On-Campus Employment

There are several types of employment available to you as a J-1 student that are approved within your visa restrictions, including on-campus employment. On-campus work can include a number of different positions and will be recorded in the SEVIS system. On-campus employment does not include Federal Work-Study, work at Carnegie Mellon for another employer (i.e., a professor's private company or companies housed in the Collaborative Innovation Center) or work at another school. 

Applying for On-Campus Employment

Read and prepare your applications carefully as you apply for on-campus employment. If CMU is your J-1 sponsor and you are working on-campus, visit our website and fill out the J-1 On-Campus Employment Form. Your OIE advisor is your J-1 Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) and you will need to submit this form for on-campus work permission. If another organization issued your DS-2019, contact that organization for information about employment authorization.

Part-time employment has different meanings to different entities. While there is no standard definition of part-time employment for employers, for immigration purposes, part-time means 20 hours or less per week. As a J-1 student, you may work on campus for up to 20 hours per week during the academic semester and full-time during summer vacation or any official school breaks.

Benefits of On-Campus Work Experience

Once you begin your on-campus employment, you can list this experience on your resume. Be sure to use the appropriate title for your position when adding it to your resume; if you are unsure, check with your supervisor.  Also, make sure that your on-campus work experience is listed under the appropriate section, such as "Professional Experience," "Research Experience," etc.