Student hourly jobs and work-study jobs are remarkably similar. It is up to the supervisor hiring you to determine what classification of job you are being hired in. For a student hourly position, you must be enrolled in at least 1 credit. For a work-study job you must be enrolled at least part time, so 6 credits for undergraduate students and 5 credits for graduate students, to be eligible. For both types of jobs you have an hourly rate, and you are paid bi-weekly for the hours you work in paychecks paid directly to you. Neither type of position’s earned pay will pay towards a balance owed to the school. The biggest difference is just where the funding source of the position comes from. For a work-study position you must have a work-study offer as part of your financial aid package for the year.

Yes, there are student hourly jobs on campus that do not require a work-study offer.

Handshake is CSU’s online recruiting platform where campus employers can connect with students through online job and internship postings, application management, career events and trainings. Handshake is managed by the Career Center. Please visit the Career Center website for more information.

To maximize your chances of obtaining employment, be sure to:

• Check Handshake regularly; new jobs are constantly being posted.
• Subscribe to Handshake.
• Apply to multiple jobs at a time
• Submit complete applications ONLY and make sure to submit all requested information and documents
• Keep track of the jobs you apply to and contact employers to check the status of your application
• Check your email regularly for responses from employers
• Have emails, resumes and cover letters looked at for proper format, professionalism, etc. before sending it to an employer.

Students can work during fall and spring break. Students can work during the semester break between fall and spring, as long as they have not already earned 50% of their total work-study offer for the school year, if they are hired in a work-study position.

TimeClock Plus (TCP) is used to track an employee’s timekeeping and leave. TCP is a clock in/ clock out system which you will gain access to once you are hired. TCP is how you will log and track the hours you work, and you will only be paid for hours in TCP so you will want to be sure to clock in and out every time you work. For more information on TCP please visit: https://hr.colostate.edu/hr-community-and-supervisors/training-and-professional-development/payroll-training/

Earnings from student hourly or work-study positions will NEVER pay towards a tuition balance owed to CSU. Students will be paid directly in bi-weekly(every other Friday) paychecks for hours worked via direct deposit. Direct deposit is a condition of employment at Colorado State University. All employees will receive their pay via direct deposit to the bank or financial institution (located within the US) of their choice. For information on adding/updating direct deposit information please visit: https://hr.colostate.edu/current-employees/payroll/direct-deposit/

Every other Friday is payday for bi-weekly student employees. Below is the 2024 Payroll Schedule:

For more information on payroll deadlines visit: https://hr.colostate.edu/hr-community-and-supervisors/payroll/schedules-and-deadlines/ 

Yes, a student can have multiple student hourly positions on campus. However, a student can only have (1) work-study job at a time. A student can have (1) work-study job and multiple student hourly jobs at the same time, but only (1) work-study job.

The Request Work-Study list opens for the first time for the following school year on the May 1^st. So the Request Work-Study list will open for the 2025-26 school year on Thursday, May 1^st. If you were not offered work-study funds during the initial packaging of financial aid offers you can request funds for the following school year via this process. Students will log into RAMweb and click ‘Student Employment’ from the Menu bar. On this page you will see the link to add yourself to the request list.

After the initial Request Work-Study list at the beginning of summer, the Office of Financial Aid will periodically re-open the request list throughout the school year depending on funds we have available. Please email [email protected] for information about when the request list may re-open.

Work-study funds are extremely limited in the summer. Only critical-need areas are eligible to have work-study students work in the summer. Offices that are eligible will be notified and supervisors will need to initiate hiring summer work-study students, so please contact your supervisor to see if this is a possibility in your department.

Contact the Office of Financial Aid to see if your work-study limit can be increased. These funds do run out, and not all students will qualify but please check by emailing [email protected].

Your department has the option of letting you work as a student hourly employee. Your department would be responsible for 100% of your wages, so not all departments are able to do this option. You will want to speak to your supervisor about this possibility.

Yes, there are opportunities to work in community service positions off-campus and be paid via your work-study funds offer. There are specific local schools, governmental agencies, and community service organizations that CSU has partnered with to offer work-study positions at. These jobs will be posted on Handshake like all other work-study positions. If interested, please search in Handshake for open positions. Examples of current off-campus work study sites include PSD schools, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA-Agricultural Research Station, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, and more.

The SERP is an alternative to Social Security for student employees at Colorado Public Higher Education Institutions who would have been required to participate in Social Security. Find more details about the Student Employee Retirement Plan (SERP) here.