Student Employment Procedures

Student employment is governed by federal and state laws, as well as University policies and procedures. All faculty and staff involved in hiring, supervising, or processing student employees are responsible for reviewing and following the student employment requirements outlined in this guide.

Students who perform work for the University must be hired and paid through the appropriate student employment payroll process. Students may not be hired or paid as temporary employees in place of student employment.

IMPORTANT — FOLLOW THE STUDENT EMPLOYMENT PROCESS. All student employment must be properly authorized and processed through the University's established student employment procedures before the student begins working.

Questions?
For additional questions or assistance with student employment, please contact Career Success Services at (931) 221-6155.

Advertising

All student positions must be advertised to provide equal employment opportunities. Departments must submit a request through Handshake to advertise an available student position. Once all required approvals are received, Career Success Services will post the position on Handshake for a minimum of five (5) business days.Each posting will include the job description, pay rate, and required qualifications. Students interested in general campus student employment must apply through Handshake.After the five-business-day posting period has ended, the department's hiring manager may review applications, conduct interviews, and select the most qualified candidate(s).

Before a Student May Begin Working

Before a student begins any work or job-related training, the following requirements must be completed:

The student must have a completed Form I-9 on file.
The student's effective date of hire must be approved by Human Resources.
The department must receive confirmation that the student is approved to begin working.

Students may not begin working or training until Human Resources approval has been received. Allowing a student to work before receiving approval violates APSU policy and federal employment eligibility requirements under the Immigration Reform and Control Act and may subject the University to fines and penalties.

Filling a Student Position

After reviewing applications and conducting interviews, the department may select the student(s) it would like to hire. The department hiring manager must then complete the Student Employment Request Form to begin the hiring process.Once all required employment documentation has been received and approved by Human Resources, the student will be assigned an effective date of employment. Effective dates are established at the beginning of a pay period.After the hiring process is complete, an approval email will be sent to both the supervisor and the student employee confirming the student's approved start date and providing any necessary next steps.

IMPORTANT — APPROVAL REQUIRED

Students may not begin working or completing any job-related training until authorization has been received from Human Resources. Supervisors must wait for the approval email from Human Resources before allowing a student to begin work or training.

Switching Existing Student Employees to the General Campus

If you have a student employee who is currently employed as a:

Graduate Assistant
Resident Assistant
Temporary Employee (who is now enrolled in courses)
or Federal Work Study Student Employee

If you wish to transfer to a General Campus position, complete a Student Employment Request Form. On the form, mark the Action Item field with the appropriate transition. After the paperwork is approved by Human Resources, an effective date of employment will be assigned (at the beginning of the pay period) and processed. An approval email will be sent to the supervisor and the student employee for next steps.

NO STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO BEGIN WORKING WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM HR.

Changing a Scholarship Assignment to General Campus Employment

To change an existing Scholarship Assignment to a General Campus Student Employment position, complete the Student Employment Change Request Form.In the Action Item field, select “Change Existing Scholarship Assignment to General Campus” from the dropdown menu.Once the request is submitted:

Career Success Services will contact the student with information about attending the required orientation session.
The student must attend the required orientation and complete any required employment documentation.
Once all required paperwork has been received and approved by Human Resources, an effective date of employment will be assigned. Effective dates are established at the beginning of a pay period.
After the employment change has been processed, an approval email will be sent to both the supervisor and the student employee with the approved start date and any additional next steps.

IMPORTANT — WAIT FOR HR APPROVAL. The student may not begin working under the General Campus assignment until Human Resources has approved the employment change and the approval email has been received.

NO STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO BEGIN WORKING WITHOUT APPROVAL FROM HR.

Hourly Pay Rate Information

The hiring department may use one (1) of four (4) generic job descriptions or develop one of its own.
Students may be paid more than $7.25/hour, depending on their position classification.
The maximum hourly pay rate is $16.89.
Hourly pay rates above $16.89 are reviewed and approved on a case-by-case basis.
To change a student’s pay rate, the department must submit a Student Employment Request Form and must provide a reason for the change.

Terminating a Student Employee

When a student employee is no longer working in a position, the department must notify Human Resources so the student’s employment assignment can be ended in the payroll system.To request termination of a student employment assignment, email Human Resources and include the following information:

Student Name
Last Day Worked
Position Number

Before submitting the termination request, the department should verify that the student has accurately recorded and submitted all hours worked for payment.Once the termination has been processed, the student will no longer have access to the Web Clock or timecard for that position.

IMPORTANT — SUBMIT FINAL HOURS

All hours worked must be recorded and submitted before the student’s employment assignment is terminated. Departments should verify that the student’s final timecard is complete and accurate before requesting termination.

Enrollment Requirements

To be eligible for student employment, students must meet the University's minimum enrollment requirements. Student employment eligibility is based on the following enrollment criteria:

Undergraduate Students: Must be enrolled in at least six (6) credit hours at the Main Campus or at least three (3) credit hours at the Austin Peay Center at Fort Campbell.
Graduate Students: Must be enrolled in at least three (3) credit hours.
Summer Term Students: Must be enrolled in at least three (3) credit hours during the summer term or be registered for the upcoming fall semester and meet the applicable enrollment requirements listed above.

IMPORTANT — MAINTAINING ELIGIBILITY Students must meet the applicable enrollment requirements to be eligible for student employment. A change in enrollment status may affect a student's eligibility to continue working as a student employee.

Graduating and Non-Returning Students

Students who are graduating or will not be returning to APSU lose their student employment eligibility on graduation day or the last day of the semester, as applicable. After that date, they may no longer work in a student employment position.A student may remain eligible for student employment if they:

Are enrolled in an APSU graduate program, or
Are enrolled at least half-time for the next applicable academic session.

IMPORTANT — VERIFY CONTINUED ELIGIBILITY

Graduating and non-returning students may not continue working in a student position after their student status ends unless they meet the enrollment requirements for continued student employment.Departments should verify a student's continued eligibility before scheduling them to work beyond the end of the semester or graduation.

Maximum Work Hours for General Campus Positions*

While enrolled in classes (i.e., through the end of finals week)

When classes are not in session (i.e., after finals week)

Holiday/Spring/Fall Breaks

Summer Breaks

Maximum 29 hours/week**

Maximum 37.5 hours/week

Maximum 29 hours/week if enrolled in summer classes

Maximum 37.5 hours/week if not enrolled in summer classes

* Students may not work more than two (2) assignments at once. When working for two (2) departments simultaneously, students must not exceed 29 hours. These requirements are not applicable to Federal Work Study placements. Please access https://apsu.edu/financialaid/fws.php for details.

** Students may not work more than 29 hours per week while enrolled in classes (through the end of finals weeks). This includes summer terms.

Student Employment Checklists

Domestic Student Checklist

International Student Checklist

Web Clock and Timecards

Student employees are responsible for accurately recording and submitting their hours worked through Govs Suite. To access the Web Clock and timecard, students should log in to One Stop and select the Govs Suite tile. For directions on navigating Govs Suite, click here. Students will not be able to access the Web Clock or their timecard in Govs Suite until all required employment paperwork has been completed and processed by Human Resources.Approvers will not see a student's timecard for the current pay period until the student begins entering hours. Departments should regularly review their student employee timecards to ensure:

All active student employees have the appropriate timecard.
Timecards are assigned to the correct department and approver.
No timecards appear for students who do not work for the department.
Student hours are reviewed and approved by the applicable payroll deadline.

If hours were submitted on a time sheet and the time sheet was approved, but payment was not issued, Payroll Services must be notified promptly. Payroll adjustments should be processed through the online system. Directions for WebClock and timecards are available on the Payroll Services Website. For auditing purposes, adjustments must include a detailed comment that explains the circumstances and specifies the day(s) and hours worked. Payment for adjustments cannot be issued without documented justification.

Payment and Time Sheet Schedule

Refer to the Student Payroll Schedule for pay dates and time sheet deadlines. Payroll schedules may change throughout the year. Check the website regularly to stay informed about payment dates. Students must submit their time sheets for approval by 11:59 pm the night before the end of the pay period. Timecards must be approved by 10:00 a.m. on the published due date.

Payment will be issued by direct deposit to the student’s designated bank account. To set up direct deposit, students will need to sign into OneStop and navigate to Govs Suite using their single sign-on. Additional information is available on the Payroll Services website.

Taxes

Student employees who are not enrolled in summer classes are subject to Social Security and Medicare tax withholding for summer employment. Both the student and the employing department pay 7.65% of the gross pay. For more information on taxes and other payment issues, contact Payroll Services by calling extension 7433.

Timekeeping and Work Requirements

All hours reported on a timecard must accurately reflect the actual hours worked on the dates indicated. Falsifying or misrepresenting hours worked may violate state and federal employment laws and is strictly prohibited.

Both student employees and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that timecards are complete and accurate. Students should never submit or electronically sign a timecard in advance, and supervisors should not approve a timecard they know to be inaccurate. Supervisors may be held responsible for discrepancies or inaccuracies in reported time.

Student employees performing work for a department or office must be treated as employees. They may not perform work as unpaid volunteers or be paid as independent contractors for duties that are part of their student employment.

IMPORTANT — ALL WORK MUST BE AUTHORIZED AND RECORDED

Student employees may not:

Begin working before receiving authorization to work.
Perform work before completing all required employment paperwork.
Work “off the clock” or perform unpaid work.
Report hours that were not actually worked.

All work performed must be authorized, accurately recorded, and properly compensated.

Overtime Pay

Overtime for student employees is strongly discouraged and should be avoided whenever possible. However, if a student works more than 40 hours during a single workweek (Sunday through Saturday), overtime pay is required.

If overtime occurs, the department must provide Human Resources with an explanation for the overtime along with the student's timecard.

For students who hold more than one campus job, hours worked across all University positions may contribute to the student's total hours for the workweek. Departments are responsible for monitoring work schedules and coordinating with the student to prevent the student from exceeding allowable work hours.

IMPORTANT — STUDENTS WITH MULTIPLE CAMPUS JOBS

Overtime charges will be applied to the last department in which the student worked, which may not be the department where the student worked the most hours.
Students must inform their supervisors if they hold another campus position.
Departments should ensure that students understand the maximum number of hours they are permitted to work in each position.
Supervisors should coordinate schedules as needed to prevent unauthorized overtime.

Departments and supervisors are responsible for monitoring student work hours and helping ensure overtime is avoided.

Deferred Compensation

Student employees are considered part-time employees and may make deferrals to 403(b), 401(k), and 457(b) plans. Information on the deferred compensation options available to all employees is available on the HR webpage.

International Students

International Students must present their passport, I-94, I-20, and Visa to HR to initiate student employment paperwork. International students will also need to obtain a Social Security card before beginning to work. The process to acquire a Social Security card typically takes a minimum of two (2) weeks. Students who work before receiving a card and are then denied a work permit may not be paid for their work.

International Student Checklist

During the academic school year, University policy permits students to work a total of 20 hours per week. International students on F-1 or J-1 visas may never work more than 20 hours per week while classes are in session.