Financial requirements

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is temporary employment authorization directly related to an F-1 student’s academic program for which the work counts toward course credit. According to immigration regulations, the work performed has to be in the student's major field of study.

Curricular Practical Training Eligibility:
▫ The student must be in valid F-1 status at the time of application and have been in full-time student status
for one academic year preceding the CPT application. Graduate students whose programs require immediate participation in an internship/practical training may apply at any time.
▫ The work must be necessary to fulfill course/class requirements. In other words, it must be required of all students taking the course, not just related to a course.
▫ The course must be an “integral part of the established curriculum", (i.e., it must be required for the degree
program or earning credit for the degree program). For graduate students receiving credit for thesis or dissertation, the work must be required to complete the thesis or dissertation.
You must be authorized for CPT by an Immigration Advisor in International Office before beginning any employment. Working prior to obtaining authorization could result in a loss of your F-1 status.

Passport, Form I-94, Form I-20 (original)
CPT Recommendation Form (included in this packet) which contains:

a) •for graduate students: verification signature from your Graduate Advisor;
• for undergraduate students: verification signature from your Undergraduate Advisor, or Internship Coordinator, or Cooperative Education Program Coordinator

b) A description of the program (internship or cooperative education program)
c) Name and course number of the internship or research course for which you will be earning credit, name of the supervising professor and the semester in which the course credit will be earned
d) Name and address of the company/institution where you will be working
e) •Beginning and ending dates of employment and the hours per week to be worked
• Letter from the employer (on letterhead paper and signed by employer) describing the work to be
performed, including the starting and ending dates of employment, salary, and the employer's address.
• Co-op students registered through Tarleton Extension or Correspondence Course: proof that Tarleton student health insurance has been purchased

Purpose is to allow students to engage in internships, practicum or cooperative education programs, if necessary for their academic program, or will earn credit toward their program.
You must maintain your full-time student status to be eligible for CPT. (NOTE: Undergraduate students participating in full-time co-op programs who will not be registered for a full course of study (12 hours) but are considered to be full-time students by their department must have their co-op coordinator clarify their academic status in the CPT recommendation letter.
You must have an offer of employment to apply for CPT because the authorization is employer specific.
CPT is first recommended by the Graduate Advisor, but authorized by an Immigration Advisor in the International office. If all documents are correct and complete, the CPT may be authorized on the date of application.
The number of hours you are allowed to work while on CPT is determined by your internship or co-op program requirements.
Part-time CPT authorization is 20 hours per week or less. Full-time CPT is 21 hours per week or more.
You may use as much CPT authorization as is required for your degree program. However, if you accumulate 12 months or more of full-time CPT authorization, you are not eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT) authorization. (EXAMPLE: If you have been authorized for a total of 11 months full-time CPT, you would still be eligible to apply for OPT.) Your advisor recommends not to use more than 11 months of full-time CPT to protect your OPT eligibility - the Immigration Service may interpret more than 11 months of full-time CPT as a year of full-time work experience and may not grant post-completion OPT. Part-time CPT does not affect OPT in any way.
The Curricular Practical Training authorization on Page 3 of your I-20 is your proof to accept employment. Therefore, your I-20 and I- 94 may be used to complete the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 that all U.S. employers are required by law to complete within three days of the start of employment.
If you change employers during your internship or co-op program, you must apply for a new period of CPT authorization before you work for the new employer.
You are authorized for specific dates of employment on your I-20. You may not begin before the start date or continue working after the end date. If you expect that you will need to work past your end date, you must have an extension of CPT authorized by an Immigration Advisor in the ISSS before you can continue working past the CPT end date on your I-20.

For downloadable CPT forms click here.