How Can F-1 Students Make Money: On-Campus Jobs, CPT, and OPT

F-1 students can legally make money in the United States through five main channels: on-campus employment, Curricular Practical Training (CPT), Optional Practical Training (OPT) with a possible STEM extension, off-campus work authorized because of severe economic hardship, and internships with qualifying international organizations. Each channel has its own eligibility rules, hour caps, and paperwork, and a misstep on any of them can end your F-1 status.

On-Campus Jobs

On-campus work is the easiest place to start because it does not require approval from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.¹ Qualifying jobs include positions in an academic department, the library, or a commercially operated bookstore or cafeteria that serves students on-site.² Work at off-campus locations can also count if it is tied to your school’s curriculum or to contractually funded research at the graduate level.

You can work up to 20 hours per week while classes are in session and full-time during official school breaks and your annual vacation period.³ One catch: if you are enrolled full-time in summer classes, you are still considered “in session” and capped at 20 hours. The job also cannot displace a U.S. resident.²

Before you get paid, you need a Social Security Number. Bring your unexpired passport with admission stamp, your Form I-94, and your Form I-20 to a Social Security Administration office, along with a letter from your Designated School Official (DSO) confirming your enrollment and identifying your employer.⁴ Photocopies and notarized copies are not accepted.

Curricular Practical Training

CPT lets you work off campus when the job is a required part of your academic program, such as an internship, co-op, or practicum built into your degree. You generally must have been enrolled full-time in F-1 status for at least one full academic year before your DSO can authorize CPT, though graduate students whose programs require training right away are an exception.⁵

You need a specific job offer before authorization can happen. Your DSO enters the CPT into SEVIS and prints an updated Form I-20 with the endorsement. You cannot start working until you have that endorsed Form I-20 and not before the CPT start date printed on it.⁶ No separate USCIS application or Employment Authorization Document (EAD) is needed.

CPT can be part-time or full-time, but there is an important tradeoff. If you accumulate 12 months or more of full-time CPT at a given degree level, you lose your eligibility for OPT at that same level.⁵ Part-time CPT does not count toward that threshold, so keeping CPT part-time preserves OPT eligibility.

Optional Practical Training

OPT is the main path to longer-term, off-campus work related to your major. Unlike CPT, it does not have to be embedded in your curriculum. You are eligible for up to 12 months of OPT per degree level, so completing a bachelor’s and then a master’s gives you a fresh 12-month window at each.

Pre-Completion and Post-Completion OPT

Pre-completion OPT lets you work while still enrolled, but it is limited to 20 hours per week during the school year, and any time you use is deducted from your 12-month total. Post-completion OPT, used after graduation, allows full-time work for the full 12 months.

To apply, your DSO first enters an OPT recommendation in SEVIS and issues an updated Form I-20. You then file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with USCIS along with the required fee and supporting documents.⁷ The filing window for post-completion OPT is tight. You can submit up to 90 days before your program end date but no later than 60 days after it, and USCIS must receive your application within 30 days of the date your DSO entered the recommendation.⁸ Missing either deadline means starting over.

You cannot begin working until USCIS approves your application and issues your EAD. Processing can take several months, so filing early in the 90-day window is worth the effort.

The 90-Day Unemployment Cap

Post-completion OPT limits you to 90 aggregate days of unemployment.⁹ The clock starts on your OPT start date, not your graduation date, and every day without qualifying employment counts. Going past 90 days can end your OPT and your F-1 status, which is why job searching before your OPT start date matters so much.

STEM OPT Extension

Students who earned a degree in a qualifying science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field can apply for a 24-month extension on top of their initial 12-month OPT, for up to 36 total months of work authorization.¹⁰ The requirements are stricter.

Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and remain in good standing.¹⁰ You and your employer must complete a formal Training Plan on Form I-983 that describes learning objectives, supervision, and how the training relates to your STEM degree. The position must offer at least 20 hours of work per week, and your pay and working conditions must match what the employer provides to similarly situated U.S. workers.¹¹ The employer must also certify that you are not replacing a U.S. worker.

The unemployment limit rises to 150 total days across the initial OPT and STEM extension combined, not an additional 150 on top of the 90.¹² If you already used 80 of your 90 unemployment days during standard OPT, you would have only 70 left for the full 24-month extension. The STEM OPT application must be filed up to 90 days before your current OPT expires and within 60 days of the DSO recommendation in SEVIS.⁸

If your employment ends for any reason, your employer must report it to your DSO within five business days.¹¹ The Department of Homeland Security also reserves the right to conduct site visits to verify the training program.

Cap-Gap Extension for H-1B

Students on OPT whose employer files an H-1B petition on their behalf receive an automatic extension of OPT and F-1 status to bridge the gap before the H-1B start date. The cap-gap extension runs until April 1 of the fiscal year the H-1B is requested for, or until the petition’s validity start date, whichever comes first.¹³ Without it, many students would face a gap between their OPT end date and the October 1 H-1B start date.

Severe Economic Hardship Work Authorization

If you experience an unforeseen financial crisis, you can apply for off-campus work authorization outside your field of study. This is meant for genuine emergencies: a sudden loss of financial aid, a major currency devaluation in your home country, unexpected medical expenses, or a significant change in your sponsor’s finances.¹

You must have maintained F-1 status for at least one full academic year and be in good academic standing. Your DSO endorses your Form I-20, and you file Form I-765 with USCIS along with evidence of the hardship. USCIS must approve the application and issue an EAD before you can start working.¹ While school is in session you are limited to 20 hours per week; during breaks you can work full-time.

USCIS grants these EADs in one-year intervals and they cannot extend past your expected program completion date. The authorization ends automatically if you transfer to another school or the financial hardship resolves.¹ Renewals are possible as long as you maintain status and remain in good academic standing.

International Organization Internships

F-1 students who receive an internship offer from an organization covered by the International Organization Immunities Act, such as the United Nations or the World Bank, can apply for off-campus work authorization on that basis. The process mirrors the hardship route: your DSO enters the employment information in SEVIS and issues an updated Form I-20, and you file Form I-765 with USCIS. You need the approved EAD before starting.¹⁴

Taxes When You Earn Money

Earning income in the U.S. brings tax obligations. For your first five calendar years in the country, you are generally classified as a nonresident alien for tax purposes.¹⁵ That classification comes with a real benefit: you are exempt from Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes on wages from authorized employment, including on-campus jobs, CPT, and OPT.¹⁶

If your employer withholds FICA anyway, which happens often because payroll systems do not always distinguish nonresident aliens, you can request a refund from the employer first, or claim it on your tax return. The exemption ends once you become a resident alien for tax purposes, generally after five calendar years or when you meet the substantial presence test.¹⁶

Even if you earned nothing, you must file Form 8843 each year you are present as a nonresident alien on an F-1 visa.¹⁷ If you did earn income, you will also file Form 1040-NR. Many schools offer free tax preparation for international students during filing season.

What Working Without Authorization Costs You

This part is worth reading twice. Starting a job before your EAD arrives, exceeding your allowed hours, or freelancing on the side without authorization can follow you for years.

Any unauthorized employment violation immediately ends your lawful F-1 status. Once you are out of status, you begin accumulating unlawful presence. Reinstatement to F-1 is available in some situations, but not when USCIS considers the violation to be unauthorized employment.

The longer-term damage is worse. Unauthorized employment creates a bar to adjusting your immigration status inside the United States, meaning that even if you later qualify for a green card through an employer or family member, you may be unable to finish the process without leaving the country. The bar applies regardless of when the unauthorized work happened and does not go away by leaving and returning.¹⁸

If you are ever unsure whether an activity counts as employment, whether that is tutoring for cash, selling goods online, or gig work, ask your DSO before you start. The cost of a mistake is measured in visa denials and years of immigration complications, not a fine.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2 Part F Chapter 6 – Employment
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
3
U.S. Immigration and Customs Ice. Employment
4
Social Security Administration. International Students and Social Security Numbers
5
Study in the States. F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
6
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Curricular Practical Training
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765)
8
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2 Part F Chapter 5 – Practical Training
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT)
11
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Training Plan for STEM OPT Students (Form I-983)
12
Study in the States. Unemployment Counter
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Extension of Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 Status for Eligible Students
14
Study in the States. F-1 Off Campus Employment and International Organization Internship
15
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 519 – U.S. Tax Guide for Aliens
16
Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Student Liability for Social Security and Medicare Taxes
17
Internal Revenue Service. Form 8843 – Statement for Exempt Individuals
18
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 7 Part B Chapter 6 – Unauthorized Employment