Student Employment Guidance for Managers

This webpage outlines eligibility for student hiring, requirements, standards, practices and tools used to assure compliance with the legal standards set forth in the student hiring process. For more information regarding student employment policies, please refer to the Student Employment Guide.

General Information & Resources

Definition & Expectations

Employment of an undergraduate or graduate student of Iowa State University who is hired as a work-study or non-work-study employee for hourly employment. The expectations are as follows:

  • Are registered as Iowa State University students for at least one credit hour in the semester of employment.
  • Are limited to 20 hours or less per week when classes are in session, except during breaks and summer sessions.
  • Can continue as a student employee through the end of month of graduation, as long as otherwise authorized and permitted (i.e., international students cannot work beyond the end of the semester in which they graduate unless they are registered as a student for the following fall semester).
  • Are allowed to work during the summer as non-student employees (not taking summer classes) if registered for the next fall semester.
  • Will be paid for hours worked. Hours worked over 40 in a workweek will be paid at time and one-half.

Posting Jobs

The Student Job Board is provided by the Student Employment Center (SEC) and offers a way for students to search for jobs that employers (ISU and non-ISU) have posted. On-campus employers can post positions through AccessPlus and off-campus employers looking to post student jobs can fill out a form to have positions posted for them.

Wage & Payroll Information

Students must earn at least the minimum wage for Iowa or the United States, whichever is greater. Average pay rates for positions posted on the Student Job Board can be found here: https://www.financialaid.iastate.edu/workstudy/average-pay-rates/

Non-U.S. Citizen Employment

The following non-U.S. citizen students are allowed on-campus employment under the same rules that apply to U.S. Citizen. For more information, contact the International Students & Scholars Office.

Supervisor's Toolkit

Application and orientation materials are available in the Supervisor’s Toolkit. An application process is not required but may be used to screen applicants who do not have the qualifications requested for the job position and presents an opportunity for students to learn job-seeking skills.

Student Recognition

Student employees at Iowa State University continuously contribute to the overall mission of the institution through their efforts. Students working on campus and across our community not only develop their own skills for their future careers, they provide immeasurable benefits to the university. We encourage staff working with our outstanding student employees to celebrate their efforts. Learn more about our Student Recognition programs, including Student Employee of the Year and National Student Employment Week.

Hiring Students in Workday

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Hiring Student Employees

The Manager or JM Support person initiates Hire or Add Job transaction and enters job details, including compensation, supervisor, and start and end dates of employment. Additional steps are required for requests to hire a Graduate Student on an hourly basis. 

Onboarding/Form I-9 Process

Once the hire is approved, onboarding process kicks off in Workday and the student employee receives self-service tasks in Workday to complete employee demographic information, Form I-9, payroll sign-up (federal and state withholding elections, direct deposit), required training and notices.

All employees, including student employees, need to complete a Form I-9 before they start working. This process includes providing acceptable documentation (original and unexpired) to the UHR Service Center. Onboarding will launch up to 30 days prior to the student employee's hire date to allow the employee time to complete the Form I-9 before they begin working. An onboarding guide is available for new student employee hires. For additional questions, contact hrshelp@iastate.edu.

Separations

All student employees will be offboarded through Workday. The manager or HR Coordinator initiates a Separation action in Workday.

HR Knowledge Base Articles can be found on the HR Portal

For additional assistance with processing student employment transactions in Workday, please refer to the Student Employment section of the HR Portal.

 

Timesheets & Tracking Time

It is the responsibility of the student employee and their manager (or manager’s delegate) to review and submit electronic timesheets that are accurate and reflect the worker’s actual hours worked.

Process

Student employees will be expected to clock in and out at the start and end of their shifts and for meal breaks utilizing either a time clock if assigned or via web clock using a computer. Student employees will review their electronic timesheet for accuracy and submit it to their manager weekly within Workday for approval. Managers and/or their delegates will approve the timesheet for the student employee to be paid for their hours worked.

Time and Absence

For more information about processing timesheets and available resources, please visit the Time & Absence webpage.

ISU Policies

Below is general information about various ISU Policies regarding student employment. Additional policy information is covered in the Student Employment Guidance and the following links: