Curricular Practical Training

• You must be maintaining valid F-1 status.
• You must have completed at least two semesters of full-time study in the United States in valid non-immigrant status.
  • Time spent in the United States studying full-time in a non-immigrant status other than F-1 may qualify if you have maintained a non-immigrant status that permits full-time study and you have been approved for a change of status with USCIS to F-1 at the time you plan to begin CPT.
  • If you have departed from the United States to obtain the F-1 visa and return on an initial I-20, you must complete the two semesters before you qualify for CPT.
• The employment must be related to your field of study.
• The employment can be paid or unpaid.
• CPT can be authorized for part-time (20 hours or less per week) or full-time (more than 20 hours per week).

• Check with your academic department to find out whether your program's internship policy permits you to complete an internship.
• Find an off-campus position related to your field of study.
• Submit the ELA.
  1. Go to Handshake and log in with your Net ID and the password you use for MyNewSchool.
  2. Click Experiential Learning.
  3. Click the New Experience button at the top of the page on the right.
  4. Fill out the ELA with your internship/off-campus work information.
  5. Click Save (note that doing this will not submit your ELA)
  6. Click Submit for Approval (top right) after reviewing your information.

• Experience will initially review your ELA to ensure it meets your degree program’s internship policies. If approved, it will be sent to your supervisor at the hiring company or organization. 
• ISSS will do a preliminary review to determine if you are CPT eligible.
• The supervisor at your company or organization will receive an email with instructions for reviewing your ELA. If approved, it will be sent back to Experience to initiate internship/off-campus work registration. 
• The Registrar will register your internship/off-campus work as a course in the New School system. CPT authorization must end at the end of the semester. See the New School Academic Calendar for semester end dates.
• Experience will then approve your ELA on Handshake and send a “letter of credit” to confirm your registration.
• ISSS will receive a final approval from Experience regarding your ELA and will authorize your CPT. You will then receive an email with a link to your updated I-20 with CPT work authorization. 

• Once your ELA is approved and your internship is registered on MyNewSchool, your CPT will be processed. Typically this process can take up to two weeks to complete from the date when you submit the ELA to the date when CPT is authorized. 

  Because the New School has recently transitioned to a new ELA platform, Handshake, as of August 15, 2024, please allow additional time to process your ELA for CPT authorization.

  If you need a Social Security number for this internship/off-campus work experience, you will need to apply for one with Social Security Administration (SSA). Please see the ISSS SSN website for details of how to apply for an SSN for CPT. If you have been issued a SSN for a past experience, you do not need to apply for a new number.

CPT is job-specific employment authorization. You need to be offered employment in order to complete the ELA. If you change employers, you must submit a new ELA in order to be authorized for the new employer.

If you participate in 12 months or more of full-time CPT (21 hours or more a week), you become ineligible for OPT.

You must submit a new ELA for every semester you would like to participate in an employment opportunity. An ELA must be submitted for each semester even if you are participating in the same job two semesters in a row.

If you are traveling outside of the United States around the time when you submit the ELA, please inform Experience of your travel plans at [email protected].

Off-campus work and internships must be approved through The New School; students may not receive authorization to work off campus or intern in any other way. F-1 students must never accept pay or compensation in any form without the proper authorization.

Unauthorized internships can affect OPT applications, change of status applications, other visa applications, and/or any application with USCIS. International students who are not eligible for CPT will not be able to register for the internship course.

For questions about your F-1 status, please email [email protected] or visit the ISSS office during drop-in hours.