International Students CPT/ OPT

The Office of International Education (OIE) and the Career Center are excited to announce a new CPT Request process. Students will have the ability to initiate new CPT requests and CPT Update requests directly in iStart. This new process will go into effect for those requesting CPT for the spring 2025 term and the e-form will become available October 18, 2024. IMPORTANT NOTE: Students are still required to work with both offices to engage in experiential learning experiences, but students will now be responsible for requesting the CPT authorization from OIE via iStart.

Please find the new process outlined below:

1. Collect your employment offer letter and submit your request for internship or cooperative education experience online via CareerBuzz.

         a. Undergraduate students: Click here to review additional guidance, deadlines, and instructions.

         b. Graduate Students: Click here to review additional guidance, deadlines, and instructions.

2. Once the application in CareerBuzz is reviewed and approved by the Career Center, you will receive an approved placement email from the CareerBuzz (Symplicity) system. Please review your spam folder to see if this email was automatically sent to spam.

3. Once you receive the approved placement email, you will be eligible to log into iStart to complete your CPT Request e-form.

4. Once you submit the CPT Request e-form, it will be routed to the Career Center to verify the information you entered is accurate and aligns with the information entered in CareerBuzz. Once the Career Center completes their review of your request, the CPT request will be submitted to OIE.

       a. To check the status of your CPT request, you can log into iStart and review the e-form.

               i. If the status indicates “Routed to Third Party” this means that the request is still under review by the Career Center.

               ii. If the status indicates “Pending Office Approval” this means that the request has been completed by the Career Center and is                                awaiting review and processing from OIE.

5. Once OIE receives the completed request from you and the Career Center, you will receive an update from OIE within the processing time outlined on OIE’s website.

6. If your CPT Request is approved, OIE will issue you a new I-20 form with your CPT authorization. It will include your employer’s name, address, and the specific dates of employment you are authorized to work while on CPT. To view a sample of what the I-20 form should look like with CPT authorization, review OIE’s document guide website. Please review the I-20 form for accuracy. You can only work during the dates of employment authorized on the I-20 form and for the employer listed on the I-20 form. The I-20 form with the CPT authorization is proof of employment eligibility, which you must show to your new employer to complete the hiring process.

7. And once approved for CPT, you will be registered in the corresponding internship/Co-op credits. Remember, it is required that while participating in CPT, you be enrolled in internship/Co-op credits. It is your responsibility to ensure you have enough space in your schedule to allow for the addition of the Co-op or Internship credits in your schedule. If the additional credits will place you over the maximum hours permitted for the term, you will not be enrolled in the internship/co-op credits. Students who are not enrolled in internship/co-op credits are ineligible to participate in CPT.

As a reminder, F-1 students must receive approval from OIE for their CPT authorization and must wait to receive the updated I-20 form from OIE before engaging in work. F-1 students are only authorized to engage in CPT employment during the authorization dates and with the employer listed on the CPT authorization section of the I-20 form. This means that when a student is authorized for CPT, they are authorized to work only for the employer listed on the I-20 form as well as only between the authorization dates listed on the CPT authorization in the CPT section of the I-20 form.

Thank you,

OIE and the Career Center

Work Authorization for International Students

International students in F-1 student visa status can request approval to work off-campus via the  Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs To learn more about eligibility requirements for this program, please visit the Office of International Education’s (OIE) Curricular Practical Training website online at isss.oie.gatech.edu/content/curricular-practical-training-cpt-georgia-tech.

Curricular Practical Training authorizations can be granted for part-time or full-time internships. Those pursuing part-time internships must also be enrolled in 6-9 semester credits of in-classroom courses at Georgia Tech to achieve full-time status (12 hours).

Involvement in the GT Internship program requires a commitment of full-time or part-time employment for a minimum of 14 weeks for the fall or spring semesters or a minimum of 8 weeks for the summer term. Interns typically work for one semester, with the flexibility of participating in multiple internships, and in some cases, have the option of working for two consecutive terms (e.g. spring and summer or summer and fall).  

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Breakdown of hours

Part-time: 10-19 hours per week = 3 hour audit course
Part-time: 20-29 hours per week = 6 hour audit course
Part-time: 30-35 hours per week = 9 hour audit course
Full-time: 36 and up hours per week = 12 hour audit course

Program Eligibility

GPA of 2.0 or above
Good academic standing
Experiential Learning Application must be completed in CareerBuzz

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Breakdown of Hours

Part-time: 6 – 9 hours = 3 hour audit course
Part-time: 10 – 15 hours per week = 4 hour audit course
Part-time: 16 – 20 hours per week = 6 hour audit course
Part-time: 21 – 31 hours per week = 9 hour audit course
Full-time: 32 – 40 hours per week = 12 hour audit course

Program Eligibility

GPA of 2.7 or above
Good academic standing
Experiential Learning Application must be completed in CareerBuzz

Work Weeks

• • Summer – 8 week minimum
  • Fall/Spring – 14 week minimum
• The co-op or internship is directly related to student’s major
• Student MUST be registered for the appropriate Co-op or Internship Course (Students will be registered by the Registrar’s office for the Georgia Tech Co-op or Internship only after they have obtained CPT or OPT work authorization.) Please allow one week for the Co-op or internship course to be added to the course schedule. If the Co-op or internship course isn’t added within one week of the CPT approval, please contact the Career Center.
• While authorized for CPT, F-1 students must maintain full-time enrollment in at least 12 hours.
  
  

Note: It is important that students check their course registration to be sure that they have enough space in their schedule to allow for the addition of the Co-op or Internship hours. If the additional hours will place students over the maximum hours permitted for the term, students will not be enrolled in the internship/co-op credits. Students who are not enrolled in internship/co-op credits are ineligible to participate in CPT.

International students who wish to obtain OPT work authorization for an internship must start the process by viewing OIE’s mandatory OPT tutorial (oie.gatech.edu/OPT). We recommend that you view the OPT tutorial several months before you wish to begin your internship. OPT is recommended by an OIE advisor but authorized by U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It can take up to 90 days for USCIS to process an OPT application. Therefore, students should plan ahead if applying for OPT.

Failure to obtain work authorization prior to beginning employment may jeopardize a student’s status at Georgia Institute of Technology and their ability to remain in United States.