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CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING
Curricular
Practical Training is employment authorization granted
to an individual who has been in lawful full-time
student status for at least one academic year. It
is “alternate work/study, internship, cooperative
education, or any other type of required internship
or practicum that is offered by sponsoring employers
through cooperative agreements with the school”.
Such employment must be in the student’s field
of study, and it must be an integral part of the curriculum
or degree.
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) may fall
under one of two categories:
1. Internship: the work component
is a required part of a course that you are taking
for degree credit. The course may be an elective course;
however any credits must be absorbed into the curriculum
towards a degree.
2. Practicum: this is a non-credit
employment or fieldwork experience that is required
by your department of all degree candidates in your
program.
CPT is available only if one of these categories is
included in the curriculum of your degree program.
Because every program has different academic requirements, not every student at RBHS will be able to take advantage
of CPT.
Eligibility
Students wishing to pursue CPT must meet the following
criteria:
- You must have been in the U.S. enrolled in full-time
studies for at least one academic year
- You must have a valid I-20 form and an active SEVIS record
- You must have a job offer prior to obtaining
work authorization
Limitations
- CPT is typically done on a part-time (up to 20
hours per week) basis during the school year and
on a full-time basis during vacation periods. Exceptions
may apply for graduate students depending on the
structure of the individual student's curriculum
- The employment is employer specific. Once CPT
has been authorized, the student must obtain authorization
prior to changing employers
- You may not begin CPT without prior authorization
from the OIS. Retroactive authorization is not possible
Application
Process
1. Attend the "Off-Campus Employment" workshop (suggested)
2. If you are applying for credit-bearing CPT, you
must submit the following:
- Letter from your employer (on company letterhead)
indicating the job title, dates of employment, number
of hours per week, and brief description of the
work you will be performing. If the job offer letter does not contain all of the information requested on page 1 of the Certification for CPT form, then page 1 must be submitted with the job offer letter, signed by the employer.
3. If
you are applying for a practicum based CPT, you must submit
the following:
- Certification for CPT form completed by your registrar.
- Letter from your employer (on company letterhead)
indicating the job title, dates of employment, number
of hours per week, and brief description of the
work you will be performing. If the job offer letter does not contain all of the information requested on page 1 of the Certification for CPT form, then page 1 must be submitted with the job offer letter, signed by the employer.
4. Once you have obtained this documentation, upload the CPT application to the CPT E-form on the RGlobal Portal.
You will receive your new I-20 within 5 days of the E-form submission.
REMEMBER:
YOU MAY NOT BEGIN WORK UNTIL YOU HAVE RECEIVED AUTHORIZATION
FROM THE OIS. ENGAGING IN UNAUTHORIZED
EMPLOYMENT IS CONSIDERED A VIOLATION OF STATUS AND GROUNDS FOR TERMINATION OF THE F-1 RECORD.
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