International students—CPT and OPT for summer internships

Hello Monkeys, I have a question regarding using CPT and OPT for summer internships. My school only allows us to use 2 CPTs in total, and I got a gig for freshman year summer. I’m wondering if I should use my CPTs for freshman and sophomore year summer, and use part of my 12 months OPT for junior year summer, assuming I go into IB? In that case, how many months of OPT do I need to have when I start full time in order to go through one H1-B cycle? Thank you very much for your inputs!

TLDR: how many months of OPT do I need to have left to start full time in IB as international?

3 Comments
 

Filing start date for H1b in FY2022 was April 1st and the time required for USCIS to come to a decision is six months or more.
If your employer files for H1b while you are still on F1/OPT, then your F1 should be extended automatically. You have no work authorization though after OPT ends. Therefore time required on OPT is the graduation date plus the time until April 1st or until the employer files the application.

This is assuming that the OPT employer is also the H1b sponsoring party and that you were selected in the H1b lottery.

 

Is there any way you can get your school to grant you more than 2 CPTs? Because you can actually work on a CPT full time for 12 months, without it invalidating your OPT. So, that easily gives you enough room to intern for all 3 summers of college (adds up to around 6-8 months of CPT). My school approved me for more than 2 CPTs. So, definitely talk to the international students office at your school and see if you can get them to be more flexible with this. Good luck with everything!

 

Eum illo dicta est accusamus modi id et. Earum illo qui dolorum labore natus commodi. Qui consequuntur aliquam possimus odio. Beatae et excepturi deserunt corrupti. Aliquid iste animi quod repellendus.

Perspiciatis molestiae non tenetur explicabo vitae. Modi aut non cupiditate quo et. Quam rem non nihil voluptatum. Error veniam et et eos recusandae. Nobis quia veniam cupiditate adipisci. Vel accusantium occaecati earum ut ea.

Aliquam nisi dolore nihil dicta quisquam. Illum iste voluptatibus deleniti nam. Voluptatem delectus recusandae ea qui explicabo nisi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”