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3/27/07
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| Curricular Practical Training: What is CPT? Some call it CO-OP, others call it Internship. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defines Curricular Practical Training (CPT) as training that must be "an integral part of an established curriculum." The employment must be directly related to a student's current major field of study. If the work is not a required or an elective component of a student's degree program, the student must apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT). Am I eligible? CPT can only be used during a student's program of study. A student must be in legal F-1 status in order to be eligible to apply. In addition, a student must also have been lawfully enrolled full-time for one full academic year. Graduate students in programs that require immediate participation in CPT may have the academic year requirement waived. Students are not limited (in theory) to the amount of CPT they may use. However, students who engage in 12 months or more of full-time CPT are not eligible for ANY OPT. Full-time CPT is defined as more than 20 hours per week, while part-time CPT is defined as 20 hours or less per week. Students engaging in part-time CPT must be enrolled full-time. In order to apply, students must have an offer of employment from an employer offering work that qualifies as CPT. Permission to work is granted by the Director of International Student Affairs. Students may engage in CPT only for the specific employer, location and period approved by International Student Affairs. Each CPT period is granted based on the official TTU academic semester calendar published by the Registrar. Four Qualifying CPT Categories
Note: The authorized CPT period should reflect only the amount of time necessary to gather the essential data. CPT in this category will NOT be granted during a student's last semester. IMPORTANT RULE about applying for CPT:
Please note that students who have
already completed all of the coursework required for their degree
and are working on their thesis are not eligible for CPT. Instead,
they should apply for Optional (Thesis) Practical Training. If
a CO-OP is in your program of study, you may opt to do CPT at the
end of your program; this is the only exception.
Steps to Follow You must attend a CPT seminar or make an appointment to obtain the necessary information and documents. There are several steps involved in obtaining the permission to engage in CPT.
Please turn in the materials to ISA as a package. The process takes two weeks to complete once you submit everything to ISA, so PLAN ACCORDINGLY (same-day permission is not possible). REMEMBER: You CANNOT begin employment until you have been granted work permission for CPT on your I-20 by the Director of International Student Affairs!
Employer's Letter (PDF) IMPORTANT NOTE: You must obtain written authorization from the International Student Affairs Office before you begin work. This form must be signed by your academic advisor, department chairperson, and the dean of the school/college. After CPT authorization is granted, a new I-20 with the CPT authorization will be issued. THE CPT AUTHORIZATION ON THE NEW I-20 FORM WILL INCLUDE THE EMPLOYER'S NAME, ADDRESS, WHETHER THE CPT IS FULL OR PART-TIME AND THE START AND END DATES OF THE EMPLOYMENT. YOU MAY NOT BEGIN WORK UNTIL THE I-20 FOR CPT HAS BEEN ISSUED! Note: All international students on CPT must maintain the required health insurance coverage. |
International Student Affairs Tennessee Tech University P.O. Box 5093 Cookeville, TN 38505-0001 Undergraduate Phone: (931) 372-3634 | Graduate Phone: (931) 372-3233 Fax: (931) 372-3674 Questions or Comment, please e-mail: Intl_adm@tntech.edu |
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