Black Hills State University: Can an arriving F-1 student fund private rent with an off-campus internship immediately?

DIRECT ANSWER

Retained institutional guidance only, not a comprehensive immigration rule or individual work authorization. No internship/job or guaranteed processing time inferred.

The retained BHSU CPT guidance says eligibility may arise after one year of study, described as two semesters at BHSU, and requires designated-school-official approval before work starts. Its request form should be submitted for review two weeks before the proposed start. Do not assign an unapproved or not-yet-eligible internship’s wages to a lease. CPT eligibility and authorization are different from the published on-campus work-hour ceilings.