What Is CPT or OPT? Differences, Eligibility, and Applying

CPT and OPT are the two work authorizations available to F-1 students, and the short version of the difference is this: Curricular Practical Training is authorized by your school for a job that is part of your degree program and only exists before you graduate, while Optional Practical Training is authorized by USCIS, gives you up to 12 months of work in your field, and can be used before or after graduation. Choosing between them, or sequencing them, comes down to when you want to work, how much flexibility you need, and whether the job is built into your curriculum.

What CPT Is

Curricular Practical Training is off-campus employment that has to be an integral part of your academic program. The federal regulation defines it as “alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education or any other type of required internship or practicum that is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with the school.”¹ The job has to be required or formally built into your program, not just permitted alongside it.

Your Designated School Official authorizes CPT. There is no USCIS application, no filing fee, and no separate work permit. The DSO confirms the position qualifies, updates your record in SEVIS, and issues you a new Form I-20 with the CPT endorsement. You cannot start working until that endorsed I-20 is in your hands.²

CPT is tied to one specific employer at a specific location, with defined start and end dates. Switch employers, and you need a new authorization. It can be part-time (20 hours per week or fewer) or full-time (more than 20), and it must always take place before you complete your degree.²

What OPT Is

Optional Practical Training is temporary work authorization that lets you apply what you studied in a job related to your major. Unlike CPT, the job does not have to satisfy a course requirement; it just has to relate to your field of study.³

OPT comes in two forms. Pre-completion OPT is used while you are still enrolled and is capped at 20 hours per week during the academic year. Post-completion OPT gives you up to 12 months of full-time work authorization after your program ends. Any pre-completion OPT you use gets subtracted from that 12-month total, which is why most students save OPT for after graduation.

OPT requires you to file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with USCIS. If approved, USCIS issues an Employment Authorization Document (EAD card), and you cannot start work until that card arrives.³ OPT is not locked to one employer. You can change jobs, hold multiple positions, or be self-employed, as long as every job connects to your major.

STEM OPT Extension

If your degree is in an eligible science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field, you can apply for a 24-month extension of post-completion OPT, bringing your total work authorization to as much as 36 months.⁴ The extension carries requirements the standard 12-month OPT does not: your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify,⁵ and you and your employer must complete Form I-983, a Training Plan documenting your learning objectives, skills, and supervision.⁶ Self-employment is not permitted on the STEM extension. If you later earn another qualifying STEM degree at a higher level, you may be eligible for a second 24-month extension based on that new degree.

The Core Differences

The programs look alike from a distance, but the mechanics diverge in ways that shape your planning.

Purpose. CPT has to be an integral part of your curriculum, typically for credit. OPT is general work authorization in your field, with no course requirement.
Timing. CPT can only be used before you finish your degree. OPT can be used before graduation (pre-completion) or after (post-completion).
Who authorizes it. Your DSO authorizes CPT with an endorsed I-20. OPT requires a Form I-765 filing with USCIS and an EAD card.
Processing time. DSOs often turn CPT around in days. OPT can take several months at USCIS unless you pay for premium processing.
Employer flexibility. CPT is authorized for one specific employer. OPT lets you work for any employer in your field, hold multiple jobs, or be self-employed.
Cost. CPT has no government filing fee. OPT requires a Form I-765 filing fee.

Who Is Eligible

Both programs share a foundation. You must be in valid F-1 status and generally must have completed at least one full academic year of full-time study before using either.² Graduate students whose programs require immediate practical training can begin CPT before completing that first year.¹

For CPT, you need a confirmed job or internship offer before your DSO can authorize anything, and the position must connect directly to your major through your school’s curriculum. For OPT, you do not need a job offer to apply, though once approved, unemployment limits start running.

How Full-Time CPT Can Cost You Your OPT

This is the single most important interaction between the two programs. If you accumulate 12 months or more of full-time CPT, you lose eligibility for post-completion OPT entirely.² The regulation states plainly that “Students who have received one year or more of full time curricular practical training are ineligible for post-completion academic training.”¹

Part-time CPT does not count toward this threshold, no matter how much of it you do. Only full-time CPT (more than 20 hours per week) triggers the rule. A student who does 11 months of full-time CPT keeps full OPT eligibility; a student who reaches 12 loses it completely. There is no partial reduction. If you plan to use both, track your full-time CPT days closely and check with your DSO before agreeing to more.

Degree levels operate independently. A year of full-time CPT during a bachelor’s program does not affect OPT eligibility at the master’s level; the clock resets with the new degree.

Applying for CPT

CPT is handled entirely inside your school. You submit your request to the international student office along with a job offer letter on company letterhead identifying the employer, your position, the work location, start and end dates, and weekly hours. Your DSO reviews whether the position qualifies as curricular, authorizes CPT in SEVIS for that specific employer, and issues a new Form I-20 with the CPT endorsement. You can begin working on the authorized start date and not before.²

Because everything runs through your DSO, there is no government fee. Most schools process CPT within a few business days to a couple of weeks, though timing varies. Do not wait until the last minute before your intended start date.

Applying for OPT

OPT takes longer because USCIS is involved. First, ask your DSO for an OPT recommendation. The DSO updates SEVIS and issues a new Form I-20 noting the recommendation. Then you file Form I-765 with USCIS, online or by mail.³

For post-completion OPT, you can file as early as 90 days before you complete your degree and no later than 60 days after your program end date.³ Miss the 60-day window and you lose OPT eligibility for that degree level. File early. USCIS processing can take several months, and you cannot work until the EAD card arrives.

The filing fee for Form I-765 is $410 for online submissions and $520 for paper filings.⁷ Premium processing is available for OPT applications: filing Form I-907 with your I-765 gets you an adjudicative action within 30 business days.⁸ The premium processing fee for Form I-765 is $1,780 as of March 1, 2026, in addition to the regular filing fee.⁹

Unemployment Limits on OPT

Once post-completion OPT begins, the clock runs whether you have a job or not. Total unemployment during post-completion OPT is capped at 90 days.¹⁰ The days do not have to be consecutive, and hitting 90 puts you out of status. STEM OPT students get 150 total days across the full OPT period, counting any unemployment from the initial 12 months. Volunteering or unpaid work can count as employment for the unemployment clock, but only if it is at least 20 hours per week and related to your field.¹¹

CPT has no unemployment limit, because it is tied to a specific job. When the job ends, the authorization ends with it.

Working Without Authorization Is a Serious Problem

Starting a CPT job before your endorsed I-20 is issued, beginning OPT work before your EAD card arrives, working more hours than authorized, or taking a job unrelated to your field can all count as unauthorized employment. The consequences reach past your current status: under federal immigration law, unauthorized employment creates a bar to adjusting status for a green card, with limited exceptions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.¹² That bar applies to any unauthorized work during any period of stay in the United States, not just the most recent entry. A few weeks of jumping the gun on a start date can follow you for years.

1
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
2
Study in the States. F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT)
5
E-Verify. Am I Required to Participate in E-Verify in Order to Hire F-1 Students Who Seek a STEM OPT Extension?
6
ICE: Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Completing the Form I-983 Training Plan for STEM OPT Students
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing?
9
Federal Register. Adjustment to Premium Processing Fees
10
Study in the States. Unemployment Counter
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 5 – Practical Training
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 6 – Unauthorized Employment