Is this a new rule, or a new reading of an old one?

A new reading. The broadcast message restates 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(i) and announces increased scrutiny of how schools apply it. Nothing was published in the Federal Register and no comment period ran.

My CPT is already authorised. Does the broadcast cancel it?

The broadcast does not instruct schools to withdraw authorisations already granted. It addresses how DSOs decide to authorise, and it asks them to be able to document the curricular basis of authorisations SEVP examines. Anything affecting your specific authorisation would reach you from your DSO.

My school has stopped authorising CPT for my situation. Can I appeal to SEVP?

No. SEVP states that the school, not the government, defines what is and is not required to complete a degree, and the authorisation is the school's to give. The conversation is with your DSO, and the question to ask is which requirement of your programme the CPT would satisfy.

OfficialICE SEVP — Broadcast Message 2608-01, Reminder of Liability for DSOs Regarding CPT Authorization · Last verified 17 Aug 2026

CPT is harder to get authorised: what SEVP told the schools

In August 2026 SEVP warned designated school officials that it is increasing scrutiny of CPT, and that authorising it improperly can cost a school its certification. No regulation changed. What changed is the standard a school has to be ready to defend before it signs your Form I-20.

Does this affect you?

This rule works differently for two groups. Pick the one that describes you and we will highlight it — both stay on screen either way.

CPT already authorised on your current Form I-20

How to check: Your I-20 shows a CPT employer with start and end dates that your designated school official signed before 12 August 2026.

What the broadcast changed: Nothing on the face of your document. The broadcast addresses how DSOs authorise CPT. It does not instruct schools to withdraw authorisations already granted, and it does not amend the regulation your I-20 was issued under
What to do now: Keep the signed I-20 and whatever shows which part of your programme the CPT belongs to. If your school asks you to re-establish that, the request is coming from this broadcast rather than from your own file
What your school has to be able to show: That the training is an integral part of an established curriculum. SEVP states it may request documentation and other evidence for any authorisation it examines
What to watch: A message from your DSO. Schools are the party being addressed, so anything that reaches your authorisation reaches it through them

You are about to ask your school to authorise CPT

How to check: You have not yet been issued an I-20 carrying CPT dates for the work you have in mind.

What the broadcast changed: The question your DSO has to answer before signing. SEVP asks them to authorise only where the work is required for all students pursuing that degree and where its absence would make attaining the degree an impossibility
What to do now: Ask your DSO which requirement of your programme the CPT satisfies, and get that answer before you accept an offer that depends on it
What your school has to be able to show: The same standard, applied before it signs rather than after. SEVP states that the school, not the government, defines what a degree requires — so the answer can differ between institutions
What to watch: Your programme's published requirements. An authorisation now rests on them, and they are set by the school

This is general information, not advice about your case. If your situation does not match either group cleanly, that is exactly what your designated school official is there to answer.

What SEVP sent the schools

On 12 August 2026 the Student and Exchange Visitor Program issued Broadcast Message 2608-01, "Reminder of Liability for DSOs Regarding CPT Authorization", to the principal designated school officials and designated school officials at every SEVP-certified school. SEVP states it has observed a rise in CPT authorisations that do not meet regulatory requirements — specifically ones that are not an integral part of an established curriculum — and that it is increasing its scrutiny of CPT approvals as a result. A broadcast message is not a rule. It is the agency telling schools how it reads a regulation and what it intends to investigate, and it took effect on publication rather than after a comment period.

Source: ICE SEVP — Broadcast Message 2608-01, Reminder of Liability for DSOs Regarding CPT Authorization · in effect from 2026-08-12

The test a school is asked to apply

SEVP asks DSOs to authorise CPT only where its absence would make attaining the degree an impossibility, and where the work associated with it is required for all students pursuing that degree. It asks them to review CPT requests against the institution's current academic requirements across all fields of study, to keep records supporting the curricular necessity of each authorisation, and to consult their SEVP field representative on specific cases. SEVP reserves the right to request documentation and other evidence to identify whether the training is a core and essential part of the student's studies. It states plainly that CPT cannot be authorised solely for the purpose of employment.

Source: ICE SEVP — Broadcast Message 2608-01, Reminder of Liability for DSOs Regarding CPT Authorization · in effect from 2026-08-12

Why a message to schools lands on students

The liability described in this broadcast is the school's and the individual official's, not the student's — and that is precisely why it changes what a student can get. When a DSO signs or re-signs a Form I-20 to authorise CPT they certify under penalty of perjury that the information is true, including that the CPT is required or otherwise integral to the curriculum. SEVP states that improper authorisation may bring administrative or legal consequences for both the institution and the individual official, up to withdrawal of the school's SEVP certification, and that suspected abuse may draw action from SEVP and Homeland Security Investigations. An official weighing that exposure is a stricter reader of a marginal request than one who is not.

Source: ICE SEVP — Broadcast Message 2608-01, Reminder of Liability for DSOs Regarding CPT Authorization · in effect from 2026-08-12

What has not changed

The regulation defining CPT is untouched, and so is everything downstream of it. CPT is still authorised by your school in SEVIS rather than by USCIS. It is still tied to a named employer and to exact dates on your I-20, and working outside those is still unauthorised employment. Twelve months or more of full-time CPT still removes optional practical training eligibility at that educational level, and part-time CPT still does not. The broadcast changes the evidence a school must be able to produce for an authorisation; it does not change what an authorisation permits once it exists.

Source: ICE SEVP — Broadcast Message 2608-01, Reminder of Liability for DSOs Regarding CPT Authorization · in effect from 2026-08-12

What to be careful about

Two errors point in opposite directions and both are expensive. The first is treating academic credit as the qualifying test — a course taken in order to make work authorisable is the pattern SEVP names when it says CPT cannot be authorised solely to create employment. The second is treating this broadcast as a ban: it is not one, and a programme with a genuine required practicum is describing exactly the case the regulation was written for. Be sceptical of any programme or agent marketing CPT availability as a feature of enrolment rather than as a consequence of a curriculum, and of anybody charging to secure an authorisation only a DSO can give. SEVP takes reports of practical-training fraud at the address published on the broadcast itself.

Source: ICE SEVP — Broadcast Message 2608-01, Reminder of Liability for DSOs Regarding CPT Authorization · in effect from 2026-08-12

Official

Frequently asked questions

Is this a new rule, or a new reading of an old one?: A new reading. The broadcast message restates 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(i) and announces increased scrutiny of how schools apply it. Nothing was published in the Federal Register and no comment period ran.
My CPT is already authorised. Does the broadcast cancel it?: The broadcast does not instruct schools to withdraw authorisations already granted. It addresses how DSOs decide to authorise, and it asks them to be able to document the curricular basis of authorisations SEVP examines. Anything affecting your specific authorisation would reach you from your DSO.
My school has stopped authorising CPT for my situation. Can I appeal to SEVP?: No. SEVP states that the school, not the government, defines what is and is not required to complete a degree, and the authorisation is the school's to give. The conversation is with your DSO, and the question to ask is which requirement of your programme the CPT would satisfy.
Does this change the 12-month full-time CPT rule?: No. Twelve months or more of full-time CPT still removes OPT eligibility at that educational level, and part-time CPT still does not. That rule is in the regulation and the broadcast does not touch it.