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Office of International Student Services

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

  • International students must consult their academic adviser before engaging in an internship, externship, or practicum, known in immigration terms as "curricular practical training" or "CPT."
  • The training must be required in order to obtain the degree, or required for a particular course or track. The information outlined below must be provided by the academic adviser to the Office of International Student Services (OISS).
  • If the student will receive compensation (wages, stipends, or any kind of remuneration), the student must contact the OISS for further instructions.
  • Undergraduate students may not engage in CPT until they have been enrolled on a full-time basis in a US Department of Homeland Security-approved college, university, conservatory or seminary for one full academic year.

Important information about volunteering:

Do not confuse "volunteer services" with an unpaid internship. A volunteer is an individual who performs hours of service for a public agency for charitable or humanitarian reasons, without promise or expectation of compensation.

Do not offer services for free if those services are normally associated with a paid position. If you accept an unpaid position, it must be unpaid for anyone, regardless of citizenship and visa status.

Pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (a federal law which establishes the minimum wages for work performed) the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has developed six criteria for differentiating between an employee entitled to minimum wage or above and a learner/trainee who may be unpaid. The criteria for learner/trainee are:

  1. The training, even though it includes actual operations of the facilities of the employers, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school.
  2. The training is for the benefit of the student.
  3. The student does not displace a regular employee, but works under the close observation of a regular employee or supervisor.
  4. The employer provides the training and derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the student; and on occasion, the operations may actually be impeded by the training.
  5. The student is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period.
  6. The employer and the student understand that the student is not entitled to wages for the time spent training.

Important tax information:

You must let your employer know that income taxes must be withheld from your pay. If you are a "nonresident" for taxes purposes (for the first five years in F-1 status you may be considered a nonresident for tax purposes) you do not have to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes.

Required CPT information:

Ask your academic advisor, program administrator, or internship coordinator to send the following information to .

Subject line: "CPT – Student's Last Name"

  • Student's name & CWID
  • Student's degree program and date of expected program completion date
  • Course number for which this CPT will fulfill requirements
  • The term during which the student is registered for this course
  • The number of course credits that will be awarded
  • Name and address of the internship site
  • CPT start date (month/day/year) and end date (month/day/year). If these dates do not coincide with the term start and end dates, please explain.
  • The number of hours per week the student will work
  • Payment status (unpaid or paid?)

For More information:

United States Code of Federal Regulations, Title 8, Sec. 214.2(f)(10)(i)


www.ssa.gov


www.irs.gov

OISS - Pepperdine University - August 15, 2011