Info on International Students in CELR Courses

Due to recent broadcast messages from SEVP, CPT (Curricular Practical Training) will only be authorized for training required of all students to complete a program of study with employers who have an established cooperative agreement with the school. All pending CPT requests have been dismissed and no new CPT requests will be accepted until 09/18/2026. For more up-to-date information view the Curricular Practical Training page under International Student Services.

Guidance for Students

Students who are affected

• Students holding F-1 status must receive prior authorization (Curricular Practical Training) before engaging with off-campus community partners.
• Students on other visa statuses (like H-4 dependents) may not be able to legally engage with off-campus community partners and are encouraged to speak to their attorney prior to participating.
• First-year students and students who have not yet declared a major are not eligible for CPT. Faculty will need to make other arrangements for students to fulfill course requirements (see below).

Engaging with partners includes:

• Participating in off-campus activities (e.g., volunteering, interning, or site-based learning that takes place off the main UW Bothell campus)
• Completing work on behalf of an external partner (e.g., creating social media content, curricula, reports, data visualizations, etc.)

Volunteering only covers work for civic, charitable, or humanitarian purposes. Work performed for companies or for-profit entities is never seen as volunteering.

Applying for CPT

• Eligible F-1 students must apply to International Student Services (ISS) for CPT before beginning any work with/for external partners. Processing time is typically 1-2 weeks.
• Eligible students should reach out to CELR staff at uwbcelr@uw.edu as soon as you register for a course or get placed with a partner for assistance in obtaining an authorization letter that is needed before you apply with ISS.
• Community Partners can use this Google Docs template for CPT Authorization (use File and Download to make a copy to edit from your computer).

Guidance for Faculty

Please note that the stakes are very high for our international F-1 students. Working without authorization is a serious violation of F-1 status. Students face an immediate termination of status and may be barred from reentering the United States for up to ten years.

Recommended Syllabus Language

We encourage you to incorporate the language below into your syllabus and share it with students in the first week of the quarter.

International F-1 Students: This course involves off-campus activities and/or work with community partners. You must contact your academic advisor and International Student Services (ISS) at the beginning of the quarter to determine whether CPT authorization is required. You may not begin off-campus work or partner-based projects without prior approval. Completing unauthorized work is a violation of F-1 status and could result in termination of your status. If you are not eligible for CPT, we will work with you to develop alternative assignments.

Faculty Support & Alternatives

If students are not eligible for CPT or cannot complete off-campus work for any reason, please contact the Office of Connected Learning (uwbcelr@uw.edu). Our team will work with you to identify on-campus placements for students or develop alternative assignments that enable students to fulfill course requirements.