Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students, which is defined as "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."
At UMass Amherst, CPT is only required for compensated (paycheck, stipend, scholarship, etc.) off-campus opportunities. Uncompensated off-campus opportunities do not require CPT.
You can find our CPT Workshop schedule on our events page. Refer to our CPT Presentation along with the information below for more information. If you have additional questions, email your ISSS advisor.
There are many different CPT opportunities within UMass. Some programs may allow CPT while school is in session, while others only permit CPT during summer and/or winter terms. To learn more, contact the appropriate person in your college.
Students must meet certain requirements to be eligible for CPT:
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You will not be authorized for CPT after the add/drop date in your final term.
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You must be in active F-1 status and enrolled for 9 months (two semesters).
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The 9-month requirement noted above may be waived if
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You are a graduate student and your degree program requires immediate participation in CPT.
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You have been in a different immigration status immediately before your F-1 status began. Contact your ISSS advisor if you have been in another immigration status before.
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- Your training is "an integral part of an established curriculum."
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Your training is "directly related to the student's major area of study."
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You will continue to be enrolled full-time during your CPT for Fall and Spring terms.
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You should continue to make progress in your academic program while on CPT.
You are NOT eligible for CPT after you have completed your program of study (i.e., all degree requirements met, you have defended your thesis/dissertation, etc.).
Please keep in mind:
- You cannot use CPT to extend time to completion of studies when there is no academic need/course requirement to do so. You should not use CPT just for off-campus work authorization.
- We will not approve CPT after your defense date.
- You will not be authorized for CPT after the add/drop date in your final term.
- CPT is not for earning extra money or just to gain work experience. CPT must be an integral part of your degree.
- CPT is not required for on-campus (UMass Amherst) employment. Employment at one of the Five Colleges of an academic nature (teaching, research, etc.) is considered on-campus and does not need CPT approval. Other employment (office work, athletics, etc.) is not permitted at the Five Colleges without authorization. Check with your ISSS advisor if you are unsure.
- CPT is not required for employment outside of the U.S., or employment in the U.S. that is not compensated (i.e. volunteer or non-salaried). However, CPT authorization may be beneficial in certain situations even if you are outside the U.S. (i.e. outside the U.S. but being paid inside the U.S.). Check with your ISSS advisor if you are unsure.
- You must be authorized by ISSS for CPT BEFORE you begin working (but you may accept the job offer before CPT approval).
- Beginning your employment before being approved for CPT is a violation of F-1 immigration status.
If you currently have CPT and wish to continue in the same position without interruption following your completion of studies, you must apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) at least 3 months before your completion of studies date. Unlike CPT, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudicates OPT applications, and may take 3 or more months to approve your OPT after you submit your OPT application.
Important note: Students who engage in a cumulative 12-months of full-time CPT (20 hours or more) will not be eligible for post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT). Part-time CPT (20 hours or less) is unlimited and will not impact future OPT eligibility nor will it reduce your initial 12-months of OPT eligibility.
CPT authorization is not automatic and will be denied if ISSS determines that the proposed employment does not meet the specific criteria for CPT, we determine that your proposed training is not an appropriate use of CPT, or we determine that you have already finished your degree requirements.
Application Steps
You will need to follow the CPT application steps below. Incorrect information or incomplete submissions will result in a delay and may require ISSS to push back your intended CPT start date.
You will not be authorized for CPT after the add/drop date in your final term. Given the time sensitive nature of CPT requests, ISSS recommends starting the process as soon as possible or no later than 20 business days prior to your CPT start date. You can accept your internship offer without CPT approval, but you cannot start your internship until ISSS has authorized your CPT.
NOTE: The CPT application process does not start with ISSS. Steps 1-4 can be completed simultaneously, but you must make sure all approvals are done before Steps 5.
If the proposed training meets the criteria for CPT, ISSS will grant CPT authorization by issuing a CPT I-20 with a specific CPT endorsement for the named employer, location, and for the term dates. Please note that it will take 10 business days to process your CPT I-20. CPT approval emails occasionally go into your Spam/Junk folder; remember to check that folder as well. Please do not email requesting expedited approval.
Make sure that your offer letter is on a company letterhead (with complete address) and contains the following information:
- Job title
- A short description of your job duties
- Number of hours you will work per week
- An exact employment start and end date
- Location where you will be working
- Your salary and related compensation
You must meet one of the following requirements for your CPT to be “integral.”
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Training is formally required for your degree program completion. An internship, practicum, etc. that is required for degree program completion and enrollment in a course.
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Training is part of an Undergraduate Cooperative Education Experience* (Co-op must be approved by the Career Development Hub.) *Undergraduate students ONLY.
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Training is credit-earning (internship or independent study). Your Career Advisor or Academic/Faculty Advisor should determine which course best suits your program’s needs. ISSS cannot determine this.
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Training is on an approved Graduate School Externship. The Externship must be approved by the Graduate School and you must submit the appropriate Externship paperwork. *Graduate Students ONLY.
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Each College has different CPT procedures for awarding credit and completing the required paperwork. If your college is not listed below and you are unsure who your advisor is, please reach out to the Career Development Hub for assistance.
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If your proposed CPT overlaps more than one term, then you will need to be enrolled in one credit in each term unless part of an approved co-op.* (For example, your training occurs in the last 3-weeks of the summer term and all the fall semester term. You are required to be enrolled in the appropriate course in the summer term and the fall semester term.)
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CPT will only be approved for the registered terms. If you cannot register for a specific term because the registration period has not opened yet, you will need to submit a CPT extension request once the registration period opens and you are enrolled.
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*Undergraduate Co-op Students will be coded as a Co-op in SPIRE and do not need to enroll in any credit but should provide their Department Permission Form with all needed terms marked as approved.
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Graduate Students: 999 Continuous Enrollment cannot be used for CPT purposes. If you are in a 999 course, you must enroll in a credit-bearing course of at least 1 credit before CPT will be issued. This can include Thesis (699) or Dissertation (899) credit if the internship is related to your research. Check with your department for the appropriate course number.
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You must remain enrolled in this course for the duration of your CPT. Withdrawal may be considered a violation that could jeopardize your immigration status.
Specific information for colleges
All students must be approved for the Experiential Learning Request in SPIRE. If you have any questions about this process, contact the Career Development Hub.
In SPIRE, you will upload your offer letter and any other required documents. The Experiential Learning Request will take at least 5 business days to be processed and approved. The faculty sponsor (instructor) must approve the request after they receive notification of the request. Do NOT email the faculty sponsor or the Career Development Hub requesting expedited approval.
Once the Experiential Learning Request is approved, the Career Development Hub will facilitate course registration.
Do not submit your CPT request to ISSS until Steps 1-4 are complete. Uploading the incorrect documents will delay your request.
Once you have completed Steps 1-4 and have received the necessary documents, proceed to the CPT Request E-Form and upload your job offer letter, approved Experiential Learning Request, and a screenshot(s) of your course enrollment/your co-op/externship paperwork for the term(s) you are requesting CPT:
Allow 10 business days for ISSS processing (you may not begin your CPT until you have been approved). Do NOT email requesting an expedited approval.
Required Documents:
- Job Offer Letter that meets all requirements noted in Step 1.
- You may upload an addendum to the offer letter, job description, or additional email confirmation to meet the requirements as long as you have an official job offer letter.
- Proof of Course Enrollment(s)/Co-op/Externship Permission Form. To get the correct course enrollment screenshot, go to SPIRE>Manage Classes>View My Classes>Printable page. Save this as a .pdf or .jpeg to upload to the E-Form. Co-op and externship students need to upload their approval paperwork.
- You must remain enrolled in this course for the duration of your CPT. Withdrawal may be considered a violation that could jeopardize your immigration status.
- Approved Experiential Learning Request from the Career Development Hub. To access the approved Experiential Learning Request PDF
- Log in to your student account on SPIRE.
- Click on the Academics Tile.
- Under the Forms and Academic Requests tab, choose Experiential Learning Request at the bottom.
- Click on the record related to your internship. If you have multiple records, your most recent record is at the bottom.
- Click "Open Printable View" at the bottom of the form.
- Click "Print this page" at the top
If you are missing any of the items above, your CPT request will be delayed. You may not begin working until your CPT is approved and your CPT I-20 has been issued. ISSS processes CPT requests in the order received and cannot expedite requests.
Extension Request
During your internship, your company may request that you extend your time with them. If this occurs and your academic program agrees it is necessary, you need a CPT extension authorized by ISSS (remember CPT is date, location, and company specific). You can only work up to the authorized date on your CPT I-20.
During your internship, your company may request that you extend your time with them. If this occurs and your academic program agrees it is necessary, you need a CPT extension authorized by ISSS (remember CPT is date, location, and company specific). You can only work up to the authorized date on your CPT I-20.
Determine which process you need to follow:
- You are extending your CPT in the current term only.
- For example, your internship was originally supposed to end on March 15, but you are extending to April 20, which is still in the spring term. Since your new CPT end date is still within the same term and you have an associated CPT credit, you do not need to enroll in more credit but must request a CPT extension. Follow the process below:
- Get an updated offer letter with the new end date. It should meet the requirements listed above in CPT Application Steps.
- Request that your existing Experiential Learning Request is updated with the new end date.
- Submit a CPT request with your updated documents. Your academic advisor will receive an email requesting confirmation that the extension is appropriate. Once approved by your academic advisor, it will enter ISSS processing queue; it may take up to 10 business days for a CPT I-20 extension and you may need to stop working during this time. You will receive an email once your updated CPT I-20 is ready.
- For example, your internship was originally supposed to end on March 15, but you are extending to April 20, which is still in the spring term. Since your new CPT end date is still within the same term and you have an associated CPT credit, you do not need to enroll in more credit but must request a CPT extension. Follow the process below:
- You are extending your CPT into the next academic term.
- Get an updated offer letter with the new end date. It should meet the requirements listed above in CPT Application Steps.
- Update your existing Experiential Learning Request and request a new one for the new term.
- Enroll in credit for the new term.
- Submit a CPT request. Your academic advisor will receive an email requesting confirmation that the extension is appropriate. Once approved by your academic advisor, it will enter ISSS processing queue; it may take up to 10 business days for a CPT I-20 extension. You may need to stop working during this time if your prior CPT authorization has ended. You will receive an email once your updated CPT I-20 is ready.
CPT Request E-Forms
Allow 10 business days for ISSS processing (you may need to stop working to wait for your CPT extension approval). Do NOT email requesting an expedited approval.