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F-1 Student Employment Options

On-Campus Employment Eligibility
As a foreign student, you are permitted to take on-campus employment under the following conditions:

  • You must be in good academic standing.
  • You must not work more than 20 hours per week when your university is in session. (There are no limitations on work duration during vacation periods.)
  • On-campus employment includes work given and paid for by The Cooper Union. This includes work performed on the school premises that provides services directly for the Cooper community, as well as work outside of the school premises that has an educational affiliation with your college. Off-campus employment must constitute an integral part of your program.
  • To view on-campus job opportunities visit CooperConnect.

On-Campus Employment Regulations

  • You are responsible for tracking how many hours you work. The International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) does not monitor this for each student. Your department likely will not be fully aware of international student regulations. If you work more than 20 hours per week (or 40 hours per week during an official school break), then you are at risk of having your immigration record terminated.
  • You are not permitted to work after the end date on your I-20. You should always be aware of your I-20 end date and take steps to extend your document if you will not be graduating and wish to continue work on-campus.
  • Your passport should remain valid while you are employed on-campus. If your passport will expire, then you need to take the steps to renew it well before the expiration.

Off-Campus Employment:

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
Students with an F-1 visa can participate in off-campus employment under Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for a period of one year. At The Cooper Union, CPT is offered for Art, Bachelor and Master of Engineering, Bachelor of Architecture, and Masters of Science in Architecture. 

For Art and Engineering students, your eligibility for off-campus CPT employment includes the following:

  • You must have completed 2 semesters of studies (excluding summer) with an active F-1 status. 
  • The work to be done must be an integral part of your program of study.
  • You must receive an internship job offer before applying.
  • You are allowed to work part-time (less than 20 hours/week) while school is in session or full-time (more than 20 hours/week) while school is on break (e.g., summer and winter breaks).

For all Architecture students, your eligibility for off-campus CPT employment includes the following:

  • You must be a rising third, fourth-, and fifth-year Bachelor of Architecture student or Masters of Architecture student.
  • The work to be done must be an integral part of your program of study.
  • For all interested, the entire application and approval process must be completed and submitted to: monica.shapiro@cooper.edu BEFORE 1 JUNE, so that the required 8 weeks of employment can be accomplished.

Note that if you are given the authorization to take a full-time employment for one year under CPT, you will no longer be eligible to apply for post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT). If you do CPT part time throughout the year, then that will not affect your OPT application.

CPT Forms:
School of Art 
School of Engineering
School of Architecture
     *Additional Architecture specific information

Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) 
To be eligible for Post-Completion OPT of studies employment you must have completed 2 semesters of studies, prior to graduation, excluding summers, in F-1 status. Your employment also must be related to your area of studies. You do not need to find employment at the time of application and you are allowed up to 90 days of unemployment while you are on Post-Completion OPT. 

For More information on the application process please click on the link below. Note that if you complete your program and take up another higher degree program, you are entitled to an additional 12 months of OPT.

Pre-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) 
*Not used often because it reduces your Post-Completion OPT time after graduation
To be eligible for Pre-Completion OPT of studies employment you must have completed 2 semesters of studies, excluding summers, as F-1 status. Your employment also must be related to your area of studies. There is no limitation on work duration during vacation periods, but you are limited to 20 hours of work per week when the school is in session.

Note that the time spent for work during Pre-Completion OPT employment is part of the 12 months Post-Completion OPT given by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to international students with F-1 visas. Thus, the number of months remaining is the number of months you will work during your Post-Completion OPT.

Severe Financial Hardship Employment
*Difficult to attain unless you have legal evidence to prove this request.
International students with F-1 visas who are facing serious financial hardship may be allowed to work if the financial needs result from unforeseen circumstances. They should have tried other employment options with no success. They are also required to obtain approval from the ISSO office. Employment under severe financial hardship has no limitation during vacation periods. However, students working under financial hardships are limited to 20 hours of work during the academic year.

Obtaining a Social Security Number (SSN)
A Social Security card is required for everyone who works in the U.S., even non-immigrants. On the card will be a unique Social Security Number (SSN) that you will keep for life and kept private due to identity theft issues. You will need the number for many purposes in the U.S. including employment and paying taxes. A Social Security card is not a work permit. For more information, visit Social Security Administration (SSA).

An F-1 student can obtain a social security number by contacting the ISSO and gathering the items listed on this checklist: How to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN)

For the Social Security Employment Letter Template only:
International Students and Scholars Office Employer Letter Template

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.