Graduate Student Cpt Coop Appplication Form printable pdf download

UH  Office of International Student and Scholar Services  University Center North in Room 203  Houston, TX 77204-3024  (713) 743-5065

F-1 Graduate Student

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Application

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) allows eligible and authorized F-1 students to participate in practical

training that is an “integral part of an established curriculum.” The Coop program has been an integral

Description

part of the UH curriculum for many years. The employment must be directly related to your major field of

study.

1. Required practicum or internship course taken for course credit.

3 Types of CPT for

2. Required research for thesis/dissertation (i.e. essential to completion of thesis or dissertation).

Graduate Students

3. CPT COOP (i.e. Cooperative Education Program).

Students must have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis at a DHS approved school for one full

academic year before being eligible for CPT (i.e. fall and spring semesters). Students entering the United

States under a new SEVIS ID# must wait to complete one full academic year as a full-time student before

they are eligible to apply for CPT. An exception exists for graduate students whose programs require

Eligibility

immediate participation in CPT. It is only available for F-1 students who are in status and before

completion of all degree requirements. Once your degree is completed, all CPT must cease. Some

departments have restrictions for participating in COOP. OISSS will verify your eligibility after you submit

your CPT application.

Students may only engage in CPT for the specific employer and location and recorded on p. 2 of the I-

Location

20.

You may only work for the specific time period noted on p. 2 of your I-20. Time frames are usually

granted for one semester at a time. To qualify for summer COOP, you must be a continuing student and

Duration

show proof of registration for fall or summer. If you have been granted fall CPT and wish to work through

the Winter Break, request OISSS approval after registering for spring classes.

CPT can be approved for full-time (e.g. more than 20 hours a week) only during the summer and during

your final semester if you are authorized for a reduced course load or for full-time equivalency for SEVIS

Hours per week

reporting. You cannot be simultaneously registered for full-time hours and full-time CPT. Part-time

CPT (e.g. less than 20 per week) may be approved during the fall and spring semesters, but you must

be enrolled as a full-time student.

You must obtain a job offer letter that specifies the job title, responsibilities, number of hours per week

Offer of employment

and job location on company letterhead. The letter should state the start date and ending date if the

ending date is known.

Although there is no limit to the amount of full-time CPT, if you do CPT for 12 months or longer you will

no longer be eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT). We normally advise students to stop their

Effect on other work

participation in full-time CPT after completing 11 months. There is no limit to the amount of part-time

CPT a student can participate in (no impact on future OPT).

FOLLOW ALL THE STEPS ON THE APPLICATION SHEET AND BEFORE OBTAINING FINAL

Approval process

AUTHORIZATION, YOU MUST BE REGISTERED IN CLASSES FOR THE NEXT SEMESTER,

INCLUDING SUMMER, THAT YOU WILL BE ENROLLED.

Authorization by OISSS is the final step in the process after you submit the completed application to

OISSS. If you are eligible, you will be notified to pick up a new I-20 with a notation on p. 2 authorizing

Authorization

your employment. The beginning and ending dates and the name and address of the employer, whether

you are approved for full-time or part-time employment will all be found on p.2 of the I-20. Do not begin

working until the start date shown on your page 2 of the I-20!

Graduate Student Cpt Coop Appplication Form

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