To work off campus in an internship, all international students must obtain proper work authorization, called Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and be registered for academic credit corresponding with the internship concentration.
All students in F-1 Visa status must be present in the U.S. for nine months before participating in an internship.
Undergraduate students must have junior status before participating in an internship.
MBA students are required to complete the entire first year of their program before participating in an internship.
International students in the School of Management are limited to a maximum of two CPT requests.
Steps Required to Obtain CPT
International studentsare permitted to begin an internship only after CPT is fully authorized and a new I-20 has been issued. Our program is the first step in this process for international students in the School of Management.
Report your internship to the Credit-Bearing Internship Program (CBIP) using BizLink.
CBIP staff will contact your internship supervisor and request a formal offer letter along with our signed Management by Objectives Contract (MBO).
After receiving the documents noted above, CBIP will complete your academic registration and write an advisor letter requesting CPT.
You will pick up the proof of registration and the advisor letter from our office and walk it over to the ISSS to submit.
ISSS will process your CPT request (allow 3 - 5 days) and you will be issued a new I-20.
Important Notes
You can earn money and credit at the same time if an internship is paid.
MBA students are not allowed to participate in internships that will cause their total number of credit hours to exceed 18 in a given semester.
MBA students waived from the internship requirement must void their internship waiver through CBIP and follow steps 1 - 5 above in order to legally participate in an internship.
Alumni: after graduation, alumni cannot earn credit for internships and may not participate in internships found in our BizLink system.
Timing of CPT
International students must secure an internship before the CPT request is made. Our program works closely with International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) to enable work authorization for internships. See our Earn Credit page for details.
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