Working in the US on an F-1: on-campus, CPT and OPT
The rules are narrow, the penalty for getting them wrong is severe, and one of them can quietly cost you your post-graduation work permission.
The question we keep seeing
“Can I work while I study in the US? A friend said I can just take a part-time job.”
The short answer
- Work opportunities on an F-1 are limited, and every one of them requires authorisation before you start.
- Working without permission ends your SEVIS record — you leave immediately and may not be allowed back.
- A full year of full-time CPT makes you ineligible for post-completion OPT. Nobody warns you at the time.
This is the area where confident advice from another student does the most damage. The rules are federal, specific, and enforced through your school — and the person who decides whether you are compliant is your designated school official, not your employer.
On-campus employment
Open to F-1 students whose SEVIS status is active. It covers work on campus, or at an off-campus location educationally affiliated with the school — a university bookstore or cafeteria is the standard example.Footnote 1Source 1U.S. Department of Homeland Security — Working in the United States (Study in the States)States that work opportunities for F-1 students are limited, that a DSO who knows of unauthorised work must report it through SEVIS with termination of the record, and sets out on-campus employment: active SEVIS status, application up to 30 days before classes begin, a 20-hour weekly limit while school is in session, and the Social Security number requirement.studyinthestates.dhs.gov
- You may apply up to 30 days before classes start. Start by talking to your DSO, who issues a letter of approval.
- You may not work more than 20 hours per week while school is in session.
- Anyone working needs a Social Security number, applied for with the DSO's letter and your employer's.
Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
CPT is work that is an integral part of an established curriculum — a required internship, a co-op, a practicum offered through your school's cooperative agreements with employers.Footnote 2Source 2U.S. Department of Homeland Security — Training Opportunities in the United States (Study in the States)Sets out CPT and OPT for F students: the one-academic-year requirement for CPT, that CPT may be full time, that one year or more of full-time CPT ends post-completion OPT eligibility, the 20-hour limit on pre-completion OPT, 12 months of OPT at each education level, the STEM extension, the exclusion of English language training students, and the DSO recommendation plus Form I-765 and EAD sequence.studyinthestates.dhs.gov
- You must have completed one full academic year at an SEVP-certified school, unless you are a graduate student whose programme requires CPT immediately.
- It can be full time — the 20-hour weekly limit that applies to pre-completion OPT does not apply here.
- Your DSO authorises it in SEVIS and issues an updated Form I-20 endorsed for CPT. Authorisation comes first; the job comes second.
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
OPT is training, often paid, directly related to your field of study. It comes in two forms: pre-completion, during your programme, and post-completion, after you finish.Footnote 2Source 2U.S. Department of Homeland Security — Training Opportunities in the United States (Study in the States)Sets out CPT and OPT for F students: the one-academic-year requirement for CPT, that CPT may be full time, that one year or more of full-time CPT ends post-completion OPT eligibility, the 20-hour limit on pre-completion OPT, 12 months of OPT at each education level, the STEM extension, the exclusion of English language training students, and the DSO recommendation plus Form I-765 and EAD sequence.studyinthestates.dhs.gov
- Pre-completion OPT is capped at 20 hours per week while school is in session, and may be full time during breaks and annual vacation.
- You get 12 months at each education level — twelve at bachelor's, another twelve at master's.
- A degree in a STEM field may qualify you for the STEM OPT extension.
- Students in English language training programmes are not eligible for OPT at all.
The process has two stages and people routinely miss the second. Your DSO recommends you in SEVIS and endorses your I-20. You then file Form I-765 with US Citizenship and Immigration Services. You cannot begin work until USCIS issues the Employment Authorization Document — the school's endorsement alone is not permission.Footnote 2Source 2U.S. Department of Homeland Security — Training Opportunities in the United States (Study in the States)Sets out CPT and OPT for F students: the one-academic-year requirement for CPT, that CPT may be full time, that one year or more of full-time CPT ends post-completion OPT eligibility, the 20-hour limit on pre-completion OPT, 12 months of OPT at each education level, the STEM extension, the exclusion of English language training students, and the DSO recommendation plus Form I-765 and EAD sequence.studyinthestates.dhs.gov
Plan it before you arrive
Before the visa, you have to show you can pay for tuition and living costs without working — that is what the financial certification and I-20 chain is about. Treat any work you do get as something that helps at the margin, not as part of the budget.
Rules and guidance here change; these are current as of the DHS pages cited below. Your DSO is the authority on your own case, and the first call every time.
Katalyna's internship and scholarship bank flags what each listing requires, so you can see before applying whether a programme is open to you.
Try it in Katalyna
Internships & scholarships
Programmes with their eligibility spelled out, linked to the organisation that runs each one.
Frequently asked
Only through authorised training — CPT or OPT — not through an ordinary off-campus job. On-campus work is the only kind available without practical-training authorisation.
20 hours per week while school is in session for on-campus work and for pre-completion OPT. CPT can be full time, and pre-completion OPT can be full time during breaks.
Yes, and this catches people out: one year or more of full-time CPT makes you ineligible for post-completion OPT. Check the total before accepting a long full-time placement.
The DSO must report it through SEVIS and the record is terminated. DHS guidance says you must leave the United States immediately and may not be permitted to return.