Important CPT Update
Latest update on 9/4/2026: On and , 2026, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued guidance that significantly narrowed the circumstances under which designated school officials (DSO) in the Office of Global Services (OGS) may authorize CPT. Under this guidance, CPT must be a core and essential part of a student鈥檚 established curriculum and must be required for all students to complete the degree. Enrollment in an optional internship, practicum, field-study, or experiential-learning course is not, by itself, sufficient to establish CPT eligibility. 杏吧原创 Tech is carefully following SEVP鈥檚 direction and reviewing its CPT policies and procedures accordingly. At this time, the university has paused CPT application processing for degree programs that do not include a mandatory practical training component as part of the degree completion requirements.
CPT Workshops
Previous CPT Workshop Recordings
Eligibility For CPT
- You must have been in lawful full-time F-1 status for at least one academic year in a degree-seeking program.
- You must be in good academic standing: undergraduates 2.25 grade-point average (GPA), graduate students a 3.0 GPA minimum. Note: Some departments may require a higher GPA. Students on academic probation will not be able to pursue or continue in the co-op/internship programs.
- The employment offer must be related directly to your major field of study as listed on the I-20.
- To apply for CPT, you must work with your academic department, Career Services(EL), or the Career Management Center for initial approvals. Chicago-Kent, Institute of Design, and Psychology students must work directly with the academic units and the OGS. Final approval will be in the form of an updated I-20 issued by the Office of Global Services (OGS).
- Authorization period and time restrictions:
- Work authorization is granted by the academic terms (fall, spring, or summer); each term requires a new application or renewal. If approved, the I-20 will list the employer information, start date, end date, and approval to work either full-time (more than 20 hrs/week) or part-time (under 20 hrs/week).
- Enrollment requirements:
- Students enrolled in an internship during a required term (fall/spring) must be enrolled in 12 undergraduate or nine graduate credits of coursework/research in addition to the internship credits.
- If you are enrolling in an internship during your last term, you must also be enrolled in at least one live course.
Application Procedure
Please follow the general guidelines below for CPT I-20 approval:
- Work with your academic department, Career Services(EL) or the Career Management Center for initial approvals. Chicago-Kent, Institute of Design, and Psychology students must work directly with the academic units and the OGS.
- Submit a "Curricular Practical Training (CPT)" request within the . Please note, the required CPT Form must be completed and ready to upload when submitting the request in the portal. It is also required to be properly registered for the internship course associated with your CPT application before submitting the CPT request on the ISSS portal.
- The OGS's estimated processing time for CPT requests is 10 business days. This is a strict timeline as we cannot accommodate expedited requests at this time. Please note, students who do not follow the Key Deadlines below will not receive their I-20 in a timely manner.
- Receive the new CPT I-20 from the OGS and may begin working from the approved start date listed on the I-20.
Key Deadlines
At this time, the university has paused CPT application processing for degree programs that do not include a mandatory practical training component as part of the degree completion requirements."
CPT Forms
Please download the correct CPT Form below that matches with your major/school. The student will need to complete the form with all required signatures in order to upload within the "Curricular Practical Training (CPT)" request for submission in the .
- F-1 CPT Chicago-Kent
- F-1 CPT Form for Stuart School of Business will be generated by CMC after the Symplicity Application
Loss or Changes in Employment
- If employment has been terminated or work details have been changed by your employer, you are required to notify the Experiential Learning Office (explearning@illinoistech.edu) and the OGS (global@illinoistech.edu) within 10 days of the change. Once Curricular Practical Training (CPT) has been authorized to you, and if the start and end dates of the authorization have passed, the OGS cannot backdate your authorized dates. The SEVIS system does not allow us to do so.