General practical training requirements

To be eligible for CPT, you must first meet these general eligibility and authorization requirements.

Specific CPT requirements

In addition, you must meet these specific CPT requirements:

• The training must be an integral part of your curriculum.
• The practical training is only authorized during the course of your study (not after it is completed).
  
  • If the employment is not required for your program: Internships that are optional must be taken for units (academic credit).
    
    • Not all SDSU majors offer courses that meet the CPT eligibility. Check with your department for information.
  • If the employment is required for your program or part of your thesis / dissertation: If practical training is required as part of your program, you do not need to take it for units (academic credit).
  • If you are adding the CPT course through a late add, it can take 7-10 business days for Graduate Affairs and the Registrar's Office to approve the petition.  Please do not contact Graduate Affairs and the Registrar's Office repeatedly during this process. 
• The training must be authorized for a specific job at a specific company for a specified time period.
• OPT Eligibility: If your full-time CPT authorizations total more than 12 months, then you are not eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT).

1-year, F-1 requirement

• To be eligible for CPT, you must have been a student in F-1 status for a minimum of one academic year.
• Graduate students whose program requires immediate participation in a paid internship may waive the one-year F-1 requirement, as long as their graduate advisor verifies that the internship will begin within the student's first year at SDSU. 

CPT and graduate study

• Thesis: Students wanting to take an internship as part of their thesis research must demonstrate to their graduate advisor the relationship between the proposed internship and the thesis research.

Limit on CPT for students on thesis, project, or comprehensive exams

• When students have finished all substantive coursework, they are allowed CPT for one additional semester and they must enroll in a Thesis, Project, or Comprehensive Exams course in addition to the CPT course (if CPT is taken for units) for that semester. 

• • Substantive coursework means regular coursework excluding Thesis, Project, and Comprehensive Exams.  
  • Students waiting for results of Comprehensive Exams are encourage to apply for Pre-Completion OPT.

Application period

There is no specific application period for CPT. However, please submit the CPT documents to the ISC following the steps below early enough so that you will have the new I-20 with CPT authorization before you begin your CPT, or before the extension of your CPT. You must also be enrolled in the course (if required) before CPT can be authorized by the ISC.

Processing time is 7 business days. Please account for additional shipping time to receive your I-20 after it is processed. During COVID-19, this is only required for students who do not have a Social Security Number (SSN); if you do have an SSN, your I-20 will be emailed to you. 

How to apply

 Follow these application steps:

• Receive the job or internship offer letter. The letter needs to be on company letterhead and include: your name, company name, complete address of company, the anticipated start and end dates of employment, the number of hours per week, if the position is paid or unpaid, your job title, and a brief description of the duties. It also needs to be signed and dated by your employer.
• Fill out the top part of the CPT Application Form (also available on the ISC's Forms webpage), then submit it with the job offer letter to your department or graduate advisor. If they approve your job/internship, they will complete and sign the "Academic Department Recommendation" section of the form.
• Enroll in the CPT course (if necessary).
• Complete the online CPT Request Form (also on the ISC's Forms webpage) and upload the fully signed and completed CPT Application Form and job offer letter.
• CPT is only authorized for one term at a time, so if you need a CPT extension, it is important to follow these steps early enough to avoid a break in your CPT authorization.

When can I start employment?

After submitting the CPT documents to our office, if they are complete and correct, it will take 7 business days for processing. You cannot begin the training opportunity until after you have received the CPT authorization from the ISC on your new CPT I-20. If you work before receiving CPT authorization, you are in violation of your F-1 visa which is grounds for termination of your SEVIS immigration record. This could result in the immediate return to your home country, an inability to finish your program at SDSU, and/or problems when applying for a new U.S. visa or trying to re-enter the U.S. in the future. CPT cannot be backdated to include illegal work that was performed before it was authorized by the ISC.  

Dates of authorization

CPT is authorized according to term dates, except in cases where CPT is required for the degree program or for the thesis. For CPT authorization through unit credit, CPT can be authorized for the following terms and dates:

If this is not your final semester... 

 If this is your final semester*... 

• Summer 2021:  May 24 - August 19
• Fall 2021:  August 23 - December 30
• Spring 2022:  January 19 - May 20

Hours allowed 

Ending CPT Early

If you will end your CPT before the CPT end date that we authorized, please send an email to ISC.reception@sdsu.edu informing us that you will end your CPT early and include the new ending date.  

Changes in CPT employer, dates of employment, or hours

Other changes to your CPT authorization will require you to complete a new CPT Request Form and upload new documents with changes. The most common changes are: the employer, employer address, and hours per week (full-time vs. part-time).

Extension of CPT authorization

If you qualify for an extension of your CPT work authorization, to extend your CPT you will need complete a new CPT Request Form and upload the new documents.

You must receive the new I-20 with extended CPT dates before the CPT extension begins. The processing time for an extension of CPT authorization is 7 business days if all documents are complete and correct. Please don't wait too long, as certain times of the year are very busy for the ISC.