On-Campus Employment

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program is a federally funded program administered by RIT to promote access to employment. This program assists students who demonstrate financial need as defined by the Federal Government. The Financial Aid Office selects on the basis of financial need as many participants for this program as funding allows.

Earnings during the academic year vary and are dependent upon maximum earnings level and the number of hours actually worked. Each student is paid bi-weekly by check or direct deposit for the number of hours worked. FWS earnings are considered income, and subject state and federal taxes. Please refer to the Tax Guidelines FAQ section for more information.

Financial need is defined as the difference between the total cost of a student's educational expenses and the amount of money the student and his or her parents are expected to contribute to those costs. To be eligible to receive a FWS award, a student must meet the following criteria:

• Be in need of the earnings from such employment in order to pursue a course of study.
• Be capable of maintaining a good standing in such course of study while employed.
• Be a matriculated student.
• Be a citizen of the United States or an eligible non-resident.

Students are expected to apply FWS earnings toward educational expenses at RIT. FWS earnings are not automatically applied toward tuition. FWS awards that are not used cannot be carried over to the next academic year. Any money that is not earned from the award is considered unrecoverable. The amount unearned is not credited toward your tuition bill. FWS is not automatically renewed. Students must reapply by the deadline of April 1 of each year.

RIT does not assign or place students into positions, regardless of their FWS status. It is the student's responsibility to complete the job search, application, and interview process with employers and obtain employment verification from Student Employment Office.

Job openings are posted in Career Connect. Students who are persistent in seeking employment, regardless of the job, will be certain to find work on campus. If you are having difficulty finding employment, you are strongly advised to schedule an appointment with an SEO staff member as soon as possible. They will do whatever they can to assist you in seeking part-time employment.

Employment procedures, including how to find a job, wages, and payment procedures are the same for students with or without FWS awards

Once you are registered full-time status for the semester you wish to begin to work, you may start your job search. Job listings are posted on Career Connect. Information on how to apply can be found on each listing. Students are also encouraged to inquire about job availability directly with employing departments, such as any dining services venue or note taking office. Some employers may set up a specific time for students to come to their department to apply for employment. Keep checking Career Connect for any notices of these events.

If at any time you encounter problems finding on-campus employment, please feel free to reach out via email at studentemployment@rit.edu.

Email: studentemployment@rit.edu (preferred communication method)
Phone: (585) 475-2631
Fax: (585) 475-5588

Web: rit.edu/studentemployment

Student Employment Office Contacts

• Be registered for full-time status (12 credit hours for undergraduate students and 9 credit hours for graduate students)
• Receive an offer of employment from an RIT employer
• Complete Sections 1 and 2 of the federally mandated I-9 form

If you are an international student, please refer to the International Students - Employment Eligibility FAQ section.

To be eligible for on-campus employment and before a Student Employment Eligibility Card can be obtained, international students must first:

• Have an offer of employment from an RIT Employer.
• Be enrolled with a minimum of 12 credit hours as an undergraduate student or 9 credit hours as a graduate student, or have a full-time equivalency for all semesters of employment.
• Have a valid F1 or J1 Visa and/or I-94.

International students are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week during academic periods, and up to 40 hours per week during breaks and summer.

International students seeking employment who DO NOT already have a Social Security Card must have a job or job offer BEFORE he or she can apply for a Social Security number. International students must follow the procedures outlined on the International Student Services website. 

F1 and J1 Visa Status:

International students are responsible for keeping their status up-to-date. Students must notify the SEO whenever their I-20 (for F1 Visas) or DS-2019 (for J1 Visas) is updated. Students with expired status are not eligible to work. Thirty days prior to a student's I-20 or DS-2019 status expiration date, the student's employers will receive an e-mail alert advising them that a student's status is about to expire. At the end of the 30 days, if the student has not updated his/her visa records in the SEO, the student will be terminated from employment.

There are certain criteria that must be met in order for the International students to be eligible to work off-campus. For more information, contact the International Student Services Office.

International students are eligible for 12 months of optional practical training (OPT). OPT provides an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge with practical work. Such employment may take place at any location in the United States. For more information, contact the International Student Services Office.

Students do not necessarily need to start employment when they arrive on-campus. During the academic year, students may choose, for example, to begin work in January rather than September. However, there are a number of factors to consider before deferring employment. First, students may not be able to work in certain departments that may initiate most of their hiring in the fall semester. In addition, starting later in the year may not allow students with FWS awards to reach the maximum earnings level of their award amount.

When students will work is dependent upon choice of jobs and willingness/ability to work during the summer. Students may work part-time during the academic year and full-time during summer session, as long as they meet certain criteria for summer employment on campus. See Summer Employment FAQ section for further details. During summer sessions, however, students are employed through institutional funding. Students may also be able to work full-time when classes are not in session during break periods throughout the academic year.

Under no circumstances can a student work before the I-9 is completed.

On-campus student jobs are classified according to the skills and experience required, either Regular Student Worker or Advanced Level Student Worker.

• Regular Student Worker: Base-level positions with some degree of specialized knowledge or training requiring little or no experience and are routine and well-supervised. Examples of these positions are file clerks, food service workers, office assistants, and data entry clerks.
• Advanced Level Student Worker: Designates a category of jobs, with wages being determined individually based on comparable or identical full-time positions. The skill requirements and employee responsibilities of such positions are identical for student and full-time employees. These jobs may also include those positions in which a student has worked during the previous term in an on-campus co-op position and is continuing in the position as a regular student employee. These jobs also require a highly specialized skill and/or several years of previous experience. Examples are web developers, research assistants, computer programmers, and supervisor positions.

The average student works 8 to 12 hours a week. While classes are in session, students may work up to 20 hours per week, if the job permits. When classes are not in session, students may be able to work up to 40 hours per week. The number of hours per week and work schedule will be determined by the employer. Most on-campus employers will work around the student's class schedule.

Students are paid bi-weekly by check or direct deposit on Fridays. Direct deposit of wages is highly recommended for student workers. First paychecks and the paychecks of student employees who choose not to sign up for direct deposit will be sent to the address entered on the employee’s I-9 form. Wages do not get applied directly to a student’s tuition.

You can register for a direct deposit through myinfo.rit.edu. Forms can be obtained from the SEO or Payroll websites or by stopping by the Payroll or Student Employment Offices. Students taking advantage of the direct deposit option can view their paystubs online. For access, students must log on to https://fastapps.rit.edu/kronosTimecard/login and follow the directions provided.

Students are paid hourly with the exception of graduate teaching assistants who are paid salary. Paychecks are issued and mailed to the home address on file. RIT pays NYS minimum wage for Regular Student Worker jobs. Employers may pay a higher wage to Advanced Level positions as they see necessary. Payment procedures must be decided by the department before the student starts working.

Earnings, including FWS earnings, are subject to all federal, state and local income taxes. Students must file Form W-4 and IT-2104 for tax purposes when they begin to work at RIT. If you are a nonresident alien (NRA) student, you may be subject to special withholding requirements; please do not submit these forms and contact the Payroll Department at payroll@rit.edu. 

In the event that you do not submit either form, tax withholding will occur at the single with zero exemptions level (does not include NRA).

Students are not eligible to claim "exempt" on Form W-4 unless all of the following apply:

• The student's income exceeds $1000 and their income includes more than $350 of unearned income (for example, interest and dividends).
  
  AND
• The student can be claimed by another person as a dependent on their tax return.
  
  AND
• Last year, the student had a right to a refund of all federal income tax withheld due to no tax liability.
  
  AND
• This year, the student expects a refund of all federal income tax withheld because the student expects to have no tax liability.

Students are not eligible to claim "exempt" on the IT-2104 unless the following conditions are met:

• Student must be under age 18, or over age 65, or a full-time student under age 25.
  
  AND
• Student did not have a New York income tax liability for the previous year.
  
  AND
• Student does not expect to have a New York income tax liability for the current year.
  
  OR
• Student meets the conditions set forth under the Service Members Civil Relief Act, as amended by the Military Spouses Residency Relief Act.

Full-time, matriculated students are exempt from paying Social Security Tax (FICA) if they meet the following criteria:

• Student is registered for a minimum of six credit hours per semester.
• Student is physically working on the RIT campus.

Students who are registered for less than six credit hours or are paid by RIT, but working at an off-campus location, will have FICA taxes deducted from their paychecks at a rate of 7.65% with RIT paying the matching share. Therefore, it is extremely important that the employer indicate on the SEO Hire Form if the student is working off-campus.

Foreign students with a valid I-20 or DS-2019 are exempt from this policy.

Co-op employment is a mandatory component of many RIT degree programs. It is essential that on-campus co-op employment meet the criteria of program validity inherent in RIT's commitment to quality experiential learning.

It is RIT policy and practice that all on-campus co-op students be hired according to the following procedure:

• On-campus co-op positions are listed with the Office of Cooperative Education and Career Services.
• Students seeking on-campus co-op respond directly to the departments listing the positions.
• Students must be registered for co-op in SIS for all semesters they wish to work.
• Sections 1 and 2 of the federally mandated I-9 are completed.

Employers may use their own discretion when assigning co-op wages. Employers may visit the Co-op Wages by Degree page to view recent co-op wage data.

Unlike regular student employees, on-campus co-op students are also eligible for holiday pay for Institute holidays falling within a given co-op employment semester. Co-op students earn paid sick at a rate of 1 hour per 30 hours worked. This time can be used to cover qualifying absences as defined by the NYS Paid Sick Leave, which can be reviewed here. On-campus co-op students are not eligible for Unemployment Insurance Benefits. On-campus co-op employees are exempt from FICA withholding as long as they are registered for co-op.

Graduate Assistant (GA) positions fall into the following categories:

• Graduate Assistant
• Graduate Grading Assistant
• Graduate Technical Assistant
• Graduate Teaching Assistant
• Other Graduate Assistant (Student Affairs only)

The employing department will determine into which category the student will be hired. Graduate assistants must go through the same employment eligibility process as undergraduate students. GAs must also be registered full-time status or have a full-time equivalency for all semesters they are to work. Generally speaking, graduate assistantships run from September until the end of May. During summer, GAs are hired as regular student workers.

Students who meet the following criteria are eligible to work up to 40 hours per week during summer semester if the following criteria are met:

• Must be matriculated and registered full-time status spring semester
• Are registered for 0 credits for continuation of thesis for summer and/or fall that can be verified via Peoplesoft.
• ANY of the following:
  • Must be registered for at least 3 credit hours for summer session.
  • Are registered for 0 credit hours for summer, but are registered for at least 3 credit hours for fall.
  • Are registered for at least 3 credit hours for both summer and fall.

Students working on-campus summer co-op positions must be registered for co-op for summer session.

The same criteria applies to international students who are not enrolled for classes during summer session.

RIT student employees are covered by New York State's Workers' Compensation if injuries are incurred while on the job. If students are unable to continue to work due to an illness or an injury sustained, other than in the course of employment, the student will be eligible for New York State statutory disability benefits. In either case, contact your supervisor immediately for instructions. Students are not eligible for holiday pay or unemployment insurance benefits. However, if required to work on an Institute Holiday, students will be paid time-and-a-half for hours worked. Students will need to reach out to their supervisor to find accrued sick time.

RIT Student Employees are eligible for paid time off under New York State Paid Sick Leave (NYS PSL). Student employees will accrue time off at a rate of one hour per 30 hours worked. The time can be used for reasons impacting the student employee or a member of their family. These reasons include (but are not limited to):

• Sick leave for the diagnosis, care, or treatment of mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition
• Safe leave for an absence from work when the employee or employee’s family member has been the victim of domestic violence as defined by the State Human Rights Law, a family offense, sexual offense, stalking, or human trafficking due to any of the following as it relates to the domestic violence, family offense, sexual offense, stalking, or human trafficking

For more information about New York State’s Paid Sick Leave, including additional FAQs, regulations, and more, please visit ny.gov/paidsickleave.

RIT Student Employees are eligible for the NYS Paid Family Leave Program (NYS PFL). This program provides job protected, partial paid leave for RIT students to:

• Bond with a new child
• Care for an eligible family member with a serious health condition
• Help relieve family pressures when an eligible family member is called to active military service

Additional details can be found on the HR-Benefits website.

Student employees are representatives of RIT and are expected to act in a manner consistent with the mission and goals of RIT and their department of employment. RIT student employees are expected to be punctual, reliable, dress appropriately and perform work in a satisfactory manner. Students are also expected to comply with federal, state and local laws while working for RIT on or off its property. Working under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances is not permitted. Theft of tangible items or computer time, or misuse of telephones (i.e. unauthorized long distance personal calls), equipment or facilities available to students during their work hours is grounds for immediate dismissal and possible prosecution. Finally, any student employee who is a supervisor or has academic responsibility over another student and is involved in a consensual romantic or sexual relationship with that student, must disclose this relationship to their supervisor.  The supervisor will then take action to remove any conflict of interest that may exist based on this relationship. Academic responsibilities includes, but is not limited to teaching, grading, mentoring, advising on or evaluating research or other academic activity, participating in decisions regarding funding or other resources, clinical supervision and recommendations for admissions, employment, fellowships or awards.

Students should make a serious attempt to resolve any on the job problems with supervisors or peers. If the problem cannot be resolved at this level, then an appointment should be made with a staff member of Student Employment. Student Employment will in turn, contact the supervisor or peer in a final attempt to resolve the problem informally. If informal attempts to resolve the problem are unsatisfactory, a formal grievance procedure is available. Additional information can be found at Resolution of Conflicts and Concerns Among RIT Employees.

Students, who have completed the employment eligibility process and have worked for an on-campus employer for three weeks or more without receiving a paycheck, should check with their supervisor as soon as the first expected paycheck is not received. Often times the problem can be rectified immediately and arrangements can be made for the student to receive partial payment of wages owed. If the supervisor cannot assist the student with the problem, then the student is advised to contact Student Employment Office.

Remember, the benefits of working extend far beyond the obvious financial ones. Getting a job and working to the best of your ability will provide valuable learning experience not otherwise available. Your job may or may not be career related, but you will have opportunities for growth and success!