US government warns universities to limit their authorisation of Curricular Practical Training work placements

Short on time? Here are the highlights:

• The US immigration department is warning universities to authorise Curricular Practical Training (CPT) – e.g., in-study work placements – only when this is essential to a student’s completion of their degree programme
• It says the CPT system is currently allowing some students to gain employment even if the work is not related to their mandatory course requirements
• In two memos issued in Augus 2026, the government warns that universities that extend CPT beyond regulatory requirements may face removal of their SEVP certification, which would prevent them from enrolling international students

The Trump administration continues to signal its intent to restrict international students’ work opportunities in the United States. For example, it has announced that it is:

• Considering a US$100,000+ fee for post-study Optional Practical Training (OPT) placements. The OPT work stream is among US universities’ top competitive strengths when recruiting talented international students, and research shows that more than half of international students would not choose the US if they could not access it.



• Applying greater scrutiny to Curricular Practical Training (CPT) placements, as articulated in two broadcast memos issued by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement department (ICE) on 12 August and 24 August. CPT allows a student (domestic or international) to complete an internship or practicum offered by a sponsoring employer through a co-operative agreement with the student’s school.

In the memos, ICE says that the Student and Visa Exchange Programme (SEVP) is showing an uptick in “CPT authorisations that do not meet regulatory requirements, specifically those not constituting an integral part of an established curriculum.” The insinuation here is that some institutions are promoting CPT as a general work route rather than as an essential curriculum requirement. The department warns: “If SEVP suspects that school officials are abusing CPT to create work opportunities rather than academic studies, they may be subject to additional scrutiny and action from SEVP and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), to include potential withdrawal of the school’s SEVP certification.”

The department cautions: “In any instance where an elective course is optional, making the CPT optional, the integral and required aspects of CPT would not be met … [CPT should be authorised only] if its absence would make the attainment of a degree an impossibility.”

The State Department has neither imposed the US$100,000 OPT fee nor amended the CPT programme through law. However, the department is clearly communicating its concern around both programmes, and this is serving a two-fold rhetorical purpose:

• To warn prospective international students that access to work in the US is far from certain for them;
• To discourage universities from linking academic programmes with work routes in their promotional or operational activities.

Most universities are pausing their authorisation of elective CPT programmes while continuing their curriculum-linked CPT. Even though the memos are, as Carnegie Mellon has called them, “extra-regulatory,” they carry enforceable actions. If a university were be seen to be abusing the CPT system, it could have its SEVP certification removed and would thus be barred from enrolling international students.

Even though the guidance will be a concern for all universities and colleges, the cautions from ICE may be especially aimed at a small group of US institutions that are colloquially known as “Day 1 CPT” universities, and where the promotion of work-integrated learning via CPT placements is a dominant feature of the business model. The critique that attaches to such institutions is essentially that they are over-promoting or overusing CPT, and providing a mechanism for students to bridge visa status while they remain in the US in the hopes of transitioning to an H-1B visa or otherwise preserving their ability to work in the country.

A potential OPT fee and CPT warnings are just two layers of the Trump administration’s mission to limit opportunities for international students in the US. On 15 September, the new rule replacing Duration of Status (D/S) with an Admit-Until-Date (AUD) system comes into force. For those needing background on the importance of this change, we have covered this extensively over the summer, including in this article.  

The imminent end of D/S has created additional uncertainty for US universities attempting to update systems and advise students, and it appears to have already dampened demand for study in the US. International enrolments declined in 2025, especially in graduate programmes

In July 2026, Bloomberg reported on the effects of the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and to higher education and science in general:

• “Cornell University enrolled 209 fewer new grad students last year, with declines across nearly all of its schools.
• Michigan State University paused admissions to most of its advanced programs in the humanities for a year to assess them for “long-term sustainability.”
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been shaken by a 20% drop in the federally funded research that made its graduate programs into an innovation powerhouse.”

Bloomberg interviewed Chevelle Newsome, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, who said that graduate schools are in a “crisis response” mode that “will take decades to recover from.”

For most research universities, restricting CPT as per ICE’s guidance is not a big deal. At prominent institutions such as UCLA, less than a quarter of international students participate in CPT – a fraction compared with the number participating in OPT. But what is a big deal is that international students are hearing that both OPT and CPT are under greater scrutiny. The government is creating a perception that work opportunities in the US are diminishing without even having to pass laws to that effect.

There are important developments on the horizon that aim to counter that perception by curbing the government’s ability to implement more restrictive policy. For example, NAFSA and seven other educational and business organisations have filed a complaint to halt the implementation of the fixed-term admission period for international students and other visitors

The consortium is challenging the legality of the rule and has also filed a motion for a preliminary injunction that aims to prevent the rule from coming into effect. The request for an injunction will be heard in court in early September

In addition, the upcoming mid-term elections (3 November 2026) may provide for some further balance in the US system. Amid rapidly deteriorating approval ratings for President Trump, most experts expect that the mid-terms will return control of the House of Representatives to the Democrats. This would give the House more ability to counter executive action from the White House, including those concerning education and immigration.

As of this writing on 3 September 2026:

• CPT: The Department of Homeland Security says, “Nothing about [CPT] regulations has changed. However, schools and employers should consider themselves on notice: under President Trump, abuse of this generous system will no longer be tolerated.”
• OPT: A new rule on OPT was on the agenda for 2026 but is now slated for publication in February 2027. A $100,000 OPT participation fee is under discussion, but it has not transitioned to the proposal phase.
• Duration of Status: Duration of Status (D/S) will be replaced by Admit-Until-Date (AUD) on 15 September unless a preliminary injunction is delivered before then. Current international students who have not returned to the US before that date will be subject to AUD despite first enrolling under Duration of Status terms. 

For additional background, please see:

• “US Department of State issued 23% fewer study visas to international students in 2025”
• “Updated: US Department of Homeland Security publishes rule to end Duration of Status for international students”
• “US coalition files lawsuit to challenge rule ending Duration of Status admissions for international students”
• “Report: US considering a $100,000 fee for Optional Practical Training” 

Most Recent

• Australia: Decline in international higher education commencements projected for 2026
• The outlook for Indian student mobility through 2030
• Well-being and pastoral care in TNE: Supporting students to thrive across borders

Most Popular

• Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030?
• Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation 
• Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe

---

Source: monitor.icef.com