Student Wage Employment

This section outlines the eligibility requirements, employment conditions, and policy guidelines for student wage employment, including enrollment criteria, work-hour limits, and provisions for domestic and international students. It also covers administrative processes such as job classifications, payroll practices, federal work-study considerations, and procedures for requesting policy exceptions.

Students enrolled in a full-time academic load (12 or more credits for undergraduate students and 9 or more for graduate students during a fall/spring semester and 6 credits during Summer Session or January Term) in a degree program at UVA are eligible to be student wage employees for the University of Virginia. In addition, students in their last semester of enrollment prior to graduation who need fewer than 12 credits to graduate are eligible to work in a student wage capacity.

Students who graduate in August may not continue to work in a Student Wage capacity post degree conferral. Students who graduate at the end of the fall term may not continue to work in a Student Wage capacity post degree conferral.

Most students who graduate in the spring may continue to work in any current student wage assignment through the summer following graduation until the first day of the fall semester. For the purposes of this authorization, “current” assignments are limited to those held at least 30 days prior to graduation. Please see section 3 for more information on the employment of international students.

Units interested in employing recent UVA graduates should consult with UVA HR on other non-student employment options.

Individuals wishing to hire students are responsible for confirming and documenting eligibility for student wage employment as described in UVA HR’s Guide to UVA Student Employment (PDF).

A. Maximum Hours

Students may be employed for no more than 20 hours each week during any session in which they are enrolled. For students holding multiple assignments/positions at the University (including UVA Health) this hour limit is inclusive of all hours worked across all assignments, even non-wage.

Students may work more than 20 hours per week when not enrolled, such as between the end of the fall term and the beginning of the spring term. In accordance with federal and state law, the University will enforce paid overtime when students work time exceeds 40 hours per week in any given workweek. In such cases, overtime is paid at a rate of one and one-half times the regular rate of pay. Students are not eligible for overtime leave. Managers should be aware that students may be working multiple assignments.

Student wage employees who have worked a total of 1,500 hours since October 1, 2025, may not return to work as a wage employee again until October 1, 2026.

B. Flex-Work

Flex-work is work from alternative work locations, or on alternative work schedules, or a combination of the two. Students are eligible for Flex-work consistent with school or unit level policy at the discretion of their manager(s). Managers who allow students to use Flex-work are strongly encouraged to establish clear written expectations for Flex-work, either through an agreement (such as the Flexwork Guidance - UVA Employees Academic Division by HR) and/or through a unit level policy.

C. Working Outside the United States

The University prohibits remote work, including Flex-work, outside the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia unless required as a part of the responsibilities of the position.

D. Dual-Entity Employment 

Students are eligible to be employed by either the academic division or the medical center but may not concurrently hold jobs in both entities (i.e., dual employment).

In limited circumstances, the provost’s office may approve an exception to allow for dual employment to support a student’s academic endeavors. In these cases, students may request an exception to pursue dual-entity employment as outlined in section 9, "Exceptions".

International students must have the appropriate and valid visa status and work authorization to be employed while enrolled at the University of Virginia. These students may not work post degree conferral except in specific and limited circumstances. Any questions about international student eligibility should be directed to International Studies Office (ISO).

Based on federal guidelines, international students’ employment must be performed on the school’s premises (including on-location commercial firms which provide contractually direct services for students on campus, such as the school bookstore or cafeteria).

In some circumstances employment at an off-Grounds location may be considered as on-Grounds employment if compensated directly by the University. If the employment is at an off-Grounds location or for an off-Grounds employer, the employment must be approved in advance by the ISO and/or by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). F-1 and J-1 visa holders are advised to check with ISO to validate whether a position is considered on- or off-Grounds.

International students’ employment, if on F-1 or J-1 status, must not exceed 20 hours a week while school is officially in session. No exemption from this policy can be granted.

An international student with appropriate work permission (either through visa status, or work authorization granted by the USCIS) may, however, work on Grounds full-time (40 hours per week) when school is not in session or during official university holidays. For additional information on federal regulations concerning international student employment, contact the University’s International Studies Office.

Student wage employees perform a variety of duties ranging from entry level service and administrative support responsibilities to work in support of academic programs.

Both undergraduate and graduate student wage employees should be paid on an hourly basis and submit hours worked in Workday.

Graduate students performing work that is directly related to their training and degree attainment should be placed into positions classified as, and under the higher pay rate schedules for, graduate assistantship (for more information see "Graduate Student Assistantships").

Student wage employment does not qualify graduate students for tuition remission.

UVA has established a "Job Family" for student workers. Within this family, student wage workers are classified using several job profiles, depending on undergraduate vs. graduate student status, Federal Work Study (FWS) status, and whether or not the student worker may come into contact with a minor or a patient as a part of their regularly scheduled duties. Please refer to UVA HR’s Guide to UVA Student Employment (Word) or consult with an HR Business Partner to determine which specific job profile to use.

Individuals not enrolled in Summer Session or January Term may be paid through the student payroll during the summer or J-Term only if they were enrolled as full-time students at the University during the previous fall/spring semester and intend to enroll in the following fall/spring semester as full-time students.

Those students who are not enrolled full-time during Summer Session or J-Term, six and three-credits respectively, may work in excess of the 20 hour per week limit during those terms. Students who work in excess of 40 hours per week, however, may qualify for overtime compensation (for more information, see section 6, “Overtime Compensation”).

Federal Work-Study is not available during the summer. Managers who wish to continue to employ FWS students employees through the summer term must transfer the student to a non-FWS position. Help with the transfer can be found on the UVA HR Student Hiring website. 

Student wage employees qualify for overtime compensation for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week (allowable only when classes are not in session). Overtime compensation is calculated at time and one half their regular rate of pay.

There are typically 26 bi-weekly pay periods in a calendar year. The academic year for payroll purposes for 2026-2027 is defined as the 20 biweekly pay periods extending from August 24, 2026, to May 30, 2027. 

Notably, there will be seven biweekly pay periods extending from May 18, 2026 (which is the end of the 2026-2027 academic year for student payroll purposes) to August 24, 2026 (the beginning of the 2026-2027 academic year for student payroll purposes).

IRS guidelines enable students who are enrolled for at least half-time (6-credits or more) to be exempt from payment of FICA when classes are in session and during any break in classes of less than five weeks, such as winter break. Students who work during Summer Term and are not enrolled at least half-time in summer courses or research hours must pay FICA. Students who fail to meet the half-time or greater enrollment threshold due to delays in their enrollment at the beginning of a term will also be charged FICA. Once withdrawn, FICA cannot be refunded. For more information, please visit UVA Finance’s Student FICA website.

The hourly wage rates noted in subsection "2. B. Flex-Work," as well as the payroll calendar noted in subsection "2. A. Maximum Hours," may be superseded by the terms required under the Federal Work Study program. Information about FWS is available on UVA’s Student Financial Services website. 

FWS is not available during a term in which a student is not enrolled. In these cases, for an eligible student to continue to work, the manager would need to transfer the student to a non-FWS position funded from an alternate source.

Exceptions to the policies above may not be granted for international students.

Any other exception requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To request an exception, please contact the Provost’s Academic Personnel Team.

Student exception requests to work beyond the 20 hour per week limit must include:

• Confirmation from the student’s academic advisor that the progress toward degree will not be adversely affected;
• Approval from the student’s dean (or the dean’s designee); 
• The proposed maximum number of work hours per week across all student wage positions; and
• The dates over which the student will work beyond the 20 hour limit (i.e., from January 6, 2026 through January 31, 2026).

Exception requests for dual-entity employment will be granted only in circumstances where both positions support the student’s academic pursuits and with the approval of the student’s academic division supervisor(s). Exception requests must include:

• The names of both positions and supervisors; and 
• An overview of the student’s academic interest in pursuing the position(s).

Evidence of any approved exception must be saved in Workday in the student’s profile.