Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Office for International Students and Scholars

Application Guide & Tutorial

for F-1 International Students

International Student and Scholar Services (ISS)

1 E. Jackson Blvd. Suite 9300

Chicago, IL 60604

312.362.8376

iss.depaul.edu

 Off-campus employment authorization like curricular practical training (CPT) or optional practical training (OPT)

may be granted to F-1 students under certain circumstances. F-1 students who have maintained lawful F-1

student status for at least one academic year (or whose graduate academic program requires immediate off-

campus employment participation) can become eligible for off-campus employment authorization.

 At DePaul University, one academic year is determined by three consecutive terms of full-time enrollment in Active F1

status.

 Off-campus employment must always be directly related to an F-1 student’s major field of study. It is the

student’s responsibility to explain and document how the job duties relate to degree showing on I-20 form,

if/when the government later questions student’s employment history.

 Before beginning ANY paid or unpaid work off-campus (including some volunteer positions), F-1 students must

obtain prior and specific work authorization like CPT or OPT from ISS/USCIS respectively. Off-campus employment

cannot begin without possession of a CPT-authorized I-20 form! Employment start date must be on or after the

CPT authorization start date showing on CPT-authorized I-20 form.

 If F-1 student starts working before they are authorized or without proper authorization like CPT or OPT, this will

be serious violation of their immigration status and ISS will have to terminate their SEVIS immigration record.

Student will have to leave the U.S. (reinstatement will not be an option and re-entry to the U.S. is not guaranteed).

This status violation can lead to detention/removal from the country. It can also have long-term negative

consequences on future immigration benefits and U.S. visa applications.

 F-1 students who are already out of status are not eligible for CPT or OPT work authorization or any other

immigration benefits.

International Student and Scholar Services

Off-Campus Work Eligibility

 CPT authorization allows an eligible F-1 student to earn required course credit while completing an off-campus

employment opportunity (e.g. internship). Enrollment in a required internship/elective course is mandatory for

CPT authorization, regardless of the term/time of year.

 The internship/elective course must be "an integral part of an established curriculum" and be directly related to

the F-1 student's major field of study. The internship must either be required by the F-1 student’s curriculum or

be an elective that fulfills part of an F-1 student’s degree program completion requirements.

 CPT is not designed for long-term, continuous employment. The amount of CPT work authorization an F-1

student may request from ISS depends on how many internship courses/credit hours their academic program

requires for degree completion. For example, if their degree program only offers/requires one internship course,

the student may only request CPT work authorization for that one term. Students cannot use elective internship

courses that will count as “extra” credit for the purpose of requesting CPT work authorization.

 CPT is time-specific; the dates of a CPT authorization will correspond with the dates of the term in which an F-1

student is enrolled in a required internship/elective course. CPT authorization dates cannot be backdated and can

only be approved for a future start date. If you enroll in a summer internship course, please check if it is for

summer session I, summer session II , or whole summer term, as the duration/dates for these summer terms vary.

If CPT work authorization dates are too restrictive for the student/employer, please consider OPT option instead

(assuming the student qualifies).

 Students who obtain one year or more of full-time CPT work authorization are ineligible for post-completion OPT.

Therefore, if you are planning on applying for OPT following graduation, please keep this mind.

International Student and Scholar Services

CPT Eligibility / Parameters

 During the regular academic year (i.e. fall, winter, and spring terms) and during an F-1 student’s final term of study, F-1

students may be employed up to a maximum of 20 hours per week (on and off-campus combined). Full-time employment

may only be possible during an F-1 student’s term of annual vacation. Reminder: if summer will be your final term, it cannot

be counted as your annual vacation and therefore your hours will be limited 20 per week. Exception to the 20 hour limit: if

the academic department requires all students in the degree program to work full-time, student may request full-time CPT

during the regular school year. However, academic advisor will need to verify this requirement in writing at time of the CPT

request.

 CPT is employer-specific; an F-1 student can only be employed for the employer specified on their I-20 form during the

period of approved CPT authorization. If you want to change employers, please submit a new/separate CPT request to your

academic department and ISS for review/processing and remember wait for new I-20 form showing the CPT authorization

before starting employment with the new employer.

 CPT site of activity must be within reasonable commuting distance to DePaul University. Since F-1 students have to

maintain full-time enrollment during the regular school year and report to class in person (they cannot count more than one

online class towards full-time enrollment requirement), CPT site of activity has to be in or near Chicago during the regular

school year (i.e. fall, winter, and spring terms).

 If your position is fully remote and in another U.S. state, you may work for your employer while living in Chicago.

 If student takes an internship course as their only remaining class in their last term at DePaul, there has to be an in-person

component to the internship course. In other words, student needs to arrange to meet with their professor at DePaul

University on a regular basis to establish that they were on-campus and making progress towards their final degree program

requirements in-person.

International Student and Scholar Services

CPT Eligibility / Parameters

1. Read this tutorial in its entirety to make sure you understand the parameters of CPT authorization.

2. Review your enrollment history to make sure that you meet the one-year academic requirement. ISS advisor will also review your unofficial transcripts in Campus

Connect before authorizing the CPT work authorization. If your graduate program requires students to start practical training earlier, please ask your academic

advisor to email ISS this information at the time of your CPT request.

3. Obtain a job offer letter with a future start date that directly relates to your major field of study showing on I-20 form. Check with your prospective employer that

the proposed dates of employment will not exceed the duration of your internship course.

4. Check with your Academic Advisor if/when an elective/required internship course is offered in your program that will count towards your degree completion and

register for this internship course before the “last day to add/switch” university deadline for the term. Note, your unofficial transcript will need to show that you

are enrolled full-time, including the required internship/elective course, for the term that you are requesting CPT authorization. If your CPT request is for summer

annual vacation, then you only need to enroll in the corresponding internship course during the summer. Note, ISS will NOT be able to process your CPT

authorization if your enrollment is incomplete.

 University Internship Program (UIP) Courses: Students enrolled in UIP courses will need to contact the University Internship Program in the

Career Center (DPC 9500): https://resources.depaul.edu/career-center/services-resources/career-courses/Pages/default.aspx.

 College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) students should visit the following CDM website for more information about CDM internship

procedural requirements: http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/InternshipsandCOOPs.aspx.

5. Complete and submit the CPT I-20 Request Form (example on next page; form available at https://intlportal.depaul.edu/_portal/). Please make sure that all fields

are complete, including your employer/employment and Academic Advisor details (not your faculty or your ISS advisor!) . Please note that in order for your

Academic Advisor to complete the form, you will need to provide a job offer letter from your prospective employer that details your job duties, hours, and starting

and ending dates.

6. Submit CPT I-20 Request Form to ISS for review/processing. If you recently travelled or renewed your passport/visa, please include copies of your most recent I-

94 card, and renewed passport/visa (only if ISS does not already have copies of these updated documents). Please also verify that your U.S. home address is

current and active in Campus Connection. You may drop these documents at ISS front desk or email scanned/clear copies to your ISS advisor.

7. If you qualify for CPT and your request/enrollment looks complete, ISS will process your new I-20 form showing the CPT authorization approximately 5-7 business

days from the date you submit your request to ISS. Incomplete request will result in delayed processing times. Please keep this in mind as you discuss your

employment start date with a prospective employer.

8. ISS front desk will send you an email notification once your new I-20 form is ready. Collect your updated I-20 form from ISS prior to the start of your employment.

Note, you will need your new I-20 form (showing CPT authorization) on your first day of employment to demonstrate your legal U.S. work authorization.

International Student and Scholar Services

CPT Application Checklist

International Student and Scholar Services

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

• Sample of what the Curricular Practical

Training Request Form will ask.

• Actual form can be found here:

https://intlportal.depaul.edu/_portal/

Student

Information

Section

Academic Advisor Section