Office of International Education

UC Santa Cruz

F-1 Student Employment

All employees must obtain a Social Security Number (SSN). Instructions on how to obtain a Social Security Card are available in the Student File and Document Library.

On-Campus Employment

International students can work on-campus up to 20 hours/week during the academic terms and full-time during the vacation or break periods. Special authorization from the USCIS is not required to work on-campus as long as you are in valid F-1 student status and pursuing a full course of study. Once you complete your study program you are no longer eligible to be employed on-campus without special authorization -- i.e., Optional Practical Training (see below). On-campus employment is employment engaged in at UCSC such as a teaching or research assistantship, employment in the University Center, library aide, etc. Generally speaking, this means that you will be receiving a paycheck from this university.

Off-Campus Employment

A summary of the options for off-campus employment for F-1 students is provided below. No matter which off-campus employment option you pursue, the following items apply for all applicants.

  • Off-campus employment requires some form of written or documented authorization issued by the International Advisor and the USCIS.
  • You must be currently in legal status and have been enrolled as an F-1 student in the US for a minimum of one academic year (9 months).
  • Employment, both on and off campus together, is limited to 20 hours per week or less while school is in session and can be full-time during the vacation or break periods.

CURRICULAR PRACTICAL TRAINING

CPT Application Process:

  1. Sign up to attend an Employment Workshop. Use the OIE Event Registration System to sign up for a session.
  2. Download and complete Curricular Practical Training (CPT) Guidelines from the Student Forms and Documents Library.
  3. Meet with an ISSS International Advisor.
  4. Obtain SEVIS I-20: After submitting the required CPT documents to ISSS, an International Adviser will enter the CPT employment information into the SEVIS database. This action will generate a new SEVIS I-20 Form with authorization for employment listed on page 3 of the I-20 Form. Forms can take 5 business days to process. Students will be contacted by email when the new I-20 is ready for pick up. Students do not need to meet with an International Adviser after submitting the required CPT documents, unless there are additional questions. The new I-20 will be available in Classroom Unit - Room 107.

Provide a copy of the SEVIS I-20 to your employer. Students should keep the original I-20.

CPT is defined as alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or other type of required internship or practicum which is offered by sponsoring employers through cooperative agreements with UCSC.
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is off-campus employment or an internship required to complete your degree or thesis/project. CPT is limited to part-time while classes are in session and may be full-time during the break periods. If you complete 1 year or more of FULL TIME CPT you will lose all of your OPT. Part time CPT does not count against your OPT.

Authorization for CPT is granted by ISSS and can take about 1 week. No fee is required.

CPT Authorization is company specific, your CPT authorization will end whenever you stop working for the company indicated on your I-20 or when you reach the CPT end date indicated on your I-20, whichever is sooner. If you stop working for the company you were initially authorized for your MUST notify ISSS immediately. You can not begin another internship/employment without another CPT authorization from ISSS.