Employment and Taxes
Before starting any work in the United States, please be sure to review the information on the Office of Global Learning’s site. You should also confirm with our DSOs that you are eligible to work by emailing our team at studentaffairs@tech.cornell.edu.
On-Campus Work
If you work with a professor at Cornell Tech or Weill Cornell, it is considered on-campus employment. F-1 students do not need special authorization to work on campus.
While classes are in session, you can legally work a maximum of 20 hours per week. (Please be advised that Cornell limits Masters students to work a maximum of 10 hours per week.)
Before beginning any work, please reach out to our team for the required paperwork so you can be hired.
F-1 CPT (For Off-Campus Work Before Graduation)
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is temporary employment authorization that makes it possible for an F-1 international student to work off-campus in their field of study only.
CPT could be full-time (over 20 hours a week) during the summer and the winter semester break provided you are not enrolled in a class that runs during the break, or part-time (limited to 20 hours of total employment per week, including any on-campus positions) during the academic year. If you’re a master’s student, you must get written permission from your program director to work more than 10 hours per week. This permission should be sent to studentaffairs@tech.cornell.edu and include your name and the number of hours you will be permitted to work per week.
Eligibility: You’re an F-1 student with an active SEVIS record at the time of application, and you’ve been in full-time student status for at least one academic year (two full semesters) preceding the CPT application. Students may not take on CPT during their first semester.
PhD students should see the Office of Global Learning’s CPT webpage for enrollment information.
Master’s students – CPT Course Enrollment and Paper Requirement: At the end of each semester of CPT, students are required to submit a brief paper detailing their employment experience. The paper should be 2-5 pages in length (800 – 2000 words) and focus on the work, technical challenges, highlights, and outcomes of this internship experience.
CPT applications must be submitted according to their academic term they will occur under – for example if you are pursuing a CPT during the Fall term, the start/end CPT dates must fall within the start/end date of classes of that term. If a CPT opportunity extends beyond the actual length of the semester it starts in, students will need to submit another application for CPT for those extra dates (i.e. if you have a Fall internship that extends from September through Early January!). Those who partake in CPT over a semester break will submit their paper by the end of the following semester (Fall or Spring).
Once your CPT is approved, more information regarding what should be included in each CPT paper will be sent following CPT approval. Additionally, all students partaking in CPT will be enrolled in TECH 5999 under their program director. The Student and Academic Affairs will enroll approved CPT students a few weeks into the start of the academic term. Please note that as of Summer ’24, TECH 5999 does not count towards graduation/degree requirements.
For more details, please visit the Office of Global Learning’s webpage on CPT. All CPT applications must be submitted in your myStatus portal two business weeks before you want to start CPT employment.
F-1 OPT (For Off-Campus Work After Graduation)
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a benefit and extension of F-1 student status. It lets you apply what you learned in your degree program to off-campus work in your field of study.
For more information regarding eligibility, the application process and timeline, please visit the Office of Global Learning’s webpage on OPT.
Outside of positions posted officially on Cornell’s website https://hr.cornell.edu/, Cornell Tech is unable to offer any employment, including on a volunteer basis, to recent graduates after their official university graduation date.
Visas After Graduation
Offered once each semester, Visas After Graduation for international students provides an overview of options for working long-term in the U.S. after graduation and eventually becoming a permanent resident (green card holder) if you desire.
Visas After Graduation is presented in collaboration with the law firm of Miller Mayer. You can find the most recent video recording in this folder. Even more employment presentation videos are available on the Office of Global Learning’s Immigration Workshops page.
Social Security Number (SSN)
To be eligible for a social security number, F-1 students must either:
- work on campus OR
- have obtained off-campus work authorization.
Please contact Student & Academic Affairs as we can provide you your hiring department letter and your SSN eligibility verification letter. Once you receive these letters, you can follow the steps on the Office of Global Learning page.
U.S. Income Tax
All international students are required to file at least one tax form with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)–form 8843. For detailed information on U.S. Income Tax Basics, please visit the Office of Global Learning’s website here.
Cornell provides Sprintax tax software for international students, and the software will determine which forms you need to file based on how you answer certain questions. International students should not use Turbo Tax to file taxes.
Volunteering & Unpaid Internships
Students interested in volunteering and unpaid internships should carefully review the OGL webpage: Volunteers & Unpaid Interns.