Student Employment Guide for Students:
These policies and procedures pertain to all on-campus student work experiences.
Full-Fee Paying:
A student employee must be a full-fee paying student. Full-fee paying requirement means:
- Undergraduate student employees must be enrolled for a minimum academic load of ten credit hours.
- Graduate student employees must be enrolled for a minimum academic load of eight credit hours*
*Graduate student employees who have completed all course work on their approved Plan of Study, except for thesis or research work, will be considered full-fee paying if enrolled for a minimum of two credit hours of thesis or research.
A waiver of the credit load requirement may be provided once each academic year for one quarter with the understanding that either the student will enroll for the full credit requirement in succeeding quarters, or the student is enrolled in a terminal or graduating quarter. Associated Student (AS) employment policies include additional details for AS employment.
Work study student employees must meet financial aid eligibility enrollment criteria, which includes less than full-time enrollment options.
Break Period Employment:
To be eligible to work during a break period, the student employee must have been a full-fee paying student the quarter immediately prior to the break and must intend to continue enrollment as a full-fee paying student in a degree or certificate program in the quarter immediately after the break. Summer enrollment is not a requirement to work during summer break. After completion of their last final, student employees are allowed to work up to full-time (40 hours per week) during break periods in a student employment position.
Background Check:
A student must successfully pass a background check for employment in a security sensitive position. Department hiring officials determine which positions require background checks. Human Resources will provide a Security Sensitive Position Assessment form for guidance to determine whether a position requires a background check. Please contact the Human Resources Employment Unit if you mark “yes” to any questions on the form.
I-9 Form:
A student must be eligible to work in the U.S. as evidenced by a completed I-9 form kept on file per University records retention requirements. Please refer to Completing the I-9 Form website to ensure compliance in completing and retaining the form.
It is recommended that any department personnel responsible for completing the form receive training from Human Resources Payroll/Benefit Services.
For every new department a student employee works for, she/he must complete a new I-9 Form.
W-4 Form:
A new employee must submit a completed W-4 form* to his/her department before any work is performed. The completed W-4 form must contain:
- Employee’s United States Social Security Number, OR
- Receipt of application for a U.S. Social Security Number. The employee must notify Human Resources of their number once it has been issued.
*Any substitute for the W-4 form must be deemed acceptable by the Attorney General’s Office before work may begin. Contact Human Resources at 360-650-7718 for clarification, if needed.
Student Employee Status:
A student is NOT eligible for student employment if she/he has another non-student employment position at the university. For example:
- Temporary or permanent classified staff, administrative exempt staff, or faculty employment position.
- A student with a student employment position who subsequently receives university employment in a non-student employment classification.
A student employment position must not result in the displacement of employed workers or impair existing contracts for services.
For International Students:
Any international student in F-1 or J-1 visa status may work on campus up to 19 hours per week while school is in session, as long as she/he is enrolled full-time.
· A student may work up to full time during break periods if she/he intends to register the following quarter.
For details about employing International Students, please contact International Programs and Exchanges at 360-650-3298.