CPT (F-1 Students)

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a benefit of F-1 immigration status that permits off-campus employment which is an integral part of an established curriculum or which is required for graduation for all students in a particular educational program.

CPT is typically authorized to allow a student to complete an internship, practicum or field experience that is necessary for degree completion or that will help the student satisfy the academic objectives of the program. Students in F-1 status are not eligible to begin any type of off-campus employment, whether it is paid or unpaid, without prior authorization.

Employment is a “benefit” and available only to students who maintain valid F-1 status prior to the application and through the duration of authorized employment.

General Eligibility Criteria

Students must be in valid F-1 status at the time of application.
The student must be in good academic standing with UNC-Chapel Hill to be eligible for CPT. Students who are currently on a leave of absence or who are academically ineligible to continue their academic program are not eligible for CPT.
The student must have been lawfully enrolled full-time for at least one full academic year (9 months) with the exception of graduate students enrolled in programs that require participation in training prior to the completion of one full academic year.
The internship or practicum must be an integral part of an established curriculum and either:
- required for graduation by all students in a particular educational program OR
- required by a course offered in the student’s program (in the student’s major field of study), in which the student will receive academic credit.
- For doctoral students only: be required to complete their dissertation research. Student must be advanced to candidacy.

Internship course requirements

If CPT authorization is based on a course, the student must enroll in the internship or practicum course during the term in which they plan to complete the training. The period of CPT authorization cannot extend beyond the dates of the semester that the student registers for the course. For example, CPT for a summer internship can only begin after the completion of the spring semester and must end before classes start for the following fall semester.

Qualifying curricular practical training courses MUST:

carry academic credit that will be applied towards graduation requirements.
be listed in the school’s regular bulletin of course offerings.
have a faculty member assigned to supervise the course.
be clearly designated as an internship or practicum course either in the course title or course description.
be in the student’s major field of study

NOTE: It is particularly important that any employment experience required by the course be instrumental to achieving a curricular academic objective.

The following courses do NOT qualify for CPT authorization:

Independent study courses.
Internship courses offered within a student’s minor.
Doctoral level internship courses when the student has been advanced to candidacy. Ph.D. students are typically INELIGIBLE for CPT if they have completed all requirements for the degree and are advanced to candidacy by the Graduate School. These students may be eligible for CPT in rare cases where the employment experience is absolutely essential to the completion of thesis or dissertation research.

Other important guidelines to consider about CPT

ISSS will authorize CPT only for periods beginning and ending prior to completion of the student’s course of study.
CPT will be approved for one semester at a time; should the student need to participate in an internship or practicum longer in duration than one semester, the student must reapply for another separate CPT authorization for an additional semester.
Students who do not qualify for CPT can look at information regarding Optional Practical Training (OPT) as another option for off-campus employment authorization.
Training can be authorized either part-time or full-time according to the following scenarios:
- Part-time training: Employment for 20 hours or less per week. Students who are enrolled for classes can only be approved for part time CPT. The student must be simultaneously enrolled and careful to limit work to no more than 20 hours per week in order to maintain lawful F-1 status.
- Full-time training: Employment for more than 20 hours per week. In general, students are eligible for full-time CPT during the school’s annual vacation (summer) if the student intends to register for the next semester.
Students are ineligible for OPT if authorized for more than 12 months of full-time CPT at the same education level. The amount of time authorized for part-time CPT does not impact a student’s eligibility for other practical training benefits such as Optional Practical Training (OPT).

F-1 Exchange Students and other non-degree students at UNC-Chapel Hill are not eligible for CPT.

CPT applications must be submitted through the ISSS Portal. Review of CPT requests may take up to 2-3 weeks, so students should plan accordingly.

Students may not begin employment until the CPT has been approved in SEVIS and a new Form I-20 has been issued.

CPT approval and issuance of your new Form I-20 may take longer if the submitted request is incomplete. Students should review the below information about required documents and application procedures prior to submitting a request. If you have any questions, please contact your International Student Advisor.

If you are an undergraduate student, you will need to have the following documents ready before submitting a CPT Request:

Internship/practicum course syllabus for the appropriate term

NOTE: CPT will not be approved until your enrollment in this class is reflected in ConnectCarolina.

Letter from internship employer/organization signed and on letterhead with ALL of the following details included in the body of the letter:
- brief job description
- beginning and ending dates of employment
- number of hours per week of employment
- full address of location of employment (letter must specify if internship is remote/virtual)
Most Recent Form I-94, which may be retrieved at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov

To submit your CPT Request in the ISSS Portal, you will log in with your Onyen and password, navigate to F-1 Student Services and select CPT Request for Undergraduate Students. For detailed instructions, please reference the CPT Request Guide for Undergraduate Students.

As part of this request, you must indicate the name and email address of the following individuals:

The course instructor for the internship/practicum course in which you will be enrolled
Your academic advisor or appropriate academic program representative. Check the UNC Directory for the correct email address. This must be full-time Academic Advising staff in the appropriate college (e.g. Arts & Sciences, Kenan-Flagler Business School, School of Journalism, etc.).

To view a video regarding CPT rules and requirements click here.

If you are a graduate student, you will need to have the following documents ready before submitting a CPT Request:

Letter from internship employer/organization signed and on letterhead with ALL of the following details included in the body of the letter:
- brief job description
- beginning and ending dates of employment
- number of hours per week of employment
- full address of location of employment (letter must specify if internship is remote/virtual)
- NOTE: PhD students applying for CPT based on dissertation research must provide a letter from the employer indicating that the student will be allowed to utilize the internship/practicum experience in their dissertation.
Most Recent Form I-94, which may be retrieved at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov
Additional Supporting documentation as indicated below:
- If the internship is a degree requirement: Submit the requirement description from the department’s handbook and any other documentation outlining the requirement details (number of practicum hours needed, required prerequisites, etc.).
- If enrolling in an internship course: Submit a copy of the course syllabus for the appropriate term. NOTE: CPT will not be approved until your enrollment in this class is reflected in ConnectCarolina.
- If the internship is required for dissertation research (PhD students only): Submit a letter from your advisor on department letterhead that includes:
  - Description of student’s research
  - Explanation of student role at the internship site and how it is related to the field of study
  - Why the research must be done off-campus and cannot be completed at UNC
  - How the research is required for dissertation completion

To submit your CPT Request in the ISSS Portal, you will log in with your Onyen and password, navigate to F-1 Student Services and select CPT Request for Graduate Students.

For detailed instructions, please reference the CPT Request Guide for Graduate Students.

As part of this request, you must indicate the name and email address of your academic advisor or appropriate academic program representative. Check the UNC Directory for the correct email address. You will provide your academic/faculty advisor’s information unless you are applying based on completing dissertation research. In the latter case, you will input the name and email address of the program director/director of graduate studies for your department.

Reporting Requirements

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requires students to report changes in name or address to ISSS throughout a student’s stay in F-1 status, including periods of CPT. Failure to report these changes within 10 days of the change could be considered a violation of F-1 immigration status.

All updates to your residential address should be reported through the ISSS Portal. You will log in with your Onyen and password, navigate to View or Update my Information on the menu to the left, and click on “Update US Address and Phone”. For instructions on how to update this address, please see our Address update instructions page.

Updates to Employment

CPT is authorized for a specific time period, job, number of hours per week, and employer, as specified on the I-20 after authorization. Any changes to the details listed above must be approved in advance by ISSS.

Beginning a new program of study

Authorization for CPT is automatically terminated if the student officially transfers to another school or begins study at another educational level.

Enrollment Requirements

Students who are approved for CPT based on a course, must complete the course. Should the student fail to complete the course, the work permission for the employment period will be retroactively invalid. The internship would then be considered unauthorized employment, thereby violating the student’s F-1 immigration status in the U.S.

Students must maintain full-time enrollment at UNC to be eligible for CPT. In addition, those authorized for CPT during the summer must intend to enroll the following fall semester.