Information for On-Campus Employers
The information on this site will provide resources supervisors need to engage students, keep learning as a leader, and guide a positive student employment experience.
If you are hiring a student worker for the first time, you must create an on-campus employer account on Handshake. Click here for instructions to create a Handshake account.
Types of Student Work
Work-Study and Non-Work Study
On-campus student employment includes a wide variety of job opportunities. Types of these jobs include:
Federal Work-Study (FWS)
Carnegie Mellon participates in the Federal Work-Study program during the academic year only. This is a federal financial aid program offered to students who demonstrate financial need. If a student is eligible, a dollar amount will appear on their financial aid letter. All students receiving Federal Title IV student financial assistance must continually demonstrate that they are earning a minimum number of units and maintaining a minimum grade point average to receive federal financial aid. These requirements vary from major to major.
Students who accept their offer of FWS are not guaranteed a job. Their Work-Study award will be used toward their payment for any job that they have on campus. Work-Study students are paid by the hour on a bi-weekly basis.
In order for a Work-Study award to be used for a job, the pay rate must be a minimum of $10.00/hour, and no more than $13.00/hour for undergraduate students or $17.00/hour for graduate students. The students’ total gross earning must not exceed the award limit amount. Any hiring department that an undergraduate student works for can use their federal Work-Study award; whereas a graduate student’s federal Work-Study award can only be used by the student’s graduate department.
The Federal Work-Study program offers employers a cost-savings benefit, and at the same time students with a Work-Study award may have an advantage when applying for certain jobs.
Federal Community Service (FCS)
Carnegie Mellon participates in the Federal Community Service Program during the academic year and summer work periods. Any Carnegie Mellon student who qualifies for a federal work-study award is eligible to participate in this program. Most of the federal community service jobs are located off-campus and in the Pittsburgh region.
The definition of Community Service, according to the Federal Government, is: “Services that are designed to improve the quality of life for community residents, particularly low income individuals, or to solve particular problems related to their needs." Most community service positions are involved with one or more of the following: community involvement, neighborhood improvement, social services, childcare, and literacy training.
All Federal Community Service jobs must pay a minimum of $10.00 / hour to a maximum of $13.00 / hour. Students are paid through the Carnegie Mellon Payroll System every 2 weeks. Employers are billed once per month by the Accounting Department.
Federal Community Service jobs are posted online in Handshake under CMU Off-Campus Federal Community Service and will specify that work-study eligibility is required. Qualified students interested in the job apply directly to the employer through Handshake, and the employer contacts students they want to interview. Employers must contact Enrollment Services to verify work-study eligibility before making a job offer to a student.
A Federal Community Service job benefits both the employer and the student. It offers qualified nonprofit employers the opportunity to advertise community service jobs and hire Carnegie Mellon students at a reduced rate without the added cost of payroll processing. For the student, it provides opportunities for experiential learning and professional growth while improving the quality of life within the community. In addition, students earn money while developing new skills and experiences to enhance their resumes.
The amount the employer is charged varies with each program, period, and student eligibility. Review this document for more information on employer charges for student workers.
Academic and Summer Employment
On-campus academic year and summer employment becomes effective for all students according to both the University Official Calendar and Financial Services (Payroll) Calendar. Sometimes the dates in the Official Calendar for the student academic year and summer sessions are different from the Financial Services (Payroll) Calendar by one week. The student employment academic year/summer must coincide with the payroll bi-weekly pay cycle even when the official calendar does not. As a result, the start and end date for both the academic year and summer employment dates may be different than those of the official calendar.
During the academic year, Carnegie Mellon participates in the Federal Work-Study and Federal Community Service Work-Study programs. In the summer, Federal Community Service Work-Study is available for eligible students. The amount the employer is charged varies with each program, period, and student eligibility.
Dates for student employment are listed below:
| Semester | Dates |
| Summer 2023 |
May 8, 2023 - August 13, 2023 |
| Academic Year 2023-2024 |
August 14, 2023 - May 5, 2024 |
Handshake for On-Campus Employers
If you are an on-campus employer and would like to use Handshake to hire student employees, click here for more information.
Hiring & Working With Students
Hiring a student worker can be a positive experience for both yourself and the student. In order to optimize this opportunity, you should have knowledge on how to best work with students. You can use the PDFs below to improve your understanding if necessary:
Paying Students
Workday
Workday is Carnegie Mellon’s human resource system. It has a multitude of uses, and as a student supervisor, you will be using it to approve the hours that your student enters bi-weekly. It is important for you to approve the hours before the pay processing deadline so that your students receive their paycheck on time.
If you have any questions about tasks involving Workday, you can find answers in My Workday Toolkit.
Standard Student Hourly Job Profiles
Minimum Hourly Pay Rates for Student Positions
Federal and state minimum wage laws are systematically enforced for all hourly positions on campus, including student positions. The minimum hourly rate guidelines for student positions may be higher than these regulatory minimums. Students may be hired at an hourly rate that is above regulatory minimums but may be below guidelines for the specific job profile.
Raise Advice for Hourly Student Positions
It is not uncommon for student to receive an hourly pay rate increase of $0.25 per hour when returning to a position in the same department or hiring until after completing a prior team or year of successful performance. Appropriate increase amounts will vary based on the position's responsibilities and skills required.
Policies, Forms, and Frequently Asked Questions
View the PDFs below for more information about our policies and forms:
Policies
- Confidentiality
- Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmitive Action
- Meal Periods and Breaks
- On the Job Injuries
- Privacy Policy
- Sexual Harassment
- Student Employment Eligibility
- Work Hours
- Work Without Compensation
Forms
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions - If you still have further questions or concerns, please contact Anne Marie DeGeorge at 412-268-7052 or amdegeorge@cmu.edu