The Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) hosted an international student roundtable on Thursday, to discuss students’ eligibility for internships in the U.S.
The Trump administration sent a memo in August directing universities to authorize off-campus work permits for international students only when an internship is an integral part of a student’s curriculum.
Four higher education groups brought on a lawsuit against the administration regarding the memo, including the Association of American Universities (AAU), of which Stanford is a founding member.
The plaintiffs asked the court to block this action, which they say reversed a federal position that had stood for more than 35 years and effectively ended the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) program that authorizes elective, for-credit internships for international students. A federal judge in Massachusetts heard arguments on Friday in Association of American Universities v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
ASSU is working with University administrators, including the Bechtel International Center and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education (VPUE), on potential responses to the Trump administration’s latest guidance on CPT. The Undergraduate Senate (UGS) is drafting and consulting with Stanford’s international community on several proposals to the University.
“We’re particularly interested in understanding how changes to CPT policies have affected students across different majors and career paths. We want to hear what’s worked, what hasn’t and whether there are solutions already being implemented in certain departments or at other universities that Stanford could learn from,” said UGS co-chair Laila Ali ’28.
Several of Stanford’s peer institutions, including UC Berkeley, UCLA and the University of Pennsylvania, have since paused or narrowed CPT approvals. Stanford followed suit on Sept. 1, when the Bechtel International Center told international students in an email that the University would pause “all CPT applications that are not required for degree completion, effective immediately and until further notice.” The pause is also posted on the center’s website.
The only potential exception at Stanford to the Trump administration’s strict interpretation of CPT, according to the ASSU panel, is the Earth Systems Program, which requires all declared students to complete an internship to graduate.
Earth Systems majors on the panel said that Bechtel was not able to confirm whether the program’s requirement constitutes an exemption from the administration’s policy.
Stanford international students could also activate pre-Optional Practical Training (OPT) for off-campus work like summer internships; however, OPT is intended for full-time employment post-graduation.
“If you’re not a STEM major, say, [an] international relations [major], you don’t qualify for the two-year extension on your one-year OPT, so using pre-OPT effectively uses up most of your OPT,” said Angikar Ghosal, a third-year Ph.D. student at the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and an executive ASSU member who attended the panel.
At the Friday hearing, U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick heard arguments on the plaintiffs request for a preliminary injunction, which would temporarily block the guidance while the lawsuit proceeds. The groups have asked that any order apply to all of their member schools, including Stanford. Kobick took the matter under advisement without issuing a ruling, according to court records, leaving the guidance in effect until she rules.
The federal government has asked the court to deny the request. In an Oct. 28 filing, Justice Department lawyers argued that the groups lack standing to sue because no enforcement action has been taken against any school, and that the guidance does not create a new rule but clarifies existing requirements.
“Plaintiffs and their members can continue to authorize CPT for international students,” the filing said, as long as the training is integral to a student’s field of study.
Declarations filed by the groups describe how other universities have responded. At the University of Wisconsin, CPT approvals fell 60% from fall 2025 to fall 2026. Cornell University said that since the guidance was issued, it has stopped authorizing CPT for internships tied to course requirements, its engineering co-op program and dissertation research.
The CPT guidance is the latest in a series of federal actions affecting international students since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. ASSU panelists estimated that the Democratic landslide in the midterm elections might press the Trump administration to reverse related policies.
In April 2025, four Stanford students and two recent graduates had their student visas revoked. In October, the Department of Homeland Security proposed charging schools $70,000 for each international student’s initial application for OPT and $30,000 for each renewal.
“Often the folks with the best solutions are the closest to the problem. It’s no different here,” said Ashton Dolce ’29, co-chair of the UGS Communications Committee. “International students have experienced a lot these past two years, and we want their concerns to be heard and shared with Stanford’s administration.”