3600 Student Employment and Student Stipends

Policy Sections

3600.1 Administration of Student Employment

3600.2 Hiring Student Employees

3600.3 Hours Limitations for Student Employees

3600.4 Student Employee Payments

3600.5 Student Stipends

3600.6 Graduating Student Employees

3600.7 Termination of Student Employees

3600.8 Confidentiality

This policy covers Yale student stipends and Yale’s employment (both hourly and non-hourly) of currently enrolled Yale students and students on an approved leave of absence.  It applies to Yale students employed by Yale (except for those explicitly excluded below) and all Yale individuals and units (i.e., schools, departments, units, or other organizational entities) involved with the employment of such students.

Note:  In the event that any section of this policy conflicts with the University’s collective bargaining agreement with Local 33, the collective bargaining agreement governs.

This policy does not cover the following:

• Students enrolled in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (“GSAS”) who are not paid on an hourly basis.  These students should consult the following sources of information:
  
  • GSAS students receiving fellowships for teaching should contact the Teaching Fellow Program Office (teaching.fellows@yale.edu).
  • GSAS students receiving all other types of financial aid packages (e.g., stipend fellowships, traineeships, and research assistantships) should contact the Graduate Financial Aid Office (gradfinaid@yale.edu).
• Students at other institutions (i.e., non-Yale).  Such students may be hired, but they are processed and paid as temporary employees (see Temporary Staffing).

The Student Employment Office (“SEO”) administers student stipends and the employment of all undergraduate, graduate, and professional student hourly and non-hourly employees at Yale.  All Yale students employed by Yale (except those explicitly excluded in the Scope section, above) and all Yale individuals and units (i.e., schools, departments, units, or other organizational entities) involved with the employment of such students must adhere to the rules and expectations described in the sections of this policy.

Yale University and its units often have the opportunity to offer employment opportunities to Yale students.  This policy exists to describe the relevant rules, expectations, and processes applicable to situations in which the University employs Yale students.

The SEO administers the employment of all undergraduate, graduate, and professional student hourly and non-hourly employees at Yale.

Non-hourly payments include those for:

• Student Teaching Assistantships (payment for teaching professional school courses);
• Research Assistant (payment based on research assistant duties); and
• Other Student Earnings (wages earned for non-hourly services performed).

For advice or information regarding student job categories, job descriptions, rates of pay, and other student employment issues, contact the SEO:

• e-mail: student.employment@yale.edu;
• phone: 203-432-0167; or
• website: www.yalestudentjobs.org.

To ensure that Yale has a record of each of the positions in which a student has worked during their time at the University, Yale requires that all student jobs be posted on the SEO website.  Further advertisement of posted positions is permitted, but not required.  Hiring units are expected to follow the processes described in Procedure 3600 PR.01 Student Employment Procedures for hiring student employees.

Students may not work greater than 19 hours (combined for all Yale jobs, both hourly and non-hourly) in any week during academic terms.  Adherence to the 19-hour limit is strictly enforced.  Non-compliance may result in termination of a student’s employment.

A limitation to this general rule applies to PhD students, who may not work greater than 10 hours (combined for all hourly jobs) in any week during academic terms.  In limited circumstances, PhD students may receive an exception to this limitation by requesting and obtaining the permission of the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the cognizant Associate Dean.

These general limitations on hours worked do not apply during recess and summer or to students on an approved leave of absence.  During these periods, students should not work more than 40 hours per week.  If, however, a student works more than 40 hours per week, the student must be paid time-and-a-half for the hours worked in excess of 40.

A. Payment Amounts

Rates for hourly positions are based on official pay rates issued by the Provost’s Office, in collaboration with Compensation Planning.  The SEO’s job posting process helps supervisors determine the appropriate wage for an hourly position.  Any exceptions to the official pay rates must be approved by the hiring unit’s Business Office, with documentation of such approval maintained by the unit.

Payment amounts for non-hourly positions are determined by the hiring unit.

B. Reporting Time Worked

Hourly student employees are required to complete their eTimesheet on a weekly basis.  Supervisors must review eTimesheets and, if they approve, complete their approval by 3:00 pm each Monday.  When there is a holiday during the week, the deadline may change.  All changes are posted on the Supervisor and Business Office Control Panels.  Student employees and supervisors are expected to follow the processes described in Procedure 3600 PR.01 Student Employment Procedures for completing and approving eTimesheets. 

Non-hourly student employees are not required to submit timesheets.  Rather, their payments are calculated based on the award amount and dates of the hire.

C. Payment Methods

Student employees are paid via one of the following methods:

• Direct deposit: student employees may enroll in direct deposit through Workday.  Direct deposit of wages is made into the student employee’s account based on their pay group, as defined in Workday (i.e., “Weekly,” “Semi-Monthly”).  Pay slips are available in Workday for all direct deposit participants.
• Paycheck: in the absence of an active direct deposit enrollment, a paycheck is issued.   Paychecks are mailed to the student’s “Mailing Address,” as identified in the Student Information System (“SIS”).  Paychecks are issued as follows:
  
  • For student employees in the “Weekly” pay group, paychecks are issued each Thursday; or
  • For student employees in the “Semi-Monthly” pay group:
    
    • Paychecks are issued semi-monthly;
    • All wages are paid in the same check;
    • Hourly wages may be a week behind at each paycheck due to Payroll processing deadlines (refer to the Payroll Schedule for cutoff dates); and
    • Hours entered after the cutoff will be paid in the subsequent semi-monthly check.

In addition to the administration of student employment, the SEO also administers the payment of student stipends, which represent payments to assist with academic and living expenses while enrolled.  Though student stipends are not payments for student employment, they are paid via the methods described in Subsection 3600.4.C., above.

Graduating student employees are allowed to continue as student employees for a specified period under the following conditions:

• they are continuing in the same position from the academic year; or
• they are hired into the Yale unit prior to the end of their last term.

Fall term complete students can work through the last Saturday in January prior to the start of the spring semester.

Spring term complete students can work through the last Saturday in August prior to the start of the fall semester.

Graduating students must have a valid I-9 on file.  International students cannot work post-graduation unless they have an approved Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) and a valid Employment Authorization Document.

All work must be performed in the United States.

A student employee’s hire record ends on the hire end date.  This does not terminate a student’s Workday account.  Students are terminated in Workday via Workday Business Process at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters if they are no longer an active student.  Manual terminations may be processed by a user with appropriate access to the student’s Supervisory Organization.

Employment and payroll information is confidential and, as such, should be provided on a need-to-know basis only.

Everyone who has responsibility for any aspect of the employment and payroll function must handle and store all documents and electronic records related to employment and payroll in a manner consistent with their confidentiality. 

Exceptions to this policy require prior approval by the Student Employment Office, in consultation with other offices, as appropriate.

Hiring Unit / Hiring Unit’s Business Office

• Approves hiring of student employee and submits online hiring notification to SEO.
• Updates information in the student employee record (charging instructions, end dates, hourly rates, etc.) in the SEO website.
• Processes non-hourly payments to student employees in hiring unit.

Student / Student Employee

• Completes required tax withholding documents within Workday.
• Completes employee portion of I-9 in Workday on or before their hire date.
• Verifies their I-9 with the I-9 Center.
• For hourly student employees, submit completed weekly eTimesheet to supervisor

Student Employment Office (“SEO”)

• Reviews online student employment job postings and ensures wage worksheet calculations are done according to the rates established and communicated annually by the Provost’s Office.
• Notifies hiring unit of approved hourly rate via website update
• Reviews pending hire requests for accuracy.
• Notifies hiring unit and student employee when hire is completed.
• Informs student employee about the online forms that must be completed. 
• Manages the data within the student employment system.
• Serves as a Student Employee Service Center for all student employment questions.

Supervisor of Student Employee

• Posts student job online with the Student Employment Office.
• Interviews and selects student employee.
• Reviews and approves eTimesheets.