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F-1 Student Employment Options

On-Campus Employment

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 is a unique Social Security Number (SSN) that is assigned to you for life. Your SSN should remain private to help prevent identity theft issues. You will need your SSN for many purposes in the U.S., including employment and paying taxes. A Social Security card is not a work permit. 

 

F-1 students: If you are employed on-campus and are applying for a Social Security card, be sure to follow the instructions below:

  • Receive an employment offer letter (Sample Cooper Union employment letter here) - The Social Security office will not accept electronic signatures on employment letters. They will only accept original (not scanned) letters and all signatures must be in ink
  • Gather the remaining items listed on the Social Security checklist and contact the ISSO to request a DSO letter - The Social Security office will not accept electronic signatures on a DSO letter. They will only accept original (not scanned) letters and all signatures must be in ink
  • Schedule an appointment online to visit the Social Security office or walk-in to a local center nearby
  • Upload a copy of your acceptance letter from the social security office with your I-9 documents
  • Upload a copy of your social security card once it arrives with your I-9 documents

 

Eligibility and Regulations

 

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 Campus Jobs Connect.

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. 
    View a template offer letter here.
  • 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 June 1st, 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

Optional Practical Training (OPT) 

F-1 students who plan to work in the U.S. can apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT), a temporary employment authorization that provides an opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom to a practical work experience off-campus.

To be eligible for Post-Completion OPT of studies employment, you must have maintained valid F-1 status at the time of application, be physically present in the U.S., be enrolled for at least one full academic year, and intend to work or volunteer in a professional opportunity directly related to your major field of study. 

You do not need to find employment at the time of application, and you are allowed up to 90 days of unemployment while on Post-Completion OPT. You will continue to be in F-1 student visa status while you are on OPT and The Cooper Union remains to be your visa sponsor. Your employer does not need to sponsor you for OPT. 

Students are eligible for 12 months of OPT per degree level. OPT can only be used once per higher degree level even if you have multiple degrees per level. Students may apply for Post-completion  OPT up to 90 days before completion of studies and up to 60 days after, but cannot start work until they have received their EAD, employment authorization card and reached the start date on the card. 

 

For more information on the application process please click on the link below:

OPT STEM Extension

 

Certain F-1 students who receive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees may apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion optional practical training (OPT). To qualify for STEM OPT, you must meet all the following requirements:

  • Have been granted OPT and currently be in a valid period of post-completion OPT.
  • File the STEM OPT application with USCIS during the final 90 days of your post-completion OPT authorization period.
  • Have earned a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) major within the last 10 years. The degree must be from an institution that is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency and is certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) at the time you submit your STEM OPT extension application.
  • Have a paid job or job offer of at least 20 hours/week with an employer enrolled in the U.S. Government's E-Verify program, doing work that is directly related to your STEM major field of study.
  • Fully complete and sign, alongside an Employer Official from your E-Verify employer, the I-983 form.

For more information on the application process please click on the link below:

Severe Financial Hardship Employment

This status is difficult to attain unless you have legal evidence to prove this request.
If other employment opportunities are not available or are otherwise insufficient, an eligible F-1 student may request employment authorization based on severe economic hardship caused by unforeseen circumstances beyond the student's control. These circumstances may include a loss of financial aid or on-campus employment without fault on the part of the student, substantial fluctuations in the value of currency or exchange rate, inordinate increases in tuition and /or living costs, or unexpected changes in the financial condition of the student's source of support, medical bills, or other substantial and unexpected expenses. Source: [8 C.F.R. 214.2(f)(9)(ii)(C)-(D) and (F)]. F-1 students working under financial hardships are limited to 20 hours a week or less during the academic year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • 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.