Curricular Practical Training Report

Illinois Institute of Technology
International Center

3201 S. State Street
MTCC, Room 202
Chicago, IL 60616
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

CURRICULAR PRACTICAL
TRAINING
[8 CFR 214.2 (F)(10)(I)]

9/2013

I. DEFINITION
Curricular Practical Training: “An F-1 student may be authorized, by the DSO (Designated School Official), to participate in a Curricular
Practical Training Program which is an integral part of an established curriculum. Curricular practical training is defined to be alternate work/ study, internship, cooperative education or any other type of required internship or practicum which is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school.” Curricular Practical Training must be directly related
to a student's major field of study.

II. ELIGIBILITY
♦ Job must be directly related to a student's major field of study
♦ Students must be enrolled full-time at IIT and in the U.S. for a minimum of one academic (Fall & Spring terms) year prior to beginning
CPT. This includes transferring/new IIT students

♦ GPA requirements: Undergraduates – 2.5 minimum, Graduates - 3.0 minimum. Note: Some departments may require a higher GPA.
♦ Students who are already working on campus may not be eligible for CPT. Certain restrictions apply. (See next page)
III. PROCEDURES TO APPLY FOR CPT
Because of the curricular requirement of CPT work authorization, you must register for the appropreate coop/internship course.

1) Coop/Internships through the Career Management Center

 Register with the Career Management Center (CMC) (i.e., get your NACElink account) and upload your resume
Co-op and internship students must attend a mandatory workshop at the CMC. The co-op workshop schedule is available on the

 CMC website: www.cmc.iit.edu

 Complete the Co-op/ internship paperwork for the CMC which is available on the CMC website: www.cmc.iit.edu
 Meet with a CMC advisor, and submit original, signed forms for approval.
Register for Coop/Internship credits before coming to the International Center to obtain the CPT work authorization. Also, please

 register in advance for any academic courses that you will take along with coop/ internship. Remember there is a fee to enroll in the coop/internship credits

 Turn in "Advisor's Recommendation for Curricular Practical Training" to the International Center in order to obtain CPT work authorization. 

You will receive an e-mail from the International Center when your I-20 is ready. You must collect your new I-20 from the International
Center and provide a copy of your I-20 to your employer before you begin working. CPT will be listed on page 3 of your new I-20. You can either pick up your I-20 from the IC, authorize someone else to pick up your I-20 by e-mailing [e-mail] from your IIT Hawk account the first and last name of the person and that you expressly authorize that person to pick up your I-20, or request that your I-20 be mailed to you by completing and paying for the shipping request found on our website at www.ic.iit.edu.

Notes:
1) Please allow 8 business days for the International Center to process your CPT application. Processing times may increase or decrease based on time of year and volume of applications.
2) The CMC must receive the Work Term Evaluation of your Co-op/ Internship before you can be authorized for your next term of CPT.
International Center – 3201 South State Street, MTCC - Room 203 – (312)-567-3680 – [e-mail] – www.ic.iit.edu

CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING Continued

2) Psychology students or Direct CPT

 Register for the academic “internship” course offered in your department (this course carries a tuition charge) for the academic term for which you are seeking CPT authorization (summer – optional registration).
Turn in the "Advisor's Recommendation for Curricular Practical Training" for Direct CPT. Download the application at http://www.iit.edu/

 ~internat/forms/Advisers_Rec_for_CPT.pdf

V. IMPORTANT INFORMATION
• All work must be related to the student's major field of study as indicated on the student's I-20.
No student may begin working prior to being authorized by the International Center. Working without authorization will result in the loss

• of F-1 immigration status. Authorization can only be given for one semester at a time. Each subsequent semester, the student will need to be re-authorized, so that Coop or internship enrollment, immigration status and academic status may be verified.

• CPT can be taken on a full-time basis through 1) a Coop, 2) Summer internship or 3) Psychology internship.
The internship program offered by the CMC can only be used part-time during the academic year and can be used full-time or part-

• time during the Summer.

The duration of full-time CPT should be less than 12 months over the entire period of study in the U.S. A student who has worked on

• full-time CPT for 12 months or more will forfeit eligibility for Optional Practical Training
(OPT).
•

Part-time employment does not count towards the 12-month limit. Part-time employment is 20 hours or less per week. Anything above
20 hours is considered full-time.
• Students on full-time CPT are not eligible for on-campus employment during the academic year.
Students on part-time CPT may be eligible for on-campus employment as long as both forms of employment combined do

• not exceed 20 hours/week during the academic year.

• Students must register for the coop class or the internship class during each term
If authorized for full-time CPT, students can take part-time classes.

If authorized for part-time Coop, students must take additional

• credits to maintain full time enrollment: 4.5 credits for graduate students or 6 credits for undergraduate students. If authorized for parttime INTERNSHIP, students must take a full academic rouse load: 9 credits for graduate students, 12 credits for undergraduate students. Online/Distance Learning Courses: If you are registered for a full-time coop, you are permitted to take more than one online/distance

• learning course. If you are registered for a part-time coop or internship, only one online/distance learning course can be counted toward your full course of study.

If you change employers, all forms must be submitted to the International Center with new signatures. When renewing CPT
with

• your existing employer (coop only), please submit this online through the CMC website.

If you are registered for less than a full course load of academic credits, you are no longer eligible for the CTA U- PASS. (Coop credits

• do not count towards enrollment requirement for UPass

• Independent contracting, independent consulting, starting your own business or teaching does not meet the requirements to qualify as
CPT. Exception: PhD students are allowed to teach and students in the math and science education program are allowed to teach.

• International students in F-1 status are exempt from paying Social Security and Medicare taxes for the first 5 years. They are required to pay all federal, state, and applicable local taxes.

• Graduate students enrolled in a Full Time Coop or Internship during the summer term may not enroll in additional academic credits International Center – 3201 South State Street, MTCC - Room 203 – (312)-567-3680 – [e-mail] – www.ic.iit.edu