Will using full-time CPT now hurt my future OPT?

One rule to know: 12 months or more of FULL-TIME CPT at one degree level removes OPT eligibility for that level. Part-time CPT doesn't count toward that limit. If a future OPT matters to you - usually first-master's students - we plan around it now: part-time CPT, or keeping your total full-time CPT under 12 months (for example, a one-year track where full-time CPT doesn't run the full 12 months).