Student Employment Hours Guidelines

IMPORTANT:

• Students on Student Payroll are limited to 20 hours per week regardless of the number of active work assignments they have.
• The pay week for all student employees begins on Saturday and ends on Friday.
• Students are required to take a 30-minute unpaid break if working more than five (5) consecutive hours.

These guidelines allow students to dedicate sufficient time to their studies while working on campus or in an off-campus not-for-profit agency. If you have questions about any of the items below, email isu-student-employment@indstate.edu.

Enrollment Requirement for Student Employment

An undergraduate student must be enrolled in six (6) credit hours during the Fall and Spring semesters in order to be eligible to work as a student assistant. The only exception to this rule is when a student is enrolled in their last semester of studies prior to graduating. These students are allowed to take fewer than six (6) credit hours. If a student should withdraw from classes which drops their enrollment below six (6) credit hours during a semester, the student will be ineligible to work for the University unless the student is in the last semester of their studies.

A graduate student must be enrolled in five (5) credit hours during the Fall and Spring Semesters in order to be eligible to work as a graduate assistant and/or graduate student assistant at ISU.

• The only exception to this rule is when a student is enrolled in their last semester of studies prior to graduating. These students are allowed to take fewer than five (5) credit hours. If a student should withdraw from classes which drops their enrollment below five (5) credit hours during a semester, the student will be ineligible to work for the University unless the student is in the last semester of studies.

Request to Work Over 20 Hours Appeal Policy

Students may appeal for the right to work in excess of 20 hours per week by going to this Student Resources tab on the Student Employment website and complete the Request to Work Over 20 Hours Appeal Form. After reviewing the appeal, the Student Employment Programs Coordinator will respond via email to the student and copy the supervisor with either approval or disapproval. If approval is granted the student may work up to 28 hours a week per Indiana State University guidelines. Students with a GPA under 2.75 and/or are in bad conduct standing will not be considered for an exemption. Students using their Federal Work Study allocation should keep in mind, the more hours a student works using Federal Work Study dollars the faster their allocation is spent.

International students are limited by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations to only work 20 hours a week except during breaks and summer. Freshmen students are prohibited from working over 20 hours a week per Indiana State University Guidelines except during breaks and summer.

If a graduate assistant has a 10, 15, or 20 hour per week assistantship, the difference in hours (up to 28 hours per week) can be used to work on the student payroll in another department or position.

Students that are granted an exception to work in excess of 20 hours per week may not work more than 28 hours per week under any circumstance. A written warning will be issued by Student Employment Programs to students working more than 28 hours a week and their campus employers. After the second warning, a meeting will be scheduled with the student employee and their campus supervisors to discuss solutions to keep the student(s) hours under 28 hours per week. After the third warning, the student will be terminated from their campus job. If terminated, the student may find employment with another department, however the student cannot return to the department from which they were terminated.

A written warning will be issued by Student Employment Programs to the students and their campus supervisor for those who were denied the exemption yet continue to work over 20 hours per week. After the second warning, a meeting will be scheduled with the student employee and their campus employers to discuss solutions to keep the student(s) hours under 20 hours per week. After the third warning, the student will be terminated from their campus job. If terminated, the student may find employment with another department, however the student cannot return to the department from which they were terminated.

Student Employment During Breaks

Students may work up to 28 hours per week during Thanksgiving break, Winter Recess, and Spring Break and not be enrolled in classes, but must be enrolled when classes resume.

Student Employment After Graduation

A student may work up to two (2) weeks after graduation if the student is not pursuing graduate studies at ISU the following semester. If the department wants a student to continue working, the student may be hired as a temporary employee by contacting the Human Resources department. If the student is enrolled in a graduate studies program for the following semester, the student may continue working the student job. International students are not allowed to work on campus beyond their graduation date. They should contact their immigration advisors for other employment options.

Summer Employment

All students may work up to 28 hours per week during the Summer semester and not be enrolled in classes, but must be enrolled in classes for the following Fall semester. Students enrolled in Summer classes may also work up to 28 hours per week during the Summer semester. Students enrolled in Summer classes and graduating in August may work during the Summer semester. A freshman student admitted to the University and enrolled in classes for the Fall semester may work up to 28 hours during the summer prior to the Fall semester. Federal Work Study dollars are not available during the summer. Federal Work Study dollars will be available for use starting the first week of classes.