CPT Summer Study Steps

CPT is designed to provide work experience in the U.S. in situations where the work serves as an integral part of an international student’s academic program and an established curriculum, usually undertaken in the summer. Thus, the work experience must be related to a rostered course at Penn. To earn academic credit and complete the course, you must produce a tangible, academically-based product related to your declared major. During the summer, students engaging in CPT will [be] enroll[ed] in COLL 0050, “Theory and Practice of Work,” which is a designated summer online asynchronous course satisfying the curricular requirement. There are no tuition charges or fees associated with this course.

Upon CPT approval, you will be enrolled in COLL 0050. This course cannot be added manually by students through path@penn. The College will process the enrollment at the time that the CPT approval on IPENN is completed.

The course is 0.5 CU and must be taken pass/fail. You may use this credit as a College elective only. It cannot count toward the credits needed for your major or minor. If you do not fulfill the terms of your proposal, you will be issued an “F” for the course, and the F will factor into your GPA. It is imperative that you complete your work as per your proposal during the CPT authorization period. Note that failure to complete the course may have Visa implications. For further questions, please consult with your ISSS advisor.

To participate in Curricular Practical Training (CPT), a student in the College must complete the following steps:

  1. Confirm eligibility: Review the ISSS website to confirm that you meet the CPT Eligibility Requirements.
     

  2. Obtain an official employment letter: Obtain an official offer letter from the prospective employer. The letter must comply with the instructions on the ISSS website and must contain the following paragraph:

    "We [the employer] offer this internship/practicum experience to you in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania, and it is intended in part to contribute to an independent study that you will conduct under the supervision of faculty in your major program of studies."
     

  3. Complete the CPT Major Form: Download and complete the  CPT Major Form. Be sure to indicate COLL 0050 as the course in which you are requesting credit. Email or make an appointment to meet with the undergraduate chair of the relevant department. The undergraduate chair will review the official employment offer letter. If approved, the undergraduate chair will sign the completed CPT Major Form and upload it to Penn+Box.

    Steps 4 and 5 should be completed together.

  4. Complete the CPT Request in iPenn.

  5. Complete the CPT Course enrollment request: This will be reviewed by the College and you will be enrolled in COL 0050 if all conditions above are met.

  6. The deadline to be added to COLL 0050 is June 11, 2025. In order to be added by the deadline, please be sure that all necessary steps above are completed by this time.

Please note: Students should not begin their CPT employment until they receive a CPT I-20 with work authorization from ISSS.

CPT Instructions for Undergraduate Chairs

CPT is designed to provide work experience in the U.S. for international students where the work serves as an integral part of a student’s academic program and an established curriculum.  Starting in Summer 2025, students must enroll in the summer COLL 0050 course for CPT if their internship takes place during the summer, unless the internship is a required part of their major. For internships during the regular fall or spring semesters, students will need to enroll in either a related independent study or a content course.

Students must relate the work to a course they are taking. For students pursuing CPT during the summer, they will be enrolled in COLL 0050 – Theory and Practice of Work. This course is a .5 cu online, asynchronous course that can only count as a College elective.

Students are still required to obtain written support from their major department in order to receive CPT approval. We are using the same CPT Major form as in previous years, and asking you to upload signed forms to the same Penn+Box as in previous years. Though students will tie their learning and internship experience to their major through the COLL 0050 course, the course itself cannot count toward the major requirements (i.e. it should not be applied to the major in Degreeworks).

Undergraduate chairs should follow the procedure below:

  • Review employment offer letter: in order to approve a cooperative agreement between the major and the offering company/organization, undergraduate chairs must first review the student's offer letter (provided by the student) and verify that the major is related to the content of the internship.
  •  Sign and upload the CPT Major Form:
    • Receive an electronic copy of the CPT Major Form from student
    • Sign the completed form and rename this document with the student's LAST NAME_FIRST_NAME_YEAR (i.e. Smith_Jane_2017)
    • Make sure that COL 0050 is listed as the designated course on the CPT major form
    • Upload a completed and signed CPT Major Form to the Penn +Box folder designated for the major
    • Email a completed copy of the CPT Major Form to the student so they can provide a copy to the employer

Once the CPT Major Form is complete, the student will need to complete the process as outlined in the CPT Instructions for Students section. They will be asked to complete two forms, one for ISSS through iPENN requesting the CPT and another for the College –  requesting enrollment in COLL 0050.

Please contact Jason Breyan in the College Office if you have any questions.