Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Students

If you are working off-campus, you must get CPT. Since academic credit is tied to CPT, you must also get academic credit by enrolling in the internship course associated with your field of study. 

If you are working on campus less than 20 hours/week, you don’t need CPT and therefore don’t have to enroll in academic credit. 

If you are working on campus more than 20 hours/week, you must get CPT and enroll in academic credit.

Yes. You will pay the normal tuition and fees associated with the number of credits you register for.

If you need CPT, you must enroll in academic credit. If the credit hours don’t count towards degree completion, the credit(s) will be considered “extra credits”. In this scenario, international students generally enroll in 1 credit hour to minimize tuition costs.

Allow up to 3 weeks from the time you email your offer letter to your internship advisor, report the internship, go through the approval process, enroll in the internship course, and receive your I-20 from ISSS.

Assuming you have an updated I-20 from ISSS, for most academic programs the soonest you can begin working under CPT each semester is the day AFTER the end of the current/previous semester for which the CPT is granted. For example, if you have CPT for the next semester, and the current semester ends on the 15th of the month, you can technically begin working on the following day, the 16th if your I-20 shows the 16th as the start date. 

CPT for each semester goes until the end of that semester. So, if the semester ends on the 15th of the month, your CPT ends on the 15th of the month. To continue working under CPT beyond the 15th of the month, you will need to go through the reporting/approval/I-20 process again. Remember to allow 3 weeks for the entire process, so start early if your employment continues beyond the end of a single semester. Remember that the position will need to meet the minimum weeks/hours requirements for each semester. 

Contact your Internship Advisor if you have questions or want to discuss your situation.

Make an appointment with an Internship Advisor

Yes. Since academic credit for internships is earned by enrolling in (and passing) an internship course, the official deadline to be enrolled in the internship course is Census Date each semester – the deadline to add classes for that semester. 

Each Internship Advisor works with students from specific majors, minors, or certificates. Please call 303-315-4000 or email Experiential.Learning@ucdenver.edu to determine who your Internship Advisor is or to schedule an appointment via Handshake.

Yes! The Experiential Learning Center (ELC) manages the Unpaid Internship Support Scholarship. Scholarships are awarded each semester, and you need to apply for the scholarship through Scholarship Universe. 

There are several levels of funding depending on how many hours a student will work at their internship over the semester. Scholarship funds are limited, so not every student that applies for the scholarship is automatically awarded the scholarship. 

If you have an unpaid internship and are interested in applying for the scholarship, contact your Internship Advisor for details.

LynxConnect is in Tivoli Annex #439, above the Comcast Media Center. The easiest way to our front door is through the exterior courtyard outside of iPIE; just south of the Tivoli Parking Garage through the walkway between the buildings to the courtyard.