Internship & CPT Guide 2023-2024

What is Curricular Practical Training (CPT)?

Eligibility for CPT

Internship Courses Available at LIM College

Career Success Track (for MPS/MS students)

CPT Frequently Asked Questions

CPT Application Steps

Sample Offer Letter

Social Security Number (SSN) Application Steps

Contents:

INTERNSHIP &

CPT GUIDE

2023-2024

WHAT IS CURRICULAR PRACTICAL

TRAINING (CPT)?

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is defined as employment which is an integral part of an

established curriculum, including: “alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or

any other type of required internship or practicum which is offered by sponsoring employers

through cooperative agreements with the school.” Source: [8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(i)].

CPT authorization must be received from the Designated School Official (DSO) in The

Office of Career and Internship Services (CIS) at LIM College and DHS before starting

any internship, paid or unpaid.

All F-1 international students are required to complete CPT application steps (Page 9 of this

Guide) and receive a new I-20 with CPT authorization on it BEFORE the internship start date.

Beginning to intern without CPT authorization is a serious violation of F-1 status.

CPT is available only when the internship experience is considered to be an integral part of an

established curriculum, and the student must receive academic credit for this training,

whether paid or unpaid.

LIM College defines “integral” to mean a curricular component that is required or

optional provided it furthers the pedagogy of the discipline, and the experience must

be directly related to the student’s program of study.

Undergraduate Eligibility

F-1 students in undergraduate programs can enroll In an Internship course only after two required

semesters (Fall/Spring) of full-time enrollment at LIM College. The only exception to this requirement is

for F-1 students who have completed at least two full-time consecutive semesters at another U.S.

college or university immediately before joining LIM.

Graduate Eligi bility

F-1 students in graduate programs can enroll In an Internship course in their first year of studies only

if an internship course is a required part of the program.

ELIGIBILITY FOR CPT

Course Descriptions & Requirements can be found

in LIM College’s Academic Catalog:

https://www.limcollege.edu/academics/academic-catalogs

INTERNSHIP COURSES AVAILABLE AT LIM COLLEGE

CARE 1890 (1cr)

CARE 1620 (2cr)

CARE 2620 (2cr)

CARE 3620 (3cr)

CARE 4820/4821 (6cr)

MPSI 692 (1cr)*

MPSI 693 (1cr)*

MPSM 608 (3cr)

MPSR 659 (3cr)

MPSS 610 (3cr)

MPSB 608 (3cr)

MSCA 714 (3cr)

Undergraduate Graduate

*MPSI 692/693

require enrollment in the

Career Success Track

CAREER SUCCESS TRACK

(FOR MPS/MS STUDENTS)

Internship or

Accelerator

Declare Track

1-credit (additional)

CPT eligible (internship)

Internship or

Accelerator

1-credit (additional)

CPT eligible (internship)

Internship or

Project/Leadership

3-credit (included)

CPT eligible (internship)

CAREER SUCCESS TRACK

(FOR MPS/MS STUDENTS)

MPSI 691 Graduate Career Accelerator (1cr)

MPSI 692 Graduate Career Launcher Internship (1cr)

MPSI 693 Graduate Career Explorer Internship (1cr)

The Graduate Studies Program* offers a Career Success Track that consists of three required career Internship or seminar

courses across three consecutive semesters. These courses aim to provide students with real-world skills, knowledge, and

experience to explore, prepare, and achieve their career goals.

*Not available In the Business of Cannabis program

Choose two (2) credits of the following:

Students must successfully complete all components of the track to be posted on their transcript.

Failure to complete the above track requirements will result in negative consequences to a student’s F-1 status.

In order to be afforded the maximum flexibility in fulfilling the track, students should declare the track at the start of

their first semester by contacting the Office of the Registrar ([email protected]) and completing a program change

e-form.

Note: Students are responsible for the cost of the additional courses that are part of the Career Success Track.

MPSB 608 Internship In the Business of Fashion or MPSM Internship In

Fashion Marketing or MPSR 659 Internship In Fashion Merchandising &

Retail Management or MPSS 610 Internship In Global Fashion Supply Chain

Management or MPSX 700 Developing & Exercising Influence In

Organizations or MSCA 713 Analytics Project Consultancy or MSCA 714

Internship In Consumer Analytics

Choose one (1) of the following:

CPT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

* WHEN DO I NEED CPT AUTHORIZATION?

You must have CPT authorization from the DSO.in The Office of Career and Internship Services at LIM College before you begin a

paid or unpaid internship. Your internship cannot begin until you receive a new Form I-20 with the CPT authorization on it.

* DO I HAVE TO BE REGISTERED FOR AN INTERNSHIP COURSE?

Yes - Students must enroll in an internship course. Interning without enrolling in a course is a violation of F-1 status.

* WHEN DOES CPT AUTHORIZATION BEGIN AND END?

CPT authorization is limited to the duration of the credit-bearing internship course that requires the internship. Students are not

permitted to intern outside of the official semester start and end dates. Only intern for the dates on your CPT authorization.

* CAN I EXTEND MY CPT AUTHORIZATION?

No - Students are authorized for specific dates and a company that are printed on page 2 of their Form I-20. Students may not

begin before the start date or continue after the end date listed.

* HOW MANY HOURS A WEEK CAN I INTERN?

CPT can be part-time (20 or less hours per week) or full-time (more than 20 hours per week)

* WILL MY CPT AUTHORIZATION AFFECT MY ELIGIBILITY TO APPLY FOR OPT?

If you are authorized for a total of 12 months (365 days) or more of full-time CPT, you will lose eligibility for OPT. If you are approved

for less than 12 months of full-time CPT in total, or for any amount of part-time CPT, this will not affect your eligibility for OPT.

* DO I NEED TO HAVE AN INTERNSHIP TO APPLY FOR CPT?

Yes - Students must have an offer of employment to apply for CPT since the authorization is for a specific employer. A sample offer

letter can be found on Page 10 of this Guide.

CPT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

(CONTINUED)

* CAN I FIND A FULL-TIME JOB INSTEAD OF AN INTERNSHIP?

No – F-1 students are not allowed to engage in regular full-time or part-time jobs; you can only engage in an internship with

appropriate agreements signed by the College and the company where you plan to intern.

* CAN I COMPLETE A RETAIL INTERNSHIP FOR CARE 1620?

Yes, but only If the retail internship is directly related to your major.

* CAN I CHANGE EMPLOYERS?

CPT authorization is issued for a specific employer. Change of employers must be approved by the professor and by the DSO In

The Office of Career and Internship Services at LIM College. If approved, students must apply for a new CPT authorization before

beginning to intern for the new employer.

* DO I NEED A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER?

Yes, if your internship is paid or if you receive any type of renumeration. Students are eligible to apply for a Social Security Number

with their CPT I-20, if the position is paid and they do not have an SSN yet.

* WILL I BE REQUIRED TO PAY U.S. TAXES?

As an F-1 status student, you may be required to file a federal and state income tax form while you are in the U.S. LIM College is

not able to provide guidance on tax filing; however, you can contact any tax professional or accountant within the U.S. for

assistance. Additionally, many students have found success using https://sprintax.com or https://glaciertax.com/ to determine their

filing needs. LIM College does not endorse any specific person or entity, but there are many resources that students can access,

including, but not limited to, the websites above.

STEP 1: ENROLL IN AN INTERNSHIP COURSE.

STEP 2: SECURE A TRADITIONAL INTERNSHIP THAT IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO YOUR FIELD OF STUDY.

(You do not need to apply for CPT If you are completing "Fashion Forward".)

STEP 3: SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSED INTERNSHIP DETAILS AND OFFER LETTER BY CREATING AN

EXPERIENCE IN HANDSHAKE. You must include a signed offer letter with all required details as per the

sample offer letter found on page 10 of this Guide. If anything is missing or incorrect, it may cause a delay to

your start date. **Remember to select "Request Experience" at the end**

STEP 4: CIS WILL REVIEW YOUR PROPOSED INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE. Following CIS approval, an email

will be sent to your supervisor with a link to Handshake where they will then confirm the details you

submitted are accurate and e-sign the Learning Agreement.

STEP 5: YOUR INTERNSHIP SUPERVISOR WILL REVIEW YOUR PROPOSED INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE.

Following your Internship supervisor's approval, your Experience will be considered fully approved and CIS

will share a link for you to apply for CPT authorization.

STEP 6: SUBMIT CPT APPLICATION VIA LINK SHARED BY CIS. Once your Experience is fully approved,

apply for CPT authorization via the link shared by CIS. The start date on your offer letter must be at least 5

business days from the time when you submit the CPT application. For questions, schedule an

appointment with the DSO in The Office of Career and Internship Services via Handshake.

STEP 7: RECEIVE A NEW I-20 WITH CPT AUTHORIZATION ON IT. Print and sign in pen on page 1 under

Student Attestation

STEP 8: BEGIN INTERNING. Remember: you must not begin interning until you receive your new Form I-

20 with CPT authorization on it!

CPT APPLICATION STEPS

[Company Address]

[Company phone and email]

[Date]

[Student Name]

[Student Address]

Dear [Student Name],

We are very pleased to offer you the position of [Internship Title] with [Company/Organization Name]. Please find the following confirmation of the specifics of your internship:

Position Title: [Internship Title]

Start Date: [Exact start date]

End Date: [Exact end date]

Schedule: [Mon 9-3, Tue 12-6, Thu 9-5]

Hours Per Week: [Exact number of hours per week]

Salary/Stipend: [Salary/stipend information]

Modality: [In-person, Remote, Both]

Internship location: [Address where the student will be interning If at all In-person)

Supervisor: You will be reporting to [Supervisor Name], [Supervisor Title] of [Company/Organization Name]. [Supervisor Name] may be contacted by phone [xxx-xxx-xxx] or by email

[Supervisor email].

Internship Description: [detailed list of responsibilities & projects]

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (xxx-xxx-xxxx).

Sincerely,

SIGNATURE (Cannot be typed)

[Name]

[Title – HR representative or direct supervisor]

[Contact Info]

SAMPLE OFFER LETTER

be on company letterhead

be signed by the hiring official

contain all items in red

be dated at least 5 business days

before start date to allow time for

processing

Offer letter must:

If anything is incorrect or missing, it

may cause a delay to the start date.

Please doublecheck all fields before

submitting with your CPT application

Note:

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER (SSN)

International F-1 students can apply for a Social Security Number if they have a paid on-campus job, a paid internship, or

have an approved OPT. NOTE: A Social Security Number does not authorize you to work in the U.S. As an F-1 student,

you must be authorized by a Designated School Official (DSO) at LIM College to work either on campus or off campus. If

your internship company asks you to provide a Social Security Number (SSN), you will need to apply for an SSN with the

Social Security Administration (SSA) once you have received your new I-20 with CPT authorization. Make sure to check the

appropriate checkbox on the CPT Application to indicate that you will need an SSN; additional details will be shared along

with your new I-20.

You will need to bring all the documents below to the nearest Social Security Administration office (originals and copies)

not earlier than 30 days before the proposed internship start date

* Offer Letter on Official Company Letterhead

* Passport

* F-1 Visa

* Form I-94 (retrieved at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov)

* New Form I-20 with the CPT authorization on page 2

* LIM College’s ID Card

* Completed SSN Application (Form SS-5) https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ss-5.pdf

You should allow at least two weeks to receive SSN in the mail after applying at the nearest SSA office.

FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT CPT

& THE CPT APPLICATION,

CONNECT WITH THE DSO IN

THE OFFICE OF CAREER AND

INTERNSHIP SERVICES.

Schedule an appointment in Handshake by choosing

"CPT Questions" as the appointment type

Email [email protected]