International Student Services

CIAM authorizes Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for international students enrolled in an Experiential Internship Course (INT501 or INT599). CPT employment is defined as “alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other type of required internship or practicum that is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school.” To qualify, the work experience must be related to the student’s degree. Students can take a maximum of one INT course per term. These courses are zero unit courses and do not count towards the Full-Time Student requirement. CPT authorizations are not automatically renewed each term and students must apply or re-apply every term. 

To qualify for CPT:

• Be in valid F-1 immigration status for at least 1 year (International Student who are on a new I-20 have to wait until their 3rd term to take INT501).
  
• Be registered for two classes (full-time) at CIAM with good academic standing.
  
• Be enrolled in Experiential Internship course (INT501 or INT599).
  
• Secure a job offer related to the student's field of study.
  
• Submit the job offer letter and CPT application form to [email protected].
  
• Obtain CPT authorization from CIAM BEFORE beginning employment; authorization cannot be back-dated.
  
• You must reapply for CPT every term.

CPT can be paid or unpaid and can be part-time or fulltime as determined by the employer, but you must have worked for a total minimum of 45 hours at your job during the term to pass the Internship course. SEVP guidance states “compensation is not a consideration when determining whether an opportunity qualifies as CPT,” but federal and state labor and wage/hour laws do still apply. If a student has 12 months or more of full-time CPT, the student becomes ineligible for OPT. Engaging in part-time CPT (less than 20 hours of work per week) does not affect eligibility for post-completion OPT. 

PLEASE NOTE: You cannot lawfully begin employment until your DSO has approved your application and you have received an endorsement for Curricular Practical Training authorization on the second page of your new Form I-20. Questions regarding Curricular Practical Training or any form of employment should be addressed with your DSO. 

Additional Note: Students must continue to maintain attendance and a full course of study in F-1 status during the period of authorized CPT employment. If the student violates the attendance policy or drops below a 3.0 GPA, the student may be at risk of having his/her CPT cancelled. 

How to Apply for INT501 or INT599

In order to apply, students must register for INT501 or INT599 during course registration (you will be placed on the waitlist for the class) and send the following documents to [email protected] and [email protected]

• The Internship Application Form
  
• An employment letter (including the correct start date and end date, work location, job title/description, and hours per week)

Once approved, the student will be moved into the enrolled list for the appropriate course. 

Employment Letter: The Employment Offer Letter must be on original company letterhead that is signed by the student’s supervisor. It must include the following: 

• Name and address of employer
  
• Job Title and detailed job description
  
• Specific employment start date and end date
  
• Full-time or Part-time and the number of hours per week
  
• Supervisor’s name, title, and contact information

*Applications for CPT must be submitted at least one week before your projected start date. Applications are accepted for a term when Course Registration opens for that term, but must be submitted by the add/drop deadline. 

Once your application is reviewed, the DSO will notify you when your application has been approved or denied. Please allow up to 2 weeks to process the application and your new I-20. After the student’s CPT is processed onto his/her I-20, the DSO will contact them via phone or email. At that time, the student can request that it be mailed or schedule a date and time to pick up his/her updated I-20. 

**For the duration of COVID-19 all I-20s will be emailed or mailed directly to the student. In person pick-ups will be by appointment only**

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

International students in the U.S in valid F-1 immigration status are permitted to work off-campus in Optional Practical Training (OPT) status both during and after completion of their degree. According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), students may participate in OPT in two different ways:

• Pre-completion OPT: F-1 students may apply to participate in pre-completion OPT after they have been enrolled in school for one full academic year. Students authorized to participate in pre-completion OPT must work part-time while school is in session. They may work full time when school is not in session.
• Post-completion OPT: F-1 Students may apply to participate in post-completion OPT after completing their studies. Students authorized for post-completion OPT may work part-time (at least 20 hours per week) or full-time.

Rules established by USCIS govern the implementation of OPT, and all OPT employment requires prior authorization from USCIS and from CIAM. Students cannot begin employment until they receive their Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) from USCIS, AND have been enrolled for at least one year. However, students can start to submit their application for OPT up to 3 months ahead of time after only being enrolled for 9 months. Students also do not need to have a job offer to apply for OPT EAD card, and OPT employment can occur anywhere in the U.S. However, you may accumulate no more than 90 days of unemployment while on post completion OPT. Nonetheless, students are recommended to start early since USCIS takes up to 90 Days to process the application. Permission is based on maintaining lawful F-1 status. 

You may be authorized for a maximum of 12 months, for each level of education you complete. OPT time used before the completion of a program is deducted from the available 12-month period of post-completion OPT. Part-time work during pre-completion OPT will be deducted at half the fulltime rate. For instance, if the student works part time for 6 months, only 3 months will be taken from post-OPT and he/she can work full-time for up to 9 months after graduation. Time will be counted by weeks granted, not by hours worked. 

Eligibility Requirement

• Employment must be “directly related” to the student’s major (MBA in Executive Management with or without a concentration)
  
• Student must maintain lawful F-1 status
  
• Student must apply for OPT before completion of all work towards the MBA degree
  
• Students who have engaged 12 months or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training (CPT) are not eligible for OPT
  
• OPT is permitted for up to 12 months full-time in total.

Applying for OPT

You can file an application for Post-completion OPT as early as 90 days in advance of your completion date and up to 60 days after your completion date. We recommend that you file early, as it can take up to 90 days for an application to be approved. Your completion date is the last day of your last term at CiAM. Your completion date is located on your I-20. You may NOT continue to work on campus after your program completion date. Your OPT start date must fall within your 60-day grace period. It may be as early as the day after your program completion date or as late as 59 days after your program completion date. Since standard OPT is authorized for up to 12 months, your OPT end date would be exactly 12 months after your OPT start date. 

To begin your application for OPT, first contact [email protected] to receive the applications and set up your review appointment.