Employment Options

International students are bound by the general restriction on employment stated by U.S. federal regulation 8 C.F.R. § 214.1(e): "A nonimmigrant who is permitted to engage in employment may engage only in such employment as has been authorized. Any unauthorized employment by a nonimmigrant constitutes a failure to maintain status..." . Following are the employment options for F-1 students.  

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY NEWARK POLICY FOR CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING (CPT)

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) enables F-1 students to engage in employment as “an integral part of an established curriculum”, including: “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.” “Integral part of an established curriculum” means a training opportunity must be required by the curriculum or, if not required, the student must receive credit for the training.

The Academic Units (colleges, schools or academic departments) determine whether to incorporate practical training into the curriculum and stipulate when students may pursue practical training. For required CPT, the academic program mandates the practical training experience in the field of study. For non-required CPT, the practical training must be directly related to the field of study and correspond with a course in the curriculum listed in the regular catalog.  CPT is available only PRIOR TO completion of the academic program. CPT employment may NOT delay completion of the academic program. F-1 students on programs that do not have the option of practical training for credit are not eligible for CPT. Not all programs give credit for practical training or allow for paid practical training. Students in the English language training program are not eligible for practical training.

Employment Evaluation for CPT:

Academic Deans/Chairs/ Graduate Program Directors/Undergraduate Academic Advisors determine if an employment offer qualifies for internship, cooperative education, research or independent study, how many credits can be granted for the practical training and how many semesters/summers a student may be approved to engage in it.
OISS is not involved in making the academic decisions above. OISS will only issue CPT work authorization on the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) AFTER receiving the academic approval in writing.

Student Eligibility:

An F-1 student who meets the following criteria is eligible for CPT:

• Must be matriculated in an academic program at Rutgers University Newark and be in good academic standing;
• Has been lawfully enrolled at Rutgers or another U.S. college, university, conservatory, or seminary for one full academic year, except an English language training program, before engaging in CPT, i.e. two full consecutive terms: Fall & Spring OR Spring & Fall; summer sessions are not counted. If any graduate program curriculum requires ALL the students enrolled in the same program immediate participation in curricular practical training, F-1 students may be exempt from the one academic year requirement.  
• Is in lawful F-1 status at the time of applying for CPT (interruptions in lawful F-1 status during the prior academic year may affect the one year waiting period);  
• Has a paid or unpaid employment offer qualified for curriculum practical training; and
• Is approved to register in a corresponding course for the practical training that will appear on the transcript of the semester/summer during which the practical training is engaged.

Part-Time CPT versus Full-Time CPT: 

Unless curriculum requires otherwise, an F-1 student may be authorized for Part Time CPT ONLY to engage in employment for 20 hours or less per week during the Fall and Spring semesters when full-time class registration is required.
An F-1 student may be authorized for Full-time CPT in the summer and winter sessions to engage in employment for more than 20 hours per week.
An F-1 student in the LAST semester with less than a full-time course load needed to complete a degree program may be authorized for Full-time CPT to engage in employment for more than 20 hours per week. 
A graduate student who has completed ALL course work, or is in the last semester to complete the course work which is a less than full-time load, AND is working on a dissertation or thesis, may be authorized for full-time CPT with the Graduate Program Director’ written support, which has to state that the full-time CPT is necessary for the student to complete the dissertation or thesis.

Students who have received one year or more of full time curricular practical training are ineligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT) at the same educational level.  Part-time CPT does not affect eligibility for OPT.

Authorization Dates versus Class Registration Dates:

Unless curriculum requires otherwise, the beginning and ending dates authorized for CPT should be within or coincide approximately with the beginning and ending dates of the same semester/summer when the F-1 student is registered in a corresponding course for the CPT (internship, independent study, matriculation continued, etc.).  

Authorization Procedure:  

1. Student consults OISS for eligibility regarding F-1 status;
2. Student consults Academic Department for academic eligibility before obtaining job offer;
3. Student obtains official job offer letter stating employer contact information, responsibility, pay rate, beginning and ending dates (must be in future) and working hours per week;
4. Student gets CPT Employer Agreement completed and signed by employer;
5. Student submits completed CPT Application Form, Employer Agreement and job offer letter to Academic Dean/Chair/ Graduate Program Director/Undergraduate Academic Advisor for evaluation and approval;
6. Student is registered in a corresponding course for the practical training that will appear on the transcript; for summer registration, student should attach proof of tuition payment to avoid automatic deregistration due to non-payment. 
7. AFTER registration, student submits approved CPT Application, Employer Agreement , Job Offer Letter and summer tuition payment receipt to OISS;
8. OISS processes CPT authorization on SEVIS and issues new I-20 that bears CPT dates, employer info and statement of CPT as an integral part of the curriculum;
9. Student may ONLY start working AFTER new I-20 is issued.
10. Student receives grade/credit for CPT on transcript to be granted by Academic Department.  

Complete CPT Application Packet:    

• CPT Application Checklist
• CPT Application Form
• Employer Agreement
• Job Offer Letter 
• Summer class tuition payment proof if charged 

Failure to Comply with Regulations:

It is your OWN PERSONAL responsibility to comply with all immigration regulations which apply to F-1 students, including employment regulations. Working without the proper authorization is a serious violation of your nonimmigrant status in the US. If you fail to comply with your responsibilities, you may not be eligible for benefits normally granted to F-1 students and may jeopardize your stay in the US. Prior to accepting any employment in the U.S,, we advise you to consult with OISS.

- Adopted December 2012