Rules Governing Student Employment Rules Chart:
Student Employee 1 Fall/Spring Summer I and II 2Breaks (<= 5 weeks) 2Breaks (> 5 weeks) FICA Exempt Overtime
American Student  30 hrs/wk 30 hrs/wk 40 hrs/wk 30 hrs/wk yes, enrolled in 6 credit hrs in f/sp 3 credit hrs sum over 8hrs/day over 40hrs/wk2
American Student
(non enrolled 3)
N/A 40 hrs/wk 40 hrs/wk N/A no over 8hrs/day over 40hrs/wk
International Student4
(enrolled or under enrolled5)
20 hrs/wk 20 hrs/wk 40 hrs/wk 20 hrs/wk yes over 8hrs/day over 40hrs/wk for breaks of less than 5wks only
International Student
(non enrolled5)
Not eligible is illegal to work

40 hrs/wk as
long as enrolled fulltime in upcoming fall

N/A N/A no/unless treaty over 8hrs/day over 40hrs/wk in Summer I and II only

The above hours are acceptable maximums guided by the Fair Labor Standards Act, MES Act, INS regulations and WMU policy.  Actual hours in each department are subject to supervisor approval. An American student has U.S. citizenship or legal permanent resident status (Green Card).  An International Student does not usually have U.S. citizenship.

1 Refer to Defining "Student Employee and Non-enrolled Student Employee" document Please refer to Article 1.1.3 of 2006-2009 collective bargaining agreement in regards to student employees working in AFSCME staffed operations.

 

2 No enrolled student employee should be working over 30 hours/week except during break time. Break time is defined as winter closure, spring break, time periods between terms or semesters and university periods of non enrollment.  During a semester, holidays like Labor Day, MLK Celebration, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day and Independence Day are not considered breaks as defined here.

 

3 Refer to Defining "Student Employee and Non-enrolled Student Employee" document. A non-enrolled student is subject to FICA. These employees do not have the same rights and privileges as students because they are NOT enrolled students.

 

4 An international student is only allowed to work on campus in most cases, unless his/her visa allows off-campus academically related work. They are ineligible for federal work-study.

 

5 An under-enrolled or non-enrolled international student is not allowed to work on or off-campus in all cases unless working in summer and they were previously enrolled full time in preceding fall/spring and will be again in the upcoming fall semester.  Anything less than full-time enrollment status is considered under enrolled unless it is their last semester.  An international student may work when under-enrolled so long as it is their graduating semester.

N/A – Employee should not be working and doesn’t apply.