ICE CPT Warning Pushes UC Berkeley and UC Davis to Suspend Course Credit Internships

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a memo on August 12, 2026 warning universities to tighten Curricular Practical Training (CPT) approvals. UC Berkeley and UC Davis suspended all Course Credit CPT applications within days. The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) said Designated School Officials (DSOs) could face personal liability. The pause breaks the elective internship route Indian F-1 students have long used for paid off-campus work.

• Indian students hold the largest F-1 cohort in the US at 331,602 as per Open Doors 2024, and lean on CPT for paid internships during study.
• The Course Credit CPT track is now paused at UC Berkeley and UC Davis; only Degree Requirement CPT continues to be processed.
• SEVP Broadcast Message 2608-01 narrowed the "integral" test and warned that non-compliant approvals could cost a university its SEVP certification.

CPT lets F-1 students work off campus while enrolled, either because the degree demands it or in exchange for course credit. The second route, more flexible and widely used, is what the ICE memo has now put in the crosshairs.

Also Read: SEVP Broadcast Messages and Official Guidance

What the ICE Memo Actually Says

SEVP issued Broadcast Message 2608-01 on August 12, 2026 to every certified school in the country. The memo restricted the term "integral" in existing regulations. Work authorisation can now only be approved when the internship is an integral part of the student’s declared major, not a general elective.

ICE warned that DSOs who "improperly" authorise CPT could face personal liability. The agency also said institutions risk losing SEVP certification, which is what lets them enrol F-1 students in the first place.

Which UC Campuses Have Paused Course Credit CPT

UC Berkeley moved first. The Berkeley International Office (BIO) announced the suspension on Thursday, August 13, 2026, one day after the ICE memo. BIO Director Ivor Emmanuel said, "we do not take this decision lightly as we know the importance that course credit CPT plays in your academic journey."

UC Davis followed with a matching pause through its Services for International Students and Scholars office. Both campuses are still processing Degree Requirement CPT, where the internship is a written condition of graduation. Other UC campuses are reviewing their programmes in the same week.

How the Pause Hits Indian F-1 Students

Indian graduate students at UC campuses use Course Credit CPT for paid internships that are not written into a course syllabus. That includes summer roles at Bay Area tech firms, research internships at national labs, and part-time jobs at start-ups.

Sandra Ding of the ASUC senate told the Daily Californian that "without CPT, basically [international students] can no longer legally work." For an Indian MS student paying USD 55,000 a year in tuition (roughly ₹46 lakh at ₹84 per dollar as of August 2026), losing a paid summer internship removes a major offset.

Indian students account for 331,602 of the US F-1 population per the 2024 Open Doors report, more than any other nationality. UC Berkeley and UC Davis alone enrol thousands of these students across master’s programmes in computer science, engineering, and data science.

What Still Works: Degree Requirement CPT and OPT

Degree Requirement CPT continues at both campuses. This is CPT where the internship is a documented condition of your degree, listed in the programme handbook. Students on cooperative-education tracks or thesis-linked industry placements should not see a change.

Optional Practical Training (OPT), the post-completion 12-month work authorisation, is not touched by the memo. STEM OPT’s 24-month extension also stands. But OPT cannot be used during a degree, so it does not solve the summer-internship gap for current students.

Check Out: Optional Practical Training (OPT) vs Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

What Indian F-1 Students Should Do Right Now

1. Ask your DSO in writing whether your specific CPT approval is affected. Some approvals already issued may still stand.
2. Check with your programme co-ordinator if the internship can be reclassified as tied to a required course in your major.
3. If you are on Fall 2026 CPT, confirm the exact status of your I-20 before you start work. Working without a valid CPT endorsement is a status violation.
4. Employers with I-9 concerns should be routed to your international office first, not answered by you directly.
5. Save every email from your DSO. If guidance shifts again, the paper trail protects your record.

The next weeks will decide how far this spreads. USC, NYU, and other high-enrolment universities have not yet announced a pause, but every SEVP-certified school received the same memo. Indian students planning Spring 2027 internships should assume the tighter rule holds, plan around Degree Requirement CPT, and lock in course choices that build the internship into the major requirement.

Also Check: F1 Student Visa Application (USA)