Frequently Asked Questions about Student Employment

How do I go about hiring a student employee?

Visit the Recruit Student Employees page for details about how to hire students in your department.

What are the benefits to students who choose to work on campus?

Students who work on campus are exempt from the FICA tax. They pay a total of 7.5 percent less tax on the income they earn as student employees. They also have the added benefit of working in close proximity to where they are going to class and studying.

Are there benefits for me to hire student employees who have Federal Work-study awards?

Not from a budget standpoint, but students who have been awarded Federal Work-Study (FWS) awards have been identified as students who are in need of help in financing their education. When you employ a FWS award recipient, you are providing an opportunity to a student who is especially in need of help, and the Career Center encourages you to consider FWS award recipients. Some departments limit their positions to FWS students only. However, the current university budget structure incorporates FWS money at a university level--your individual budget must be able to cover all wages whether the student has a FWS award or not.

Do students have enrollment requirements to work on campus?

Yes, Students must be enrolled during the current quarter at least half-time to be considered for and retain student employment. Other enrollment requirements are as follows:

• Undergraduate students must be enrolled for six quarter hours (or "half-time status") during a regular quarter. Undergraduates who are on F-1 or J-1 must be enrolled full time (12 credit hours).
• Graduate students must be enrolled for four quarter hours (equivalent of one class) during a regular quarter. Graduate students who are on F-1 or J-1 must be enrolled full time (8 credit hours).

What's the maximum number of hours a student can work on campus when school is in session?

Students can work a maximum of 25 hours per week when school is in session to remain in compliance with university regulations. International students with F-1 or J-1 status can work a maximum of 20 hours per week when school is in session to comply with Federal regulations.

What are the work hour requirements if a student works more than one job on campus?

While students can have more than one on-campus job at DePaul, they cannot work more than a total of 25 hours per week; 20 hours for international students (those with F-1 or J-1 status). If a student works two jobs, be sure to complete a Work Schedule Agreement Form. As a supervisor, you must also sign this form, agreeing to keep the student employee's weekly hours at 25 or fewer. Hours worked in multiple positions will be incorporated into one paycheck.

Are student employees eligible to work more than their 20-25 hours maximum during school breaks?

Yes. Students can work more than the maximum 20-25 hours during winter break, spring break and summer. Keep in mind that students must be paid overtime for any time worked over 40 hours per week during breaks, just like any other University employee paid by the hour would be. Student employees must return to the 20-25 hours limitation (depending on status) once the next school term begins.

Are student employees entitled to breaks during the workday?

By law, any employee working more than 7.5 consecutive hours is entitled to a minimum of 20 minutes of unpaid time for lunch. Employees working less than that are not entitled to break time. While you are not required by law to give part-time employees a break if their works shifts are less than 7.5 hours, the Career Center encourages you to allow student employees an unpaid lunch break when their shift happens over the lunch hour. Your student employee may be coming to work straight from class and not have time to stop for lunch.

My student employee is graduating this spring; can they continue to work over the summer?

Once a student has completed the requirements for graduation they may work until the start of the next quarter. For example; if a student graduates at the end of spring quarter they may work over the summer, but must stop working for DePaul prior to the start of the fall quarter. Exception: International students must immediately stop working as a student employee upon completion of graduation requirements.

How much should I pay my student?

When you post a new position, the Career Center evaluates that position and grades it, assigning a pay range based on the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to perform that job. This ensures that similar jobs in departments all over campus have the similar pay ranges. Positions are paid based on the nature of the job. To get an idea of what types of jobs pay what types of wages, visit the Job Descriptions & Pay Rates page and select similar positions. If you have further questions on pay ranges for student positions, contact the Student Employment Assistant at the Career Center.

May I pay a student over the pay range allotted by the position description?

We don't suggest it. The best way to ensure that you get the right students for your jobs is to maintain the standards set forth by your job description and the corresponding pay grade. These pay grades extend to positions across departments, and staying within them ensures that students working in the same type of job in different departments are making the same amount of money. If the student you'd like to give a raise to is performing more or different tasks, consider submitting a new position to be classified at a higher pay range.

May I pay a student employee a stipend or salary instead of a wage?

Any student employee who is not teaching or conducting research should be paid on an hourly basis whether they are a graduate student or not. This allows the university, the department and the employee to better track the amount of work done and the proper compensation for such services.

Can tuition waivers be used as compensation?

No. A student cannot be paid though the form of a tuition waiver. All student employment positions must be paid by hourly wage or stipend. Tuition waivers are issued through academic departments.

What is a job code?

A job code is the four-digit number used to classify a position based on knowledge, skills and abilities and the appropriate Ladder of Employment level. Job codes are also used as a reference in the Peoplesoft system for pay ranges. For more information, visit the job descriptions and pay rates page.

What should I do if I am experiencing a disciplinary problem with my student employee?

Student employees are subject to the Progressive Discipline Policy. Please follow the progressive disciplinary chart as a part of the policy and consult the Student Employment staff of the Career Center before terminating any student employee or with any questions.

Do I have to give my student employee a performance appraisal?

Yes. Student Employees are entitled to a yearly performance appraisal. Review the Student Employee Performance Appraisal Policy for more information.

What is a graduate assistant?

Specifically, a graduate assistant is a student who is enrolled as a full-time graduate student who receives a stipend for services rendered working at 20 hours per week (usually tied to an area of academic pursuit). Typically, graduate assistants perform in capacities such as research assistants, teaching assistants, or internships. A full assistantship at DePaul is considered working the equivalent of 20 hour work week.

How are graduate assistants paid?

Graduate assistants are paid hourly or by a stipend. A full graduate assistantship is considered 20 hours per week.

How should a graduate assistantship be reflected on the Student Employment Action Form?

For example, a student who is getting an assistantship for 5 hours a week should be classified as a quarter-time (25%) assistantship at 5 hours a week, 10 hours a week would be half-time (50%) at 10 hours per week, etc. These percentages and hours would be defined on the SEAF. Improperly defined assistantships can cause students to appear as working too many hours per week and jeopardize the university's FICA exemption. In the case of international students, it can cause a student to be in violation of their visa. Obviously, the amount of the stipend should accurately reflect the percentage of the assistantship.

Example: A full-time assistantship in Art pays $6,000 per academic year.

Note: Stipend amounts are determined by the hiring department.

Can a graduate assistant be enrolled part-time?

Graduate assistants should be full-time students, or enrolled eight or more credit hours per quarter. While technically a graduate student only needs to be enrolled half-time (four credit hours) to be eligible for student employment, DePaul encourages that assistantships be awarded to full-time students (eight or more credit hours).