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Student Employment

Approximately 650 students are employed annually by the University. Students generally work from 10-15 hours per week and are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week combined with all positions held. 

Hourly wages depend on job responsibilities and experience, with wages beginning at the minimum wage established by the State of Colorado. Students are paid once a month by method of electronic funds transfer to a designated account.

Funding Updates as of March 2024:
SFS has currently reached our awarding limits for Colorado Need, Colorado No-Need, and Federal On Campus work study funds. This means that for now SFS will not be awarding any new work study funded referrals that are submitted to AIS.

Summer work study funding is based upon remaining Federal work study funds from fall 2023 and spring 2024. The remaining funds will be determined April 15, 2024 and communication will go out after that for summer allocations. Please see below for summer credit hour eligibility requirements. 

Information for Students

Students can check their eligibility for work study through their PAWS account. Eligibility for work study is determined (in part) by completing the FAFSA by the March 1st priority date and indicating interest in work study through the FAFSA. Additionally, work study is awarded as funds are available. Students who do not qualify for work study could still qualify for an hourly position.

Student employment start and end dates:

Spring 2024:  January 1 - May 10

Summer 2024:  May 11 - July 31

Fall 2024:  August 1 - December 31

Supervisors must submit a referral for every semester of employment.  Students must not work until they have an approved referral through AIS. This means that you can see your timesheet with position information in your PAWS account. 

Steps for student employment: 
Student Employment Flow Chart

Types of Funding and Eligibility

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    Federal Work Study

    The Federal Work Study program provides jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay educational expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to each student's course of study. Students may explore off-campus employment opportunities with non-profit organizations who have signed agreements with the school.

    After a referral is submitted and approved students awarded with this fund will see Federal WS On Campus (FWSON) or Federal WS OFF Campus (FWSOFF) with an award total for the amount they are eligible for the fall and spring semester.  

    Eligibility Criteria

    • Must have a current FAFSA on file and be eligible for aid 
    • Must be degree seeking
    • Must be in good academic standing
    • Must be enrolled in and maintian at least six (6) credit hours of enrollement during the fall and/or spring semeste
    • An I9 and W4 must be completed prior to employment referral being submitted. Documents need to be filled out in person in the Student Financial Services office (for new or first-time student employees)

    **The employer (Colorado State University Pueblo) must ensure that the employee completes Section 1 of Form I-9 by his or her first day of work for pay. Employees may complete Section 1 of Form I-9 at any time between acceptance of a job offer and the first day of work for pay.

    Hiring Process

    • Review job postings
    • Contact supervisor for more information about the position (or to set up an interview) 
    • If hired for the position your supervisor will submit a referral for employment
    • Once you can see your approved referral in your PAWS account via the Student Employment tab, you can begin working 
    • Reach out to your supervisor about any contract or timesheet questions or issues
    Student Employment Flow Chart

    Losing Work Study

    • Earnings exceed the work study award
    • Work is performed during class time
    • Drop below six (6) credit hours
    • Change in financial aid eligibility
    • Are placed on financial aid suspension
    • Working over 20 hours (Saturday-Friday)
    • Reporting hours not worked on official timesheet
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    Colorado Work Study

    The Colorado Work Study program provides jobs for Colorado resident undergraduate students with or without financial need. Funding is provided to the University by the Colorado General Assembly. No-need positions are available upon request, but there are a limited amount of funds so the request must be made by March 1 for each forthcoming school year.

    After a referral is submitted and approved students awarded with this fund will see Colorado WS Need (COWS) or Colorado WS NO Need (COWSNN) with an award total for the amount they are eligible for the fall and spring semester. 

    *Please note that individuals willfully misrepresenting information provided in applying for Colorado student aid funds are subject to penalty of Colorado law.

    Eligibility Criteria

    • Must have a current FAFSA on file and be eligible for aid 
    • Must be degree seeking
    • Must be in good academic standing
    • Must be enrolled in and maintian at least six (6) credit hours of enrollement during the fall and/or spring semeste
    • An I9 and W4 must be completed prior to employment referral being submitted. Documents need to be filled out in person in the Student Financial Services office (for new or first-time student employees)

    **The employer (Colorado State University Pueblo) must ensure that the employee completes Section 1 of Form I-9 by his or her first day of work for pay. Employees may complete Section 1 of Form I-9 at any time between acceptance of a job offer and the first day of work for pay.

    Hiring Process

    • Review job postings
    • Contact supervisor for more information about the position (or to set up an interview) 
    • If hired for the position your supervisor will submit a referral for employment
    • Once you can see your approved referral in your PAWS account via the Student Employment tab, you can begin working 
    • Reach out to your supervisor about any contract or timesheet questions or issues
    Student Employment Flow Chart

    Losing Work Study

    • Earnings exceed the work study award
    • Work is performed during class time
    • Drop below six (6) credit hours
    • Change in financial aid eligibility
    • Are placed on financial aid suspension
    • Working over 20 hours a week (Saturday-Friday)
    • Reporting hours not worked on official timesheet
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    Student Hourly

    Some departments on campus hire students and pay them directly out of their funds. This type of employment is not considered a financial aid award, but is counted as income when filing for financial aid in the next year.

    Eligibility Criteria 

    • Must be degree seeking
    • Must be enrolled in and maintian at least six (6) credit hours of enrollement during the fall and/or spring semeste
    • An I9 and W4 must be completed prior to employment referral being submitted. Documents need to be filled out in person in the Student Financial Services office (for new or first-time student employees)

    **The employer (Colorado State University Pueblo) must ensure that the employee completes Section 1 of Form I-9 by his or her first day of work for pay. Employees may complete Section 1 of Form I-9 at any time between acceptance of a job offer and the first day of work for pay.

    Hiring Process

    • Review job postings
    • Contact supervisor for more information about the position (or to set up an interview) 
    • If hired for the position your supervisor will submit a referral for employment
    • Once you can see your approved referral in your PAWS account via the Student Employment tab, you can begin working 
    • Reach out to your supervisor about any contract or timesheet questions or issues
    Student Employment Flow Chart

    Losing Work Study

    • Work is performed during class time
    • Drop below six (6) credit hours
    • Working over 20 hours a week (Saturday-Friday)
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    International Student Employment

    International students attending CSU Pueblo under an F-1 visa status may be hired for employment in an on-campus position if the following requirements are met. Throughout the duration of their employment students must be:

    • degree-seeking
    • enrolled full time for their degree
    • have an I-9, W-4, and I-20 on file with Student Financial Service
    • copy of government issued social security card while filling out I-9 form

    The student is not permitted to work until the above requirements are met, there is an approved referral, and the student can see their timesheet in PAWS.

    International Student Employment Checklist

    Number and type of positions

    International students may only have an employment contract for one student hourly position at a time. However, students may have both a student hourly and stipend contract if the stipend does not require the student to work additional hours and only supports the student in endeavors they are already pursuing, such as:

    • Student research
    • An extracurricular activity (i.e. Associated Students Government)
    • Supplemental pay for an existing student hourly contract

    At no point will a student be allowed to have more than two contracts at the same time.

    Student Financial Services will monitor stipend-funded referral requests for international students to ensure they meet the above criteria.

    Maximum hours

    Students are not allowed to work more than 20 hours total per week at any point in the academic year, including scheduled breaks from courses (i.e. spring break, summer, etc.). The work week begins at 12 a.m. on Saturday and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Friday. Both students and supervisors are responsible for tracking these hours weekly.

    Student Financial Services will audit international student hours monthly. If a student works more than 20 hours per week, the following procedure will be followed:

    First violation:
    The supervisor and the student will be notified and further educated about their responsibility to track hours. They will also be informed that further infractions may result in the student being reported to SEVIS.

    Second violation:
    The student’s employment contracts will be terminated and the student will not be permitted to work on campus for the remainder of the semester. The DSO will be notified and will work with legal counsel to determine if SEVIS must be notified.
    Student Financial Services will also track infractions by each supervisor. Supervisors with repeated violations will not be permitted to hire international students until they have completed additional training with Student Financial Services. If the violations continue, both the supervisor and the department may lose the ability to submit referrals for international students.
    Training

    Both students and supervisors are required to attend training before any employment contracts will be approved.

    Students:
    All students are required to attend International Student Orientation. The Center for International Programs and Inclusive Excellence will ensure that all international students receive education about requirements for international students working at CSU Pueblo. Following the orientation session, students are required to submit a document acknowledging their understanding of all items covered at orientation. That document is then sent to the Registrar’s Office and uploaded to the student’s record in Filebound.

    Faculty/Staff:
    All faculty and/or staff who request contracts for international students are required to attend both general student employment training and training specific to international students. The international-specific training may be attended virtually or in person, but all attendees must complete a brief quiz regarding international student policies. All questions must be answered correctly before the faculty or staff member will be approved to supervise international students.
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    Summer Employment

    For student hourly/stipend you do not need to be registered in summer courses, but must be registered in 6+ credit hours for the following fall semester.

    For Federal you must be in a minimum of 3 credit hours for summer and already registered for 6+ credit hours for the following fall semester. 

    You may only work up to 20 hours per week during the summer.

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    Timesheet Information

    • Students must be entering timesheet records daily to ensure accuracy
    • Students must not exceed twenty (20) hours per week, these 20 hours are shared per number of positions held. Work week begins Saturday 12:00 a.m. and end Friday at 11:59 p.m.
    • Students must have their timesheet filled out and ready for supervisor approval by the last day of the month. Timesheets must be approved by the Supervisor no later than 5:00 p.m. on the third (3rd) business day of the month.  Late entry or late approval of student’s timesheets will delay a student's paycheck by one month
    • Student's should check every month that their timesheet was approve by the 3rd business day by their supervisor. If your hours have not been approved, contact your supervisor

    Entering Work Study Hours

Additional Resources

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    Career Center

    In addition to the student employment programs above, the CSU Pueblo Career Center offers employment services to current students and alumni from the University. They assist students with professional employment, internships, career planning, and career coaching.

    These services include: résumé and cover letter development, interviewing skills, how to search and apply for internships, and strategies on how to conduct a self-directed job search. The Career Center coordinates all on-campus recruiting by employers and coordinates the annual Career, Internship, and Education Fairs.

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    Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA)

    Per the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA), employers must provide 1 hour of accrued, paid leave per 30 hours worked.  Student employees earn 1 hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. 

     Sick leave can be used for the following health and safety needs:

    • Inability to work due to a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition.
    • Obtaining preventative medical care (including vaccination), or medical diagnosis/care/treatment.
    • Needs due to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or criminal harassment including medical attention, mental health care or other counseling, legal or other services, or relocation.
    • Care for a family member who needs the sort of care listed above.
    • During a public health emergency, a public official closed the employee’s workplace, or the school or place of care of the employee’s child.
    • Effective August 7, 2023: Bereavement, or financial/legal needs after a death of a family member; or
    • Effective August 7, 2023: Due to inclement weather, power/heat/water loss, or other unexpected event, the employee must
      • Evacuate their residence, or
      • Care for a family member whose school or place of care was closed.

     Guidelines that should be followed by both students and supervisors:

    • Students do not earn annual leave. Sick leave should only be used for one of the qualifying events listed above. 
    • Leave must be used responsibly and requires advance approval of the leave request, when foreseeable, by the supervisor. Leave that is not foreseeable (i.e. illness, accident, etc.) still requires a request be submitted immediately upon the student’s return to work.
    • Sick leave can only be used for time that a student was scheduled to be at work.
    • Medical certification will be required for absences of more than 3 consecutive days or shifts. An example of medical certification would be a note from a doctor excusing the student from work.  Supervisors should keep this information on file. 

     

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    My FAMLI+

    Beginning in January 2024, student employees will also be eligible for FAMLI+.  FAMLI+ was approved by Colorado voters in 2020 and does differ from FMLA.  FAMLI+ is paid leave, FMLA is unpaid, job-protected leave (which students do not qualify for).

    CSU Pueblo has partnered with Sun Life to manage our claims.  Please keep this link or document for your files for reference, as it has all the pertinent information regarding the Colorado FAMLI leave program with Sun Life:  https://p1.aprimocdn.net/sunlife/60ba2cad-004a-464d-bce2-b05e00edf5b7/co-pfml-notice-ee-contrib-original-file.pdf

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    Student Employee Retirement Plan - SERP

    What is SERP? View the SERP - Medicare Information Slides and Q&A

Information for Supervisors

Please remember that posting of your new job description is done through AIS!

Supervisors - Please remember the employer (Colorado State University Pueblo) must ensure that the employee completes Section 1 of Form I-9 by his or her first day of work for pay. Employees may complete Section 1 of Form I-9 at any time between acceptance of a job offer and the first day of work for pay. 

Categories, Descriptions, Wages, and Definitions are listed below for your convenience. Please use these as a resource when creating a new posting. Supervisor forms are located at the bottom of the page for your convenience.

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    Job Categories and Descriptions

    Academic

    Library Aide, Gallery Monitor, Study Group Director, Teacher's Aide, Test Grader, Peer Advisor, Interpreter, Translator, Grant Assistant, Research Assistant

    Labor

    Custodian, Fleet Manager, Grounds Keeper, Valet Parking

    Office

    Clerical Assistant, Office Assistant, Student Receptionist

    Security

    Parking Enforcement, Campus Security

    Service

    Child Care Assistant, Copy Center Clerk, Cashier, Mail Clerk, Games Room Attendant

    Sports/Rec

    Assistant Coach, Athletic Aide, Trainer's Aide, Team Manager, Lifeguard, ELC, Intramurals

    Technology

    Audio-Visual Production, Photographer, Stage Technician, Computer Technician, Computer Programmer, Webmaster

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    Wage Rate and Definition

    Level I $14.42-$16.00

    Performs work of routine nature under direct or moderate supervision or within well-defined procedures and guidelines. Requires little decision making. Few special skills and minimal experience required.

    Level II - $14.42-$17.00

    Performs work of average difficulty without direct supervision. Includes jobs of increasing responsibilities. Previous experience and special skills may be required.

    Level III - $14.42-$19.00

    Performs work of specialized or technical nature. Requires advanced training and/or experience. Student works independently and has a high degree of competence.

    Level IV - $14.42-$21.00

    Duties are varied and are moderately complex. Substantial degree of responsibility and judgment. May supervise other student employees. Requires specific skills. Makes independent judgments.

    Level V - $16.00-$25.00

    Duties are specific and complex with the highest degree of responsibility. This level is outside the general relationship of wage level to job description and is typically only available for graduate students.

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    Supervisor Responsibilities

    • All supervisors will be prompted yearly to acknowledge in AIS that they have read the Policies and Procedures for Supervisors of Student Employees handbook before they can make updates to Student Employment. 
    • Update and maintain your department's job descriptions.
    • Obtain approval to announce your department job descriptions (CRA may be required).
    • Confirm with the potential student employee applicant(s) that they are actively enrolled in at least six (6) credits for the semester.
    • Confirm with the potential student employee applicant(s) that they are work-study eligible, student can confirm via PAWS award offer.
    • If a potential student employee applicant(s) cannot confirm work-study eligibility, then consult with SFS.
    • Screen and interview potential student employee applicant(s).
    • Upon the offer of employment, generate Student Employment Referral in AIS before student employee begins working (CRA may be required).
    • SFS must review submitted referrals for eligibility and will e-mail supervisors when referrals have been approved. Students must not start working until the supervisor receives referral approval.
    • Ensuring each student signs, a “Student Employment Acknowledgement” that defines expectations.
    • Review time recorded for accuracy. Requiring student employee(s) to log in and out of work each day ensures accuracy.
    • Confirm weekly that student employee(s) has not worked more than twenty (20) hours per week. Remember the workweek begins on Saturday.
    • Approve and submit time recorded by student employee(s) to Payroll, by 5:00 p.m. on the 3rd working day of each month (It is recommended this be done on a daily basis). Late timesheets will delay a student's paycheck by one month! (CRA may be required).
    • Your permission is required if your student employee(s) works when the scheduled class has been canceled or ended early. Documentation must be obtained prior to the student working, from the professor that class was canceled or ended early.
    • Your permission is required if your student works beyond regular University hours.
    • Monitor student employee(s) earnings. Your department will be charged for earnings that exceed the student employees’ work-study award(s)!
    • Conduct evaluations for your student employee(s) at the end of each year, or upon termination.
    • To end date/terminate a student employee contract, please fill out the Student Employment Performance Evaluation Form.

     

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    Supervisor Forms

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