Student employment is intended to help meet the needs of the university, provide university students with financial support in pursuit of their academic goals, and provide opportunities for academic or administrative job experience. The job duties and responsibilities of student workers vary greatly and may or may not be related to their field of study.
- Eligibility
- Requirements
- The individual must be enrolled for academic credit at an educational institution and attending classes.
- It is not permissible to hire an individual as a student hourly employee if they are taking credits merely to be eligible for student hourly employment.
- The individual must be at least 16 years of age, unless holding a valid State of Wisconsin work permit. State law prohibits the use of minors to perform hazardous work.
- If an individual is not an actively enrolled student during the summer, they are only allowed to start a student hourly position if:
- Registered for academic credit at an educational institution for fall semester
- Continuing in the fall semester after completing the spring semester
- A student who graduates or completes an academic semester and will not be enrolling in the following semester may continue to be employed as a student hourly employee only through the last day of the student hourly pay period of the completed semester.
- A student withdrawn from school during a semester is no longer eligible for student hourly employment as of the date of withdrawal.
- More specific provisions (e.g., enrollment at UW–Madison, minimum credit requirement) may be established by a specific college, school, division, or other unit.
- Verification
The employing unit is responsible for verifying and maintaining documentation of a student’s eligibility for every semester or term in which the student is employed. Suitable methods of verification include:
- UW-Madison Student Information System (SIS) record
- Enrollment verification from the student’s home institution
- Copy of current registration and course schedule
- Current tuition payment receipt
- Graduate students
A graduate student may be employed in a student hourly position only if the work performed is not that of a Student Assistant, as defined in UW-5000 Employment Categories.
- International students
Federal laws and regulations apply to international students on F-1 and J-1 visas. The International Student Services (ISS) Office provides clarification on the applicable regulations and limits related to F-1 and J-1 student hourly workers.
- Compensation
- Rates
- The schools, colleges, and divisions have discretion to establish the starting hourly rate at any point within the range of the level as described in this policy (Basic, Intermediate or Advanced).
- All rates above the maximum of the advanced level must have prior approval of the dean or director's office with budget responsibility for the wages. Current wage ranges can be found in the Title and Standard Job Description Library.
- Overtime
- A student hourly employee is subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Therefore, a student hourly employee who works more than 40 hours in a week within the University of Wisconsin System (UW System) will receive premium pay for the hours worked beyond 40 at the rate of one and one-half times the regular hourly rate.
- A student hourly employee may hold more than one active job in the UW System. If this is the case, the 40 hours per week limit is calculated by combining hours worked for all active jobs in the UW System.
- Type of Appointment
- Hourly Appointment
- A student hourly employee must be paid on an hourly basis and hours of service must be tracked accordingly in the university’s human resource system. Any exception (e.g., lump sum payment, etc.) must be approved by the division Human Resources representative.
- A student hourly employee must average below 30 hours per week. (It is acceptable in a single pay period for a student hourly employee to work more hours one week and fewer hours the next, as long as the overall average is below 30 hours per week.)
- While a student hourly employee is eligible to work more than 40 hours per week and receive premium pay, all hours worked (including hours over 40) count toward the calculation of total hours for purposes of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and must be monitored by the schools, colleges, and/or divisions. If an employee works for multiple schools, colleges, or divisions at the university or at another UW System institution, all hours worked/reported must be combined and stay below the 30-hour weekly average.
- Lump Sum
- A student employee approved to be paid on a lump sum basis is considered to be a non-hourly employee for purposes of the ACA.
- UW System uses one of two methods to track hours for non-hourly employees: (1) actual hours, or (2) days-worked equivalency where each workday of service is 8 credited hours. Failure to identify hours worked will result in application of the days-worked equivalency method for the pay period. This may result in fines for failure to offer the individual health insurance. If the student employee is compensated on a lump sum basis, the hiring unit must document the hours spent working or the student employee will be credited with eight (8) hours of service (for ACA purposes) for each day the lump sum is paid in the Human Resources (HR)/payroll system.
- The school, college, or division must report hours worked by a student employee on a lump sum pay basis appointment using either a timesheet or a method determined by the school, college, or division to track and record hours in the university’s human resources system.
- Federal Work Study
Hours credited due to a Federal Work Study program do not count toward the calculation of hours of service earned for purposes of the ACA.
- Conditions of Employment
- A student hourly employee does not have grievance or layoff rights and is non-exempt (hourly) under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
- A student hourly employee is employed "at-will," with no expectation of continued employment.
- A student hourly employee does not count toward UW–Madison's full-time equivalent (FTE) count. Based upon the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a full-time employee is an employee who works an average of at least 30 hours per week.
- In accordance with Wis. Stat. § 108.02(15)(i), a student hourly employee enrolled as a UW–Madison student is not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.
- In accordance with Wis. Stat. §40.02(25)(b), a student hourly employee is non-benefits eligible for employer-sponsored health insurance coverage through the UW System or the Graduate Assistant/Short-Term Academic Staff benefit package.
- In accordance with Wis. Stat. § 102.03, a student hourly employee is covered by Worker’s Compensation.
- An individual hired as a student hourly employee from outside of the UW System is eligible for unemployment compensation.
- In accordance with 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(9)(i) and 22 C.F.R. § 62.23(g)(1), there are additional requirements for student employment of F-1 and J-1 international students. For purposes of international student employment, part-time work is 20 hours per week, all positions combined.
- Levels of Work
Each student hourly position is placed in one of three classifications to assist in determining the appropriate rate of pay: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. The following examples describe the general types of work in each level and are not intended to be an exhaustive list. These general descriptions provide a framework for classifying jobs not enumerated below.
- Basic Level
Work is done under close supervision; procedures are well established; employees are not usually required to make decisions which are not enumerated in well-defined policies and procedures.
Examples of this type of work:
- Routine administrative tasks
- Routine food service, including cooking
- Routine laboratory tasks such as dishwashing, preparation of solutions
- General labor and custodial tasks
- Physical processing of library materials (no data entry is involved)
- Intermediate Level
Work that requires, for a major portion of the time, some independent judgment or initiative; and/or requires special knowledge, skills or abilities; and/or requires a major amount of heavy physical exertion; and/or involves adverse hours or working conditions; and/or involves supervisory responsibilities for an activity of limited size.
Examples of this type of work:
- Administrative tasks that require some decision-making
- Catalog editing/revising data
- Laboratory tasks involving simple interpretation of tests or complex procedures
- Supervision of recreational activities
- Farm labor, including operation of equipment
- Laboratory animal caretaker
- Heavy labor and custodial tasks
- Production cook's helper
- Set-up crew
- Advanced Level
Work that requires, for a major portion of the time, advanced specialized knowledge, skills, or abilities; or involves supervisory responsibilities for large or complex activities, usually involving concurrent activities.
Examples of this type of work:
- Advanced administrative tasks
- Technical typing and foreign language typing
- Copy cataloging/adding new data
- Editing
- Class reader and grader
- Artist or musician
- Language translator
- Special laboratory tasks such as advanced interpretation of test results
- Supervision of a large or complex activity
- Residence Hall Night Repair
- Night Building Manager
- Maintenance of financial records requiring advanced accounting knowledge
- Supervision of recreational activities requiring special qualifications
- Computer programming
- Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA)/Social Security Withholding
- To be eligible for an exemption for FICA withholding, a student hourly employee must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in the Eligibility section of this policy.
- The exemption for FICA continues during breaks of five weeks or less, if the student qualified for the exemption on the last day of classes preceding the break and is eligible to enroll in classes for the semester that follows the break.
- A student who is enrolled and attending classes in the final semester required to complete the requirements for obtaining a degree, certificate, or other credential offered by the institution, is deemed to meet the half-time threshold regardless of credit load.
- FICA taxes are withheld from the following categories of student hourly employees:
- UW students (at any UW System institution) enrolled less than half-time.
- UW students who are not enrolled in summer term but work during summer term.
- Students in other universities, community colleges and technical colleges, regardless of their course load.
- High school students.
