Student Employment Program

In order to secure a Student Employment Program positions, students will first need to complete a FAFSA for the upcoming academic year (provided they meet minimum eligibility requirements).  

Students who have completed the FAFSA and demonstrate eligibility will be offered Federal Work Study (FWS) funding on their financial aid package. The amount of FWS funding the Financial Aid Office can offer a student each year is limited and based on your need as demonstrated by your FAFSA. The total FWS award amount on your financial aid package is not a guarantee of employment; rather, it is a maximum earnings limit for the academic year.  

If you accept the FWS offer, you will need to apply to a Student Employment Program job, be hired to a job, and begin working before you earn FWS funding. You are not required to accept the FWS award should you choose not to pursue a Student Employment Program position. In that case, contact the Financial Aid Office if you still have expenses that you need to cover, as we may be able to convert your FWS award into additional loan funding. If you decline your FWS award but later change your mind, contact the Financial Aid Office to let us know. 

Students should be aware that their FWS maximum earnings limit may decrease during the academic year due to financial aid changes including but not limited to: enrollment adjustments, excess loan funding, receipt of outside scholarships or other outside financial assistance, or other adjustments to the financial aid package. This will be communicated to you via an email to your Adler email account from the Financial Aid Office. 

Students who have been offered a position funded by the Student Employment Program but are not eligible for FWS funding, including international students and students who are not eligible per their FAFSA, will be paid through Adler University institutional funding. These institutional funds are very limited so positions are generally funded on a first-come, first-served basis. 

The Student Employment Program is not a job-placement program; it is your responsibility to find a job in which you are interested and begin the interview process. We offer a wide variety of positions based at the University, available both on-campus and remotely, as well as based at certain outside community partner organizations, also sometimes available both in-person and remotely.  

You can find a list of currently available positions below. This list is updated frequently throughout the academic year so if you do not find a position that interests you now, continue checking back for updated offerings! 

When you find a job that interests you, you must begin the application process by contacting the Hiring Manager/Supervisor listed in the job opening. The application process differs from employer to employer; some may have a formal application, some may ask for your resume and/or a cover letter, and some may ask you to do a formal interview. If you have a FWS award listed on your financial aid package in Financial Aid Self-Service, be sure to let the Hiring Manager/Supervisor know! You can also expect to discuss your class schedule and availability for work. 

Remember: 

1. Student Employment positions are limited to no more than 20 hours per week when you are enrolled with a minimum half-time enrollment status, or 30 hours per week during University-scheduled breaks  
2. You cannot work during scheduled class time. Your first priority is your coursework!

If you are hired as a student employee, congratulations! You and your Hiring Manager/Supervisor will need to complete certain forms and processes before you can begin getting paid through the Student Employment Program. 

1. Your Supervisor will complete the Student Employment Authorization Form and send it to the Financial Aid Office. Beginning with the 2021-2022 academic year, students will not need to complete any portion of the Student Employment Authorization Form. 
2. The Financial Aid Office will contact you via an email to your Adler email account to schedule New Hire Orientation, which is a quick 15-minute phone call or in-person meeting during which we’ll review the terms and conditions of the Student Employment Program  
3. Once New Hire Orientation is complete, the Financial Aid Office will forward the completed Student Employment Authorization Form to People & Culture. People & Culture will then contact you via an email to your Adler email account to complete the New Hire Onboarding process, which may include the following steps: 

• Complete Federal and State W-4 Forms, to verify tax withholding allowances 
  
• Complete the Federal I-9 Form, to confirm your identity and verify your eligibility for employment  
  
  • You must provide identification from either column A or columns B and C as listed on page 3 of the Form I-9 to People & Culture 
• Complete the Adler Direct Deposit Form, to have your paycheck deposited to your bank account 
• Register for UltiPro Time Management (UTM), which will give you access to your timesheet so that you can track your hours worked 
• Complete Adler specific training modules as required by People & Culture or Compliance 
  • This can include training on the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (or FERPA), which is required if you will have access to student information as part of your job duties. 
• 4. When all of the above steps are complete, you will be added as an employee to UltiPro and your supervisor will see you listed in the system as their employee. Once your supervisor confirms that your timesheet is viewable, you may begin working.    

If you begin working before all of the above steps have been completed, it will result in financial impacts on the department for which you are working. Be sure to complete any needed new hire steps in a timely fashion!  If you will continue working in the same position form one academic year to the next, the only above step that needs to be completed before the start of the new academic year is your supervisor completing the Student Employment Authorization Form.  

Once you and your Supervisor complete all new hire steps, you are ready to start working! Student Employment Program jobs have the same level of expectations as any other job. You’ll work with your Supervisor to discuss the role, your job duties, your work schedule, and to get any of your questions answered. Be sure to treat this like you would any other job: arrive on time, be ready and willing to work, and make sure to inform your supervisor if you are not able to work a scheduled shift. We encourage you and your Supervisor to agree on a work schedule that will balance your academic load, your financial needs, and your employer’s work need. And remember that you cannot work during scheduled class time nor can you work more than 20 hours per week while enrolled in coursework or 30 hours per week during University-scheduled breaks. 

One of your job duties may require handling sensitive information, including student information. All sensitive information must be secured to protect the privacy of Adler University, students, and employees. 

FWS funding can be maxed out at $13,500 for the academic year, which equates to 20 hours of work per week during all three semesters (45 weeks total) at $15/hour. However, most positions have historically been available for around 10 hours per week, or for a semester or two at 15 to 20 hours per week, so if you are eligible for FWS, the initial FWS award amount that will be offered for the academic year is $6,750.  

Even though FWS funding is offered per semester, the maximum earnings limit amount you really need to pay attention to is the total for the academic year. You and your Supervisor can decide how you allocate your work during the academic year, as long as your total pay does not exceed your total maximum earnings limit as listed on your financial aid package. For example, say you and your Supervisor decide on 10 hours/week for the entire academic year but every now and then you work 15 hours/week. That’s fine, and most likely you will stay within the typical $6,750 annual maximum earnings limit. But you will need to continue to monitor your earnings so that you don’t exceed your total maximum earnings limit for the academic year as listed on your financial aid package. While the Financial Aid Office will monitor earnings and limits and may alert you and your Supervisor if you are nearing your limit, it is ultimately the responsibility of you and your Supervisor to monitor your earnings and ensure you do not exceed your maximum earnings limit. 

You will be paid for the work you perform, and your pay will be sent to your bank account via direct deposit. Funding through the Student Employment Program is generally offered to cover living expenses rather than tuition and fee charges.  

Student Employment Program positions are paid at a rate of $15/hour and students cannot work more than 20 hours per week while they are enrolled in coursework with a minimum half-time enrollment status, or 30 hours per week during University-scheduled breaks. Students are paid on the 15th and the last day of every month for hours worked one pay period prior. So for example, the September 30th paycheck includes hours worked from September 1st to September 15th.

Direct deposit for your Student Employment Program job is different than direct deposit for financial aid refunds from Student Accounts. Financial aid direct deposit is set up via Adler Connect Self-Service. Employee direct deposit is set up with People & Culture. While you can use the same bank account for both, you need to set up each one separately. 

Many students who work through the Student Employment Program stay with their employer for multiple years. If you and your employer want to continue your employment, or you want to find a new position the next academic year, you will need to submit a new FAFSA if eligible. Your eligibility for Student Employment Program funding is determined anew each academic year; unearned Student Employment Program funding from one academic year, including FWS and institutional funding, cannot roll over to the next academic year. 

Should you decide to leave your position, you can certainly do so. We just ask that you give your employer two weeks’ notice if possible. This two-week notice should also be given should you know that you will not enroll for an upcoming semester or session, or you will be graduating from your program. 

Your supervisor will alert the Financial Aid Office and People & Culture that you will be leaving or have left your position. Any unearned FWS maximum earnings for the academic year can be applied to a new position, should you continue your enrollment and decide to start a new Student Employment Program job. Contact the Financial Aid Office if you have remaining FWS maximum earnings and are starting a new Student Employment Program position. Unfortunately, if you were funded by institutional Student Employment Program funds, those funds cannot follow you to a new job as there may be a waitlist for available funds.  

Your supervisor may also decide that the position is not a good fit. In that case, they will have a conversation with you about next steps and will alert the Financial Aid Office and People & Culture of those next steps. Leaving a Student Employment Program position due to supervisor action may not necessarily preclude you from securing another Student Employment Program position.