International Students

Any internship, whether paid or unpaid, requires work authorization. You need a job offer letter for an internship related to your major to apply for work authorization under your student visa. The internship must be integral to your plan of study and can be full-time or part-time during the summer or academic year; it is generally not authorized during your final semester. Learn more about applying for work authorization to participate in an internship below.

• F-1: Curricular Practical Training – International students with a F-1 visa must be authorized for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) before beginning an internship. To do so:
   
  1. Learn about Curricular Practical Training (CPT). Attend an ISS CPT workshop and review CPT information on the ISS CPT webpage.
  2. Receive and obtain a job offer letter for your internship.
  3. If you are an undergraduate student, complete the CPT e-forms via ISS website under the ‘How to Apply for CPT’ tab. Within the form, input the information listed below. After you submit the form, we will receive notification of your CPT request and will review the e-form documentation including the offer letter. If approved, you will be notified by the advisor to register for the CPT course.
     
     • Course Name: Professional Practice Internship
     • Course Number: MGMT 39699
     • Credits: Zero
     • Term: Term of internship
     • Registration for internship course: No (You must wait for advisor approval. The system will still allow form to be submitted for review.)
     • Advisor Information: Consult with your Academic Advisor to determine the appropriate person to list in your application.
  4. If you are a graduate student, you cannot self-register for the CPT course and should wait to submit the CPT e-form via the ISS website. To begin the registration process, contact Chris Luebbe at cluebbe@purdue.edu. He will meet with you for offer letter verification. After meeting with Chris, you can complete the CPT e-forms on the ISS website and he will alert the advising team to register you for the MS CPT course. 

• J-1: Academic Training – International students with a J-1 visa must be authorized for Academic Training (AT) before participating in an internship. Visit the ISS J-1 Academic Training page to learn more and apply for AT.

As an international student on F-1 or J-1 visa, you can work in the U.S. after graduation with work authorization. To apply for work authorization, please visit International Students and Scholars (ISS). Learn more by clicking the links below.

• J-1 – Academic Training (AT) – You can receive work authorization for up to 18 months. You will need an offer of employment to apply.
• F-1 – Optional Practical Training (OPT) – You can receive work authorization for up to 12 months. An offer of employment is not required to apply. You may apply 90 days in advance of your program end date. Note that it takes around 3 to 4 months to process and approve your application. However, processing times may change, so please check U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for current processing times for a I-765 application.
• F-1 – STEM OPT Extension – Students on OPT with a designated STEM degree can apply to extend their work authorization for up to 24 months under ‘STEM Extension’ (STEM OPT). If you graduate from one of the programs listed below, you can apply for a STEM extension as early as 90 days before the expiration date of your OPT period but you must apply at least one month before the OPT expiration date.

• BS Business Analytics and Information Management (BAIM)
• BS Economics
• BS Industrial Management (no longer admitting new students)
• BS Integrated Business and Engineering
• BS Supply Chain Information and Analytics (no longer admitting new students)
• BS Supply Chain Operations Management
• MS Business Analytics and Information Management (BAIM)
• Master of Business and Technology (MBT)
• MS Finance
• MS Global Supply Chain Management (residential program only)
• MS Marketing

Important Notice: As this is subject to change, please verify whether your degree program qualifies for STEM OPT by checking the CIP code on your I-20: Verify online here.

Once your work authorization (OPT/STEM OPT/AT) under J-1 or F-1 visa expires, you will need sponsorship from your employer to continue working in the U.S. For sponsorship, you will need to work with your employer to apply. For more guidance, you may consult an immigration attorney.

The H-1B is the most common work visa; however, it is subject to an annual cap (lottery) so it is not guaranteed. In case you are not selected for the H-1B, it’s important to have a back-up option. Some back-up options include applying for a position at a cap-exempt employer (such as colleges and universities; organizations affiliated with colleges and universities; or nonprofit research or government entities), pursuing another work visa (such as L-1, NIW, O-1, EB, etc.), returning to your home country to work, or applying for jobs in another country. For undergraduate students, you may consider pursuing a graduate program in the U.S. as this would give you more time to gain work experience in the U.S. under CPT/OPT and give you a better chance at receiving the H-1B. There are currently 20,000 H-1B visas allocated for U.S. advanced degree holders.