Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a temporary employment authorization for F-1 international students who are currently pursuing a program of study at SJSU and want to gain practical training in their major fields of study. CPT may be authorized for a paid or unpaid position. Before a student can begin working, they will need to receive an updated I-20 with CPT authorization from ISSS. 

CPT may be granted for internships, service practicums, cooperative education, externships, and service learning activities. CPT employment is considered an academic experience and needs to be integral to the student's field of study.

Although gaining practical training is a valuable complement to a student's education, the primary purpose of F-1 status is full-time study. As a result, F-1 students are encouraged to focus on their academic success and ensure that CPT employment activities do not interfere with the primary purpose of their stay in the U.S.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are in your final semester, you must register for at least one course required to complete your degree program in addition to the CPT course. Unless it is a requirement of your degree program to complete an internship in order to graduate, you may not enroll in only a CPT course during your final semester. This also applies to students graduating during the summer when enrollment is not required.

Quicklinks

• CPT Eligibility
• CPT Application Process
• Authorized Period
• Offer or Employment Letter
• Part-Time Vs. Full-Time CPT
• Academic Year
• Changing Employers
• Working for Multiple Employers in the Same Semester
• Frequently Asked Questions (Curricular Practical Training)

Tutorial:

• CPT Tutorial

CPT Eligibility

You must meet ALL of the following criteria to be eligible to apply for CPT: 

• Currently in F-1 status and pursuing a degree program at SJSU.
• Currently in good academic standing (minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for graduate, 2.0 for undergraduate), and making normal progress toward degree completion.
• Enrolled full-time in F-1 status for one academic year. (Please scroll further to find the definition for this.)
  • SEVIS transfer students are not eligible for CPT in their first semester at SJSU.
  • Students changing their education level (e.g. bachelors to masters at SJSU) are not eligible for CPT in the first semester of their new degree level at SJSU.
    • SAGE students are the only exception and can begin their CPT in their first semester, as long as they have completed their immigration document check-in and submitted their CPT request forms and documents in a timely manner. Even for these students, summer CPT cannot be authorized sooner than a week after the term start date and within two weeks for fall and spring start dates.
  • Students who attended SJSU full-time in another nonimmigrant status (e.g. H-1B, H-4, L-2) may count one semester or up to one academic year of continuous full-time study prior to changing to F-1 status.
    • To count your first semester in F-1 status, you must have been in F-1 status within 30 days of the semester start date.
• Not enrolled in 1290R. 

CPT Application Process

1. Review CPT Tutorial and Frequently Asked Questions.
2. Confirm that your Academic Department (AD) offers an internship course, individualized studies course or requires you to complete an internship in order to graduate, and that you are eligible to do an internship. If your AD does, then you can move onto step 3.
   1. If your Academic Department does not offer an internship course, individualized studies course or you are not required to complete an internship in order to graduate, then you are not eligible for CPT. Therefore, you would want to review our Pre-Completion OPT webpage and schedule an appointment with an Advisor in ISSS to discuss further. 
3. Secure a job offer for a job that is related to your major field of study. *We recommend you review our policies on ‘Changing Employers’ and ‘Working for Multiple Employers in the Same Semester’, before submitting your request.
   
   1. Changing Employers
      1. We do not allow for changes in employers, once we have approved CPT, even if this is before your authorized start date.
   2. Working for Multiple Employers in the Same Semester
      1. Review the policy below regarding working for multiple employers in the same semester. 
4. Enroll in your internship course and register for a full courseload. If you are eligible for a Reduced Course Load, then submit a Reduced Course Load Request (RCL) e-form in iSpartan at the same time as your CPT application.
5. Complete the Curricular Practical Training Request Form in iSpartan.
   1. We recommend you review our policies on ‘Changing Employers’ and ‘Working for Multiple Employers in the Same Semester’, before submitting your request. 
6. When you submit the e-form, it will be sent to your Academic Department in order for them to review and sign off on your CPT request. It is at the discretion of your Academic Department, to approve (or not) your request. If your academic department approves the form, it will then be sent to the ISSS office for processing. Once your Academic Department has signed off on your CPT request, you will receive an email that your request has been routed to ISSS for processing.
7. Once received by ISSS, processing time is 5-7 business days for the I-20. If there are any issues with your application, we will email you for additional information. Once processed, we will email you the I-20 with CPT authorization. This new I-20 will serve as proof of your eligibility to work in the United States for a specific employer and during a specific period of time.
   1. You cannot start working until you have received the I-20 with CPT authorization from ISSS. You are then authorized to work with the employer at the location (address) and within the dates that have been indicated on your updated I-20.
   2. Working before or beyond the authorized dates, for a different employer, or at a different address, is a violation of  your F-1 visa status. 
8. If you need a Social Security Number (SSN), our office will email you additional information on how to apply for the SSN once your CPT has been authorized. 

Authorized Period

CPT is authorized on a semester-by-semester basis for a specific time frame and a specific employer/s. Each semester requires a new CPT authorization, even if it is with the same employer. You may not begin working before the start date or continue working after the end date listed on your I-20. The CPT dates on your I-20 will match the dates listed on your offer letter. You may begin your CPT employment after you have obtained your I-20 with CPT authorization from ISSS. CPT authorization cannot be backdated.

Semester	Duration	Application Period
Fall 2024	August 21, 2024 - December 18, 2024	July 15, 2024 - October 10, 2024*
Spring 2025	December 19, 2024 - May 21, 2025	November 15, 2024 - March 15, 2025*
Summer 2025	May 19, 2025 - August 19, 2025	April 1, 2025 - July 1, 2025*

*Check with your Academic Department (AD) to see if they will allow for a late add of the internship course after the University add period ends. Some ADs have internal CPT deadlines that preceeds ISSS deadline.   

*Final deadline for students to submit the CPT I-20 Request in iSpartan is 11:59pm on the applicaiton period deadline date. No exceptions. 

Offer or Employment Letter

Your CPT request will be either Delayed or Denied if your offer or employment letter does not contain ALL of the following items. You may need to request a supplemental letter from your employer that includes this information, if it is not in the offer letter:

• Must be printed on the company's letterhead, that has their address on it.
• Must be dated within the last 3 months, of when submitting the CPT I-20 request in iSpartan.
  
• Include the job title.
• Include a job description.
• Include employment start and end date. Which must fit within the semester dates. 
• Include physical address where you will work (street number and name, city, state postal code, and suite/building number).
• Include number of hours to be worked per week.
  
  • During Fall and Spring semesters, students can work up to 20 hours per week.
  • During Summer semester, students can work full-time (more than 20 hours per week).
• Include employer’s signature; We accept handwritten, digital or DocuSign signatures.
• If you are working remotely, then this should be indicated on your offer letter, including the address where you will be working. 

Part-Time Vs. Full-Time CPT

• Part-Time CPT
  During Fall and Spring semesters, students can work up to 20 hours per week.
• Full-Time CPT
  During Summer semester, students can work full-time (more than 20 hours per week). If you are graduating in the summer, you must be enrolled in at least one course that is required for your degree program in addition to the required internship course for the CPT.

Academic Year

In order for a student to become eligible for CPT, they must be enrolled full-time in F-1 status for one academic year.

• For undergraduate students, 12 units or more is considered full-time during the fall and spring semesters.
• For graduate students, 9 units or more is considered full-time during the fall and spring semesters.
• For both undergraduate and graduate students, 6 units or more is considered full-time during the summer semester.

One academic year in F-1 status, can be defined in the following various scenarios*:

• Fall (9+ units GRAD/12+ units UGRD) + Spring (9+ units GRAD/12+ units UGRD)  = Summer  CPT eligibility.
• Spring (9+ units GRAD/12+ units UGRD) + Summer (6+ units GRAD/UGRD at SJSU)  = Fall  CPT eligibility.

*Please note, a student would need to be physically in the U.S. and in F-1 status to meet these eligibility requirements.

Changing Employers

We do not allow for changes in employers, once we have approved a CPT request, even if this is before your authorized start date. Therefore, we recommend that you wait to submit the CPT I-20 request until you know that you want to work for the employer you file for CPT. 

Working for Multiple Employers in the Same Semester

We do allow for students to work for a maximum of 2 different employers on CPT in the same semester, but the following rules apply:

1. During the fall or spring semester, the total number of hours to be worked for both employers cannot be more than 20.
2. When you submit the CPT I-20 request, you can state you will be working for 2 employers and upload both offer letters in the request.
3. If we have already authorized your CPT to work for one employer, then we do not allow students to submit a request to work for a 2nd employer, if it will alter the number of hours for the 1st employer.
4. We will not allow for the addition of a 2nd employer after the application period has ended, which are posted on this page. 

Frequently Asked Questions (CPT)

When can I begin working on CPT? 

You cannot start working until you have received the I-20 with CPT authorization from ISSS. You are then authorized to work with the employer at the location (address) and within the dates that have been indicated on your updated I-20. Working before or beyond the authorized dates, for a different employer, or at a different address, is a violation of  your F-1 visa status. 

Am I required to enroll in a course for CPT?

Yes. Federal immigration regulations require CPT to be an integral part of your academic program. At SJSU, this means you must enroll in a course (independent study courses are not advisable, but still permitted) that requires work experience to complete the course requirements. The only time you are not required to enroll in a course for CPT is when your department requires work experience to complete your degree program, but does not require course enrollment. This must be true for all students in the same degree program.

Please note:

• The course/independent study must be offered through your major department.
• The course/independent study may count toward your full-time enrollment requirement for either fall or spring semesters.
• If you are in your final semester, you must register for at least one course required to complete your degree program in addition to the CPT course. Unless it is a requirement of your degree program to complete an internship in order to graduate, you may not enroll in only a CPT course during your final semester. This also applies to students graduating during the summer when enrollment is not required.  

Can I work for a company located outside of San Jose (Silicon Valley) or San Francisco? 
During the fall and spring semesters, no, unless you are working remotely. The company you are working for needs to be within commuting distance, due to the requirement of in-person courses. 

During the summer semester, yes. CPT can be outside of the local area or state of California.  

Can I extend my CPT within the same semester?
Yes. In order to extend or continue an internship with the same employer within the same semester, you will need to email ISSS ([email protected]) your updated offer letter, before the end of your internship. We have to extend your internship BEFORE your current CPT expiration date, which is listed on your I-20.  Do not continue to work until we have extended your CPT. *If we receive your request after your internship has expired, we cannot extend it for the current semester. 

Can I extend my CPT to the next semester?
Yes. In order to extend or continue an internship with the same employer to the next semester, you will need to submit a new Curricular Practical Training Request in iSpartan. You cannot work beyond your current CPT end date, which is listed on your I-20. You have to receive new work authorization (updated I-20 with CPT authorization) for the next semester prior to starting or continuing to work. 

Is there a limit on the number of CPT authorizations?
No. However, some Academic Departments may limit the number of times you may enroll in the internship course. Some departments may only allow you to enroll once, twice or not at all. Check with your major advisor or graduate program coordinator for more information.

How will CPT impact my OPT period?
Time used on CPT will not be deducted from your OPT. However, students that use 12 months or more of full-time CPT will not be eligible for OPT. Part-time CPT does not impact OPT eligibility. 

How will CPT impact my OPT period?

Time used on CPT will not be deducted from your OPT. However, students that use 12 months or more of full-time CPT will not be eligible for OPT. Part-time CPT does not count towards this.

What is the difference between volunteering and an unpaid internship?

The U.S. Department of Labor has guidelines governing unpaid internships. To learn more about the differences between volunteering and an unpaid internship, please view our chart.

What are my tax-filing responsibilities for paid internships?

Please go here for helpful resources developed by Sprintax to assist students in filing their taxes who have participated in a paid CPT experience.