by your academic department and the ISC. During the summer and official school breaks, the maximum does not apply.

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Ending CPT Early

If you will end your CPT before the CPT end date that we authorized, please send an email to [email protected] informing us that you will end your CPT early and include the new ending date.

Changes in CPT employer, dates of employment, or hours

Other changes to your CPT authorization will require you to complete a new CPT Request Form and upload new documents with changes. The most common changes are: the employer, employer address, and hours per week (full-time vs. part-time).

Extension of CPT authorization

If you qualify for an extension of your CPT work authorization, to extend your CPT you will need complete a new CPT Request Form and upload the new documents.

You must receive the new I-20 with extended CPT dates before the CPT extension begins. The processing time for an extension of CPT authorization is 7 business days if all documents are complete and correct. Please don't wait too long, as certain times of the year are very busy for the ISC.

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Enrollment requirement

Students engaged in CPT must be enrolled every term. For some students in the middle of their degree program, Summer enrollment is not required.

Optional vs. Required CPT

• Optional: CPT regulations require that off-campus practical training which are an optional part of the course curriculum must be taken for unit credit.

• Required: Off-campus practical training opportunities which are a required part of the course curriculum do not have to be taken for unit credit.

Graduate-level CPT

• Graduate students may be authorized for CPT that is part of their thesis/dissertation research. (Advisors: Please write an official letter confirming the relationship between the proposed practical training and the thesis/dissertation to include with the CPT Application Form.)
• Graduate students in Computer Science must enroll in the CS 792 Practical Training course.
• Even if the student will not be graduating, he or she may no longer be eligible for CPT. Please read the information above under "CPT Eligibility".

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To verify that students meet the requirements for practical training through CPT, the ISC requires approval from the department chair, graduate advisor, or thesis/dissertation advisor. This approval must certify that:

• The training opportunity is an integral part of the established curriculum
• The training, if optional, will be taken for unit credit

Please discuss the training opportunity with your student before completing and signing the CPT Application Form. Although students may be very insistent that their practical training proposal meets the necessary requirements, not all majors have this component as a part of the curriculum. If you find the student eligible for this type of training, please complete the advisor’s section of the CPT Application Form. If the student’s request does not meet the requirements described above, then the student is not eligible for this type of training, and no approval is required. If you have any questions, please contact an International Student Advisor at the ISC.

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