Student Employment Basics
Introduction
- Western Washington University offers a wide range of employment opportunities to students that allow students to learn new skills, discover new interests, and make connections while building their resumes.
- Student employees are permitted to work up to 19 hours per week (Monday-Sunday) during the academic quarter.
- During enrollment break periods, student employees are permitted to work up to 40 hours per week (Monday-Sunday).
Student Employment Eligibility
It is the responsibility of the employing department to confirm an individual’s eligibility for a position as an hourly student employee by verifying enrollment with the appropriate registrar’s office. Student hourly employees are responsible for notifying their manager if they no longer meet minimum enrollment requirements.
- Students whose enrollment no longer meets the requirements for student hourly employment must be immediately terminated from their student position.
- All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. For more information regarding employment eligibility: HR Onboarding Resources
Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Students
Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students must be enrolled in a minimum of six credits.
Graduate Students
Graduate students must be enrolled full time and in a minimum of eight credits, or one of the following two options:
- Have completed all coursework on their approved Plan of Study and are enrolled in at least two credit hours of thesis or non-thesis work such as research or field project required for program completion; OR
- Enrolled for a minimum of two credit hours of departmental 699 coursework (for example, GEOL 699). GRAD 699 continuous enrollment credits do not count toward enrollment level for student employment purposes.
Graduate Teaching Assistants and Research Assistants School Employees
Western Washington University Graduate School offers teaching and research assistantships to qualified graduate students. For more information regarding assistantships:
Note that all graduate school roles are salaried ESE-type and are bound by that designation in the WWU-WAWU CBA. Graduate students can accept ESE or OSE roles that fall under an undergraduate designation.
Credit Load Waiver
A waiver of the credit load requirement may be provided once each academic year for one quarter for matriculated students enrolled in less than half-time (the student needs to be enrolled in at least 1 credit for the quarter they are using the credit load waiver), with the understanding that either the student will enroll for the full credit requirement in succeeding quarters, or the student is currently enrolled in a terminal or graduating quarter. The credit load waiver does not extend to Work Study students. To remain eligible for Work Study employment students must be enrolled at least half time.
Break Period Eligibility
Break period employment eligibility requires that the student be accepted in a degree or certificate granting program during the prior quarter and plans to enroll as a matriculated student the following quarter. Student employees who graduate are not eligible to work after their last final exam or during break periods.
Enrollment break periods begin after a student’s last final exam, scheduled last class or last assignment submission, whichever is later. Students who do not have final exams, scheduled class or a last assignment due during finals week, their break period begins on Monday of finals week. Break Periods end the first day of classes of the following term.
Student employment during enrollment breaks, such as summer break, is excluded in the 516-hour limit to maintain the exemption from civil service rules.
Types of Student Employment
There are two basic types of student employment at Western Washington University: Work Study and Non-Work Study.
Work Study
Work Study is a type of financial aid; therefore, student employees utilizing Work Study funds are limited to the amount they can earn, depending on their award. This earnings limit is determined by the Financial Aid office and is dependent upon the student’s financial aid eligibility and allocation of funds.
Non-Work Study
Departments may have funds through grants or allocated to their operational budgets for hiring student employees in roles throughout the University. These roles are available to all students enrolled at least half-time. In addition to regular hourly positions, salaried, and stipend positions are included in this category of student employment.
Utilization of Student Workers
- Departments may hire student hourly employees only to the extent that they supplement, not to displace or replace, classified non-union or bargaining unit employees. Student hourly employees should not supervise bargaining unit employees but may supervise other student hourly employees.
- Student employment must not displace employees, including those on strike, or impair existing service contracts. Replacement is interpreted as displacement. Additionally, if the University has an employment agreement with an organization in the private sector, the organization’s employees must not be replaced with student employees.
- Replacing a full-time employee whose position was eliminated, regardless of reason, with a student employee is prohibited.