Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for International Students

As an international student, you can work in the U.S. if your work experience is part of curricular practical training (CPT).  Once you have a confirmed offer for an internship, whether off-campus or on-campus, you will need to complete an internship request form. Directly following the internship request form then you would need to make a request for CPT in the ISSS portal. Enrollment in the internship course is not approval for CPT. 

Undergraduates in the School of Engineering follow the directions below.

Graduate students in the School of Engineering, discuss with your dissertation adviser whether it is okay for you to take time away from your research to do an internship.  If your dissertation adviser approves, then contact the Director of Graduate Studies in your program for the steps to follow for CPT.

Undergraduate Internship Instructions

  • Step 1

    Obtain a confirmed offer for an internship. The dates of employment must be within the permissible window and must be included in the offer letter:

    • Spring 2025 CPT dates run from January 6 through May 1.
    • Summer 2025 internship dates span May 5 through August 10. 
    • Fall 2025 dates are to be determined.

    You may not accept internship offers outside these dates.

  • Step 2

    Please review the following information:

    • In consideration of this opportunity to earn academic credit in conjunction with this internship, you as the student are committing to represent yourself and Vanderbilt in a professional manner and to provide the indicated deliverables:
    1. Complete the online Summer Internship Subsidy Orientation & Quiz (Required).
    2. Share letter or email from internship provider confirming internship position, work location, and dates.
    3. Employer evaluation of internship performance midway and again at end of internship
    4. Internship report (Requirements will be posted in Brightspace for ES 3884). A student who fails to submit a suitable report by the deadline posted in Brightspace will not be allowed to participate in future CPT or internship for credit opportunities.
    • You will pay your normal tuition and any other required fees in the fall and spring semester or, if summer, you will pay the required $200 subsidized tuition and any other required fees.
  • Step 3
    • Please review the appropriate person as your internship course adviser according to your declared major that most closely aligns with your internship:

    Major

    CPT Adviser

    Biomedical Engineering

    Prof. Amanda Lowery (amanda.r.lowery@vanderbilt.edu)

    Chemical Engineering

    Prof. Ethan Lippmann

    (ethan.s.lippmann@vanderbilt.edu)

    Civil Engineering

    Prof. Lori Troxel

    (lori.a.troxel@vanderbilt.edu)

    Computer Science

    Your CS academic adviser

    Electrical and Computer Engineering

    Prof. Tim Holman

    (tim.holman@vanderbilt.edu)

    Engineering Science

    Prof. Yiorgos Kostoulas

    (yiorgos.kostoulas@vanderbilt.edu)

    Mechanical Engineering

    Prof. Ken Frampton

    (ken.frampton@vanderbilt.edu)

  • Step 4

    Submit an Internship Course Request (user guide can be found here)

    • You will be required to upload your offer letter containing employer name, location, and work start/stop dates
    • The form will prompt you to complete supplemental answers. Your technical answers to the following two questions WRITTEN IN THE THIRD PERSON:
      1. Explain how the practical training is an integral part of the student's program of study. Here is an example answer for this question: “The student will be learning field practices involved in the life-cycle of construction project planning and implementation.  The internship will involve application of concepts learned in structural analysis, structural design, and construction project management classes that the student has taken.”
      2. Describe the specific goals and objectives that will be achieved through the practical training and how they are related to the student’s major program of study. Here is an example answer for this question:  “The student will (a) collaborate with other developers to make genomic data available via mCODE in Microsoft’s Azure platform; (b) process genomics data in the format of mCODE; and (c) explore how to store such data in the cloud using the Azure platform.  This training will require application of knowledge learned in computer science coursework and will exercise those abilities.”
  • Approved for CPT: Next Steps

    If approved for the internship course, you will be enrolled in a section of ES 3884 for the relevant term and then you must complete the CPT request through ISSS.

    You will be responsible for completing course requirements to earn a passing grade. Successful completion of ES 3884 is a requisite to repeat CPT in future terms.