Applying for CPT

Step 1: Meet with your academic/program advisor

Meet with your advisor to discuss if and how your proposed employment might be integral to your major/academic program. Be sure to review the CPT eligibility requirements.

Note: Mason School of Business, Law School, and Washington Office Programs students, please refer to the Business, Law, and Washington Office Programs CPT Procedures page for additional information.

Step 2: Obtain a job offer letter

Once offered a job, get written confirmation from the prospective employer. The job offer letter must be on company letterhead or from an official company email account, and must include the following information:

• Job title
• A brief description of duties
  • i.e. describes the work you will be doing for the employer on CPT
• Location of work
  • If you will work remotely, the letter should include a physical address for your employer.
• Start and end dates of employment
• Number of hours of work per week (over 20 or under 20 hours/week).
  • If your internship will have periods of part-time (20 hours/week or less) and full-time employment (over 20 hours/week), the job offer letter must specify the dates for each period.

If some of the information is not included in the original offer letter or email, an email from the employer with the additional information is also acceptable.

Failure to submit a job offer letter/email (or supplemental documentation) that contains the required information can lead to a delay in processing your CPT request.

Step 3: Enroll in an appropriate CPT course

Make sure to enroll an appropriate course that fulfills the CPT requirements:

* Law students are required to enroll in a Fall CPT course for any internship/employment completed between May 15 – August 1. See this page for more details.

Graduate students in the thesis/dissertation phase of their program are not required to enroll in a CPT course.

Step 4: Submit CPT Application in iStart

• Submit your CPT Application at least two weeks before your employment begins. Submitting your application at the last minute does not guarantee that you will receive your CPT authorization quickly. 
• Before submitting your application, be sure your academic/program advisor is aware of your employment and CPT plans. They will receive an email with a link to an online form that they must complete before we can approve your CPT.
• If your employment will have periods of part-time (20 hours per week or less) and full-time (over 20 hours per week) work, you must submit two different CPT applications (one for the part-time period and another for the full-time period).

Step 5: Working on CPT

• The CPT work authorization will be noted on page 2 of your new I-20, and you will receive an email once it is ready.
• Do not begin working until your CPT is approved and you reach the start date listed on your I-20.
  • Working at a CPT position at any time outside the authorized CPT period (even for 1 day!) is a violation of F-1 status and your immigration record will be terminated. You may be required to leave the U.S. and your future employment eligibility (e.g., OPT) and academic program may be impacted. 
• If you wish to continue work beyond the expiration of your CPT, you must apply for an extension before it expires. CPT is NOT granted retroactively. See below for the CPT Extension process.

CPT Extensions

If you have been approved for CPT and wish to continue working for your employer past the current CPT end date, you must request a CPT extension from ISSP. 

To qualify for an extension:

• Your employment must have no significant changes (same duties, same company)
• You must continue to work full-time (more than 20 hours/week) if you were originally approved for full-time CPT.
• You must continue to work part-time (20 hours or less/week) if you were originally approved for part-time CPT.

If there are significant changes, you will need to submit a new CPT application instead of an extension.

Make sure to discuss your CPT extension with your academic/program advisor before submitting your CPT extension request. This should be the same advisor who approved your original CPT, unless there is a valid reason why they cannot approve the extension.

When requesting an extension, you must also provide an updated job offer letter/email from your employer that contains the following information:

• A confirmation that the position (duties, location, etc.) remains the same
• Your new requested CPT end date (month/day/year)
• A reference to the number of hours per week you will work (under 20 hours or over 20 hours)

To apply for a CPT extension:

• Login to iStart using your W&M ID and Password.
• Click on F-1 Practical Training in the menu on the left-hand side.
• Click on Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and complete the CPT Date Change Form (iStart)

You must be approved for an extension before working past your original CPT end date!