CPT Special Considerations

Compensation is NOT a consideration when determining if an opportunity qualifies as CPT
CPT and employment CANNOT interfere with your requirement to make normal progress towards completing full course of study
CPT may be authorized for either PART Time or FULL Time
- Part Time CPT is authorized for 20 hours a week or less
- Full Time CPT is authorized for 21 hours a week or more (there is no maximum)
- If 365 days of FULL Time CPT are used, OPT eligibility is lost
Full Time CPT participants may choose not to enroll in any additional courses or take less than a full course load for 1 semester per academic program
- eligibility to be less than full time MUST be discussed with an ISSS advisor in advance
Required CPT may be authorized for 1 year at a time, IF the one year requirement is clearly stated by the program as a requirement for graduation
Transfer out of KSU ends your authorized CPT on the date of your SEVIS transfer
Some on-campus internships require CPT authorization (if you are receiving academic credit for the experience, you will likely require CPT)

Elective CPT may be authorized for students in programs that do not have internships as a mandatory part of the curriculum for the purposes of graduating or completing the degree
Elective CPT is NOT permitted once you have met all of your program requirements -- You cannot delay graduation simply to participate in optional CPT
Elective CPT must be authorized for one semester at a time AND you must be enrolled in one of the following:
- internship course
- cooperative course (visit the Cooperative Education webpage for more information)
Elective CPT for graduate students may also be approved for CPT with thesis/dissertation courses. However, the practical training experience must be integral to the thesis or dissertation.
Semester dates for Elective CPT are:

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