Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

CPT is a type of work authorization for eligible F-1 international students to participate in paid off-campus internships before graduation. However, it should not prevent the student from making reasonable progress towards the degree. The Office of International Services (OIS) provides additional information on their website that all graduate students should also be aware of.

International students should review the following CPT information prior to applying for CPT.

View Understanding CPT Slide DeckMS and PhD Students View Understanding CPT PresentationMS and PhD Students

Eligibility Requirements

Time at USC

Maintained full-time F-1 student status for at least one academic year.
If you attended undergraduate or Master's programs at a U.S. Institution, you may be eligible for CPT earlier.
Please see a VASE advisor in OHE-106 and OIS CPT Website for more information.

Graduate GPA

Minimum GPA requirement to apply for a CPT:
Fall/Spring CPT: 3.0 +
Summer CPT: 2.75+

Online Training

Master's Students Only

Master's students must complete the Career Success Path (CPT Requirement) in the Experience Viterbi App via the link below:

Career Success Path

Progressive Degree Program (PDP)

Students are waived out of the Online Training requirement.

PhD Students

CPT cannot be approved for a PhD student who has applied or is planning to apply for a program extension unless the CPT directly supports research or writing the dissertation. In which case, you MUST upload a written explanation from your advisor along with your offer letter. Applications submitted without this document will be denied.

Student That Have

Fulfilled Degree Requirements

You may be eligible to take an internship with a 3/4 unit course enrollment in your final semester before your I-20 end date. Internships are not an acceptable reason for a Program Extension.

CPT Application Process

Receive an Offer

The Offer Letter required for CPT approval must feature the company’s letterhead. Job must be related to student’s major. The information given below must be included in the body of the letter. If any information is missing, the offer letter will be rejected by VASE. See this Sample CPT Letter as a guide – feel free to share this with your company if they have questions.

Student’s full name
Location where the student will work – Address in the letterhead is insufficient. Work location address must be in the body of the letter.
Job description – This is a description of what you’re doing on the job and is more than just your title
Hours per week to be worked – Must state the number of hours per week (e.g. “40”, “15-20”, “thirty”, etc.
Beginning and ending dates of the internship – Time frame must adhere to the specific dates listed in the chart above
Salary information – Required for PhD students. This can be given as either an hourly rate or for a contract period.

Complete the Career Success Path (Master's Students Only)

Determine Correct Course

Degree(Major)	First Internship	Future Internship
MS (CS/ECE)	ENGR 597 (0.5 units)	ENGR 596 or ENGR 598 (0 units)
MS (other)	ENGR 596 (1 unit)	ENGR 596 or ENGR 597
MS (other)	ENGR 597 (0.5 units)	ENGR 596 or ENGR 598 (0 units)
PhD	ENGR 596 (1 unit)	ENGR 596

ENGR 596: Locate a full-time faculty member in your major department who is willing to supervise you for ENGR 596. It is your responsibility to select a professor who is available to supervise the CPT.
- Complete the CPT ENGR 596 Approval Application online at MyViterbi – this must include your job description.
- Log in then select “Directed Research CPT”
ENGR 597: Master’s students in Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering should take ENGR 597 for your first internship if you have not completed ENGR 595a for 1 unit. You will concurrently gain practical work experience in an internship and participate in class to develop your communication skills. If you completed ENGR 595a for 0 unit, you will not be required to complete the communications portion of ENGR 597.
- Computer Science and Electrical & Computer Engineering Master’s students must successfully complete the Professional Writing and Communication for Internships course. This can be completed as CSCI 598 (1 unit), ENGR-595a (1 unit), ENGR-595a (0 unit) or ENGR 597 (0.5 unit).
- ENGR 597 cannot be repeated.
ENGR 598: ENGR 598 (0 unit) is only available to Master’s students who have successfully completed ENGR-595a for 1 unit or ENGR 597 for 0.5 unit.

Complete CPT Request Form

VASE Review

OIS Review & Approval

Additional Information

Dates and Deadlines

CPTs cannot start before or end after the posted dates below.

	FALL 2019	SPRING 2020	SUMMER 2020
Application Start Date	July 8, 2019	Oct.31, 2019	March 10, 2020
Application Deadline	First Deadline: Sep. 13 Final Deadline: Oct. 15	First Deadline: Jan. 31 Final Deadline: Mar. 4	First Deadline: June 5 Final Deadline: July 8
Internship duration: (If it is your final semester)	Aug. 26 – Dec. 18	Jan. 13– May 15	May 18 – Aug. 11
Internship duration: (If it is NOT your final semester)	Aug. 26 – Jan. 12	Jan. 13 – May 15	May 18 – Aug. 21
Deadline to submit final report	Check with Faculty Supervisor	Check with Faculty Supervisor	Check with Faculty Supervisor

Important Notes About Internship Courses

Some friendly reminders regarding your CPT…

Follow internship course syllabus and contact the VASE office for your questions regarding the internship course.
Remove your application from any pending recruiting processes.
If you cannot continue the internship, please contact the VASE office as soon as possible.
Students must register for an internship course during the semester they wish to do an internship and obtain CPT.
Receiving a failing grade (no credit) from ENGR 596, 597 or 595b will result in ineligibility for future CPTs.
Program Extensions will not be approved if reason is attributed to 0.5 unit deficiency.

Sample Course Syllabi

Volunteer Internships

Volunteer internships are unpaid internships that do not require a formal CPT to be filed. It is recommended that you review the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Fact Sheet #71. This fact sheet provides general information to help determine whether interns and students working for “for-profit” employers are entitled to minimum wages and overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

If the volunteer internship does not satisfy DOL rules regarding volunteer work, then the work is “employment.” In this case, an international student can engage in the internship only if he/she/they has proper work authorization. If the student engages in work that does not satisfy DOL rules regarding volunteer work, and does so without proper work authorization, the student is engaging in unauthorized employment and is out of status, even if the student receives no pay.

If you are engaging in bona fide volunteer activity, we advise you to get documentation from the organization explaining the nature of your work. You should keep this with your other immigration records.

If you would like to receive internship credit for a volunteer internship, please follow the steps outlined in the CPT Application Process.

Other Resources

Hours and Location of Employment

If it’s your final semester, you can work full-time if your course enrollment is no more than 4 credits (not including CPT credit). 10-20 hours per week is considered part-time and 21-40 per week is considered full-time.

Full-time CPT (1 class and 1 internship class)
Part-time CPT

If it’s NOT your final semester, you can only work part-time with full-time course enrollment

Full-time CPT
Part-time CPT (full-time class enrollment)

**Students cannot take academic difficulty RCL with CPT simultaneously.

Location:

Work must be in the L.A area if your class enrollment is more than 4 credits.
Remote CPTs are not allowed. Exceptions are made for MS students who are continuing with the same company from a prior CPT experience.
PhD students must have passed the Qualifying Examination and be enrolled in Dissertation units in order to work outside the Los Angeles area during the Fall and Spring Semesters, or to be eligible for full-time CPT.
PhD students cannot hold a 50% assistantship during the Fall or Spring semesters and be approved for CPT.

During summer semester, you can work on both part-time and full-time internships in the U.S.

Full Time CPT
Part Time CPT

Location:

Within the U.S.
Remote CPTs are not typically allowed. However, exceptions for Summer 2020 have been made in light of impacts on business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.*
PhD students must have passed the Qualifying Examination and be enrolled in Dissertation units in order to work outside the Los Angeles area during the Fall and Spring Semesters, or to be eligible for full-time CPT.
PhD students cannot hold a 50% assistantship during the Fall or Spring semesters, and be approved for CPT unless eligible for full-time CPT.

*CPT authorization is intended to facilitate off-campus opportunities that resemble classroom instruction. A key characteristic of such an experience is a supervisory relationship, consisting of regular assignment and evaluation of deliverables. Practical Training also implies meaningful immersion in a professional environment. Students who request CPT for remote positions in summer 2020 should keep detailed documentation establishing:

the existence of a supervisory relationship throughout their period of authorization, and
how they achieved professional immersion despite working remotely.

To ensure a rewarding internship experience and earn academic credit for your internship course, internships must be:

At least 12 weeks during Fall and Spring, 10 weeks during Summer.
A minimum of 10 hours per week.

Due to the economic impact of COVID-19, some employers have reduced the internship duration below the minimum number of weeks. Internships less than 10 – 12 weeks may be considered on a case-by-case basis for Summer 2020.