Policies Governing Internships

The College prefers that its students be paid for their work, but when this is not an option and companies insist that the students receive credit as a condition of their internship, the student should see a College Office advisor during drop-in advising or email the College Contact.

The College Office can write to the sponsoring company/organization granting the student permission to work as an intern, while making it clear that the University will not indemnify the company or organization or insure the student during the internship. To request this letter, please complete this form and return it to [email protected].

International Students

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

Internships during the Fall and Spring Semesters

For internships during the regular fall or spring semesters, students will need to enroll in either a related independent study or a content course.

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

1. Confirm that he or she meets the CPT Eligibility Requirements.

2. Follow all International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) instructions.

3. Follow all College instructions.

4. Qualify to participate in an independent study which is credit bearing either in the students’ major or a related department whose study is related to the internship. Students and instructors must follow all department rules for independent study creation set by the department in which the instructor teaches.

5. Work with their College Major Undergraduate Chair to complete the Cooperative Agreement between the internship and the major.

Fall and Spring CPT Instructions for Students

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 they meet the CPT Eligibility Requirements.

2. Create an independent study: Identify a faculty member willing to help develop an independent study course related to his or her major. To have the independent study approved, the student and faculty member must follow departmental procedures for requesting an independent study course (this may include an application process). Once a permit is issued for the independent study course, the student must claim the permit in Penn InTouch which will complete the registration process for the course. (See CPT Instructions for Faculty/Staff Teaching Independent Studies section for more details on this process.)

3. 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.

4. Complete the CPT Major Form: Download and complete the CPT Major Form. 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.

5. Complete the CPT Electronic Request Form in iPenn: Follow instructions to fill out this form online. Submitting the form will send it directly to the College Office.

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

For Fall and Spring CPT Instructions for Faculty/Staff Teaching Independent Studies

Faculty and staff who choose to oversee an independent study connected in content to an internship a student has already secured should follow their departmental procedures for creating an independent study course. The student must qualify to participate in a credit bearing independent study vetted by the department.

Once the independent study course has been approved, the student should add it to their schedule with help from departmental administrators as needed. The student should follow up with their College Contact and ISSS.

Fall and Spring CPT Instructions for Undergraduate Chairs

Students are required to get written support from their major department's undergraduate chair in order to get CPT approval. Undergraduate chairs should follow the procedure below:

1. Review employment offer letter: In order to approve a cooperative agreement between the major and the offering company, 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.

2. Sign and upload the CPT Major Form:

Receive an electronic copy of the CPT Major Form from student
Sign the completed form and label this document with the student's LAST NAME_FIRST_NAME_YEAR (i.e. Kim_Jason_2017)
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 follow up with a College office advisor and ISSS. (See CPT Instructions for Students section for more details on this process.)

Please contact Jason Breyan in the College Office or phone 215.898.6341 if there are any questions about this process.

Summer CPT Instructions for Students

***Please note that as of Summer 2025, for work taking place during the summer, students must complete the corresponding COLL 0050 course for CPT unless the internship is a required part of their major.

For Summer 2026 internships, enrollment in COLL 0050 will begin March 23, 2026. The deadline to be added is June 10, 2026 To be added by the deadline, students needed to complete all necessary CPT Summer Steps below by this time.

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:

Confirm eligibility: Review the ISSS website to confirm that you meet the CPT Eligibility Requirements.
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.
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.
Complete the CPT Request in iPenn.
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.
Enrollment for COLL 0050 will begin March 23, 2026. CPT requests cannot be approved before this date. The deadline to be added to COLL 0050 is June 10, 2026. To be added by the deadline, students need to complete all necessary steps on the CPT Summer Steps webpage by this time.

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

Summer 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.