- International Students & Scholars
F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is an integral part of an established curriculum and available to F-1 students before they finish their degree.
Eligibility Requirements
Lawful, full-time enrollment for one academic year
CPT must occur before the program end date on your I-20.
Training/internship must:
- Be closely related to your major of study;
- Be an integral part of the curriculum; and
- Happen before you complete all your coursework.
If you are a graduate student and have completed all coursework, the internship needs to provide data essential to your thesis or dissertation that you cannot acquire elsewhere at Penn State.
- Students in English language programs are not eligible for practical training.
CPT falls into two categories:
Required for Your Degree
- If your academic program requires the employment, CPT does not need to be credit-bearing.
- You need to be enrolled full-time for a full academic year before you are eligible for CPT. However, this rule might be waived for some graduate students if their program requires practical training or work earlier.
Optional for Your Degree
- If a training opportunity is a key part of your program, you might be able to participate in CPT. You need to be enrolled in an internship class through your department for the semester or term when you are working at the internship.
- You must be registered full-time every fall and spring semester.
- If you have not finished all your coursework yet, you cannot request a Reduced Course Load just to participate in CPT.
- If you are collecting data from your CPT for a paper or thesis, you need to finish your CPT at least one month before the end of the semester to have time to incorporate your research into your academic work.
Eligibility Requirements
Lawful, full-time enrollment for one academic year
CPT must occur before the program end date on your I-20.
Training/internship must:
- Be closely related to your major of study;
- Be an integral part of the curriculum; and
- Happen before you complete all your coursework.
If you are a graduate student and have completed all coursework, the internship needs to provide data essential to your thesis or dissertation that you cannot acquire elsewhere at Penn State.
- Students in English language programs are not eligible for practical training.
CPT falls into two categories:
Required for Your Degree
- If your academic program requires the employment, CPT does not need to be credit-bearing.
- You need to be enrolled full-time for a full academic year before you are eligible for CPT. However, this rule might be waived for some graduate students if their program requires practical training or work earlier.
Optional for Your Degree
- If a training opportunity is a key part of your program, you might be able to participate in CPT. You need to be enrolled in an internship class through your department for the semester or term when you are working at the internship.
- You must be registered full-time every fall and spring semester.
- If you have not finished all your coursework yet, you cannot request a Reduced Course Load just to participate in CPT.
- If you are collecting data from your CPT for a paper or thesis, you need to finish your CPT at least one month before the end of the semester to have time to incorporate your research into your academic work.
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