Co-op and Internships: Definitions, Rules and Guidelines

 International students are eligible to work for up to 12 months under the rules of curricular practical training. There are certain regulations surrounding CPT employment that must be met for both co-ops and internships:

Co-op for International Students:
Co-op refers to a full-time or part-time, paid work experience that lasts at least 3 quarters with the same employer. Students who meet the following requirements are elibigible to participate in co-op:

• Have completed (or will have completed by the start of the co-op) three quarters of full-time classes OR currently CPT eligible because transferred from another institution where completed one full academic year OR received a degree in the US and have not been out of the country longer than five months since completing that degree.
• Have a GPA of 3.0 or above (if not, exemption may be granted by Dean/Academic Advisor in certain situations).
• Have attended the mandatory CPT workshop (through main campus International Center or at Stuart).
• The co-op is related to major field of study.
• Will NOT be working on-campus during full-time co-op (on campus job and part-time co-op cannot exceed 20 hours/week).
• Taking no more than 2 classes per quarter during co-op (2 classes is the MAXIMUM number of classes you can take during full-time co-op)
• Have enough time on visa to complete 3 quarters of co-op (IIT allows 3 years to complete the program)
• The employer has agreed to hire student for at least three quarters.

Additional information regarding co-op:

• The registration fee for co-op is $200/quarter.
• Co-op carries administrative (not academic) credit.
• Co-ops must follow the academic calendar. Please check the OCS calendar for the deadlines.
• All students participating in co-op must receive approval from their academic advisor, the Office of Career Services, and the International office BEFORE the co-op can begin. Approval must be granted EACH QUARTER. Download the approval forms here.

Internships for International Students
Internships are paid or unpaid work experiences that must be a minimum of one quarter. Guidelines for internship eligibility are as follows:

• Internship must be part-time during the academic year (full time internship is allowed during annual vacation).
• An internship and on-campus job combined cannot exceed 20 hours.
• Internship is a MINIMUM of 80% of the quarter (8 weeks).
• Student must have completed (or will have completed by the start of the co-op) three quarters of full-time classes OR is currently CPT eligible because has transferred from another institution where completed one full academic year OR has received a degree in the US and has not been out of the country longer than five months since completing that degree.
• Student has a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.

Additional information regarding internships:

• The registration fee for an internship is $100/quarter.
• Internships carry administrative (not academic) credit.
• Internships must follow the academic calendar. Please check the OCS calendar for the deadlines.
• All students participating in co-op must receive approval from their academic advisor, the Office of Career Services, and the International office BEFORE the co-op can begin. Approval must be granted EACH QUARTER. Download approval forms here.

Internships & Co-ops for Domestic Students
If you are a a domestic student and wish to have your internship or co-op appear on your transcript for administrative (not academic) credit, then you must complete the necessary paperwork and receive approval from the Office of Career Services. Please contact us for further information.

FEES: Please note that all students who participate in internships or co-ops must pay a registration fee for each:

Internships: $100/quarter Co-ops: $200/quarter