• Work-Study is a federal and state funded work program with oversight provided by the U.S. Department of Education. At UTA, federal and state funding covers 75% of the student’s wages, and the remaining 25% is covered by the department.
• The Office of Financial Aid determines whether or not a student is eligible and how much work-study funding an eligible student receives. Neither Student Employment nor the Career Development Center plays any role in the decision about who gets what amount of a work-study award. Please note, a student must show a financial need in order to be eligible for a work-study award.
• Calculating Award Amount: Students are not authorized to earn more than their allotted work-study award amount during a given school year. Therefore, it is important for students and employers to work together to monitor a student employee's hours.
  • Divide the total award/how many weeks are in the semester
  • Then divide that number by the hourly wage
    • Ex: $2000 (total award)/16 (weeks in the semester) = $125 per week
    • $125/8 (hourly rate) = 15.5 hours per week 
    • Department would pay $500 and work-study award would pay $1500. 
    • $125/8 (hourly rate) = 15.5 hours per week

Post your job using Handshake.

Complete the fields on basics, details, preferences, and preview screens with as much detail as possible to find students who are qualified and interested in the position. View our job description template.

Learn how to duplicate a job posting here.

1. Login or Create your profile on Handshake
   • Login to your employer Handshake account at uta.joinhandshake.com with your full UTA email address. Check out our login guide.
   • If you are not familiar with Handshake, please view the Handshake Supervisor Training presentation.
2. Post your job using Handshake.
   • Complete the fields on Basics, Details, Preferences, and Preview screens with as much detail as possible to find students who are qualified and interested in the position. 
   • View job titles and position descriptions.
   • Learn how to duplicate a job posting here.
3. Review your applicants using Handshake.
   • When you are ready to review applicants for a position, click "Jobs" on your Handshake home screen. Then click the title of the job you want to review. Click "Review Application" to see materials for students who applied for the position. 
4. Schedule interviews with your candidates.
   • After reviewing your applications, set up interviews with candidates. Unsure what to ask? Here is a list of pre-approved interview questions.
   • Need interview space? Interview rooms are available in the Career Development Center.
   • Use the reference check questions resource for assistance with checking student references.
5. Make an offer, pending a background check.
   • We have a sample offer letter template for student employee positions. Don't forget to discuss starting pay, start dates, background checks, dress codes (if any) and any other pertinent information! 
   • See the Student Pay Ranges and Job Codes information page for more detailed information. 
6. Do the required paperwork.
   • E-forms & TCE
   • Don't forget to fill out all the required paperwork. A background check must be done for every offer. An e-form must be submitted for all new assignments. Collect and submit any work-study forms from work-study eligible students (available in MyMav 10 days before class starts). New employees must attend a paperwork session within 3 days of employment! 
7. Welcome your new employee.
   • Onboarding Checklist for Student Employees
   • You hired someone - make sure they have everything the need to succeed in their new job. Check out this list of important steps your student employee will need to complete.
   • Performance reviews are strongly encouraged for supervisors as they have been shown to aid in the growth and the development of your student employees. We recommend conducting them each semester. To make it easier for you, we have provided an evaluation sheet that is based on the same characteristics as the Student Employee of the Year.

Student Employment High Impact Practice (SEHIP) TIPS & TOOLS

Explore our high-impact practice areas—Attraction & Marketing, Recruitment & Selection, Onboarding, Development, Rewards & Recognition, Performance Management, and Exit & Transition—developed to ensure student employees are seen as valuable professionals whose contributions are integral to the efficient operation of UTA’s campus with a focus on quality, equity, development and sustained student engagement.

1. Attraction & Marketing: Handshake serves as the posting site for all part-time and full-time positions, along with internships and UTA student employment opportunities. 
   • If you are not familiar with hiring a student and/or Handshake please review our Handshake Supervisor Training. 
   • To make the process of hiring a student employee as easy and laid out as possible, we created a Student Employment Process Step-by-Step Guide to ensure your department checks all the boxes necessary.

   • Ensure that your student position job description is an accurate reflection of the job you are hiring for. We have provided a template outlining the required fields to help you create or update your student job for Handshake.

     • Student Job Titles and Position Descriptions
     • Student Pay Ranges and Job Codes
     • More about Handshake
2. Recruitment & Selection: Department's selection process involves resume screening and interviews based on the application's submitted on Handshake. This ensures you hire students who not only meet the job requirements, but also align with your department's values and culture. 
   • Is your student employee working remotely? Check out our Remote Work Ideas for Student Employees and 8 Tips for Student Employees Working Remotely.
   • If your department is unsure on what to ask during an interview, please review our pre-approved interview questions. 
   • Need an interview space? Request an interview room in the Career Development Center.
   • We also have reference check questions to help with making reference checks as well.
   • See our standard offer letter template that you can customize for each position you have.
3. Onboarding: Engage with the student on day one and schedule ongoing meetings, to ensure that they are set up for success. This will allow your student employees to integrate seamlessly into their roles and the workplace. 
   • We have created a Onboarding Checklist for Student Employees as a guide to successfully on-board and train your new student employee. 
   • This Student Employee Confidentiality Agreement has been approved by legal for use in your departments with students.
   • Student Employment Performance Review Tool
     
   • Supervisor Completion Form
4. Development: The Career Development Center and Student Affairs offers resources to support supervisors in implementing experiential learning activities, helping teams choose relevant activities and execute them effectively.
   • To explore and create impactful learning experiences for students, review our Supervisor Workforce Skills Guide.
   • The four core Iowa GROW® questions should be asked in every work-academic connection conversation. Any other questions that you may ask should be asked in addition to the four core questions. The four core
     questions are essential to Iowa GROW® and will be assessed at the end of the academic year.
     • How is this job fitting in with your academics?
     • What are you learning here that’s helping you in school?
     • What are you learning in class that you can apply here at work?
     • Can you give me a couple of examples of things you’ve learned here that you think you’ll use in your chosen profession?
5. Rewards & Recognition: To show appreciation for your student employees, there are several ways you can acknowledge their contributions and motivate them to do their best for the university:
   • Encourage your student to attend our yearly Student Employee Appreciation Event - Each year, UTA recognizes outstanding student employees, and awards students as an Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year and Graduate Student Employee of the Year each winner will receive a scholarship award. In order to receive this award, student supervisor's will have the opportunity to nominate their student employee. Stay tuned for more information about this event will be released in the Spring semesters. 
   • Send a card - Virtual or snail mail - This is one of the easiest ways to celebrate your student! A handwritten note can mean the world to your student and virtual one's will deliver. Create an individual one or a group card for your office to sign. You can use this free website to send virtual cards to your student. 
   • Post on social media boasting of the terrific work your student employee has done - Share your student worker's accomplishments on social media! Tag us on social media using @hireamav with the hashtag #studentemployee!
   • Have their favorite food delivered to them - Not only can this help a small business, but you can treat your student worker to a meal delivered right to them!
   • Have your staff take pictures with signs saying thank you - Make a video or card using your staff! Take a picture or video holding a sign that shows your appreciation for your student employees. If you would like to use our "We Love Our Student Employees," frame please contact us at studentemployment@uta.edu.
   • Use your screens - Post a thank you message on TV screens or monitors in lobbies or shared spaces, using images of student employees who work throughout the university to celebrate them further. 
   • Spotlights posted on all Social Media platforms - Recognize your student employee by submitting a Student Employee Spotlight Form. 
6. Performance Review: When students graduate or leave their positions, we encourage departments to conduct exit interviews to gather feedback and provide guidance for students transitioning out of the role. This valuable information helps us refine our programs and maintain strong alumni relationships.
   • Please review the Student Employment Performance Review Tool.
     • Student Employee Self Evaluation
     • Student Employee Performance Review - Example 1
     • Student Employee Performance Review - Example 2
7. Exit & Transition: We encourage departments to host performance evaluations biannually, allowing supervisors and students to discuss progress, set goals, and identify areas for improvement. This ensures accountability and promotes ongoing development.
   • To assist with this process, review our Exit Interview template.
   • The four core Iowa GROW® questions should be asked in every work-academic connection conversation. Any other questions that you may ask should be asked in addition to the four core questions. The four core
     questions are essential to Iowa GROW® and will be assessed at the end of the academic year.
     • How is this job fitting in with your academics?
     • What are you learning here that’s helping you in school?
     • What are you learning in class that you can apply here at work?
     • Can you give me a couple of examples of things you’ve learned here that you think you’ll use in your chosen profession?

IOWA GROW® TIPS & TOOLS

Supervisors in the Division are expected to have two Iowa GROW® conversations (individual or small group format) with student employees each semester. Training will provide supervisors with the expectations for GROW®, the desired outcomes of student employment, the results from the Student Employee Survey, and background on the role supervisors can play in helping students make connections between work and academics. Below are some helpful resources. Note that these resources are copyrighted and may be used with acknowledgment to The University of Iowa.

• Supervisor Reflection — Provides some useful questions for supervisors to ask themselves about student employment.
• Supervisor Folder — Provides helpful Iowa GROW® information, including guidelines for conversations, email templates, facilitation tips, additional questions, and more. You can view and print the folder and inserts below. 
  1. Student Employment Overview
  2. Instructions at a Glance
  3. Email or Memo Template
  4. Note Template
  5. Facilitation Tips
  6. Student Employee Survey
  7. Quickstart Guide
• Additional Questions — Based on Iowa GROW® feedback we created additional questions that supervisors may use in subsequent conversations. These additional questions are for:
  1. Student employees who are beyond their first year of employment in your department.
  2. Student employees with whom you have had more than two Iowa GROW® conversations.
  3. Student employees in their junior or senior (+) years.

Student Employment Faculty & Staff Workshops

• The Student Employment Team hosts several workshops throughout the semester to help you and your student employees succeed!

• Workshop announcements will be in our monthly Student Employment newsletter and dispatch. If you are student supervisor and have not received our Student Employment newsletter, please contact us at studentemployment@uta.edu.

STUDENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION

Spring 2026 date coming soon.

Each year, UTA recognizes outstanding student employees and awards a scholarship to ‘Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year’, ‘Graduate Student Employee of the Year’, and ‘Distinguished Student Employee of the Year’. Scholarship winners, as well as all student nominees, will be honored for their outstanding work at the Student Employee of the Year program. 

Supervisors can nominate their student employee, and a committee will review the nominations and select the winners based on these factors: Communication, Digital Technology, Problem Solving, Professionalism/Work Ethic, Intercultural Fluency, Career Management, Leadership, and Teamwork. 

What Types of Work Do Student Employees Do?

Student employees perform general office tasks including greeting drop-in clients, answering phones, checking voicemail, responding to emails, explaining the function and resources of the office and assisting staff members as needed. They monitor compliance with University policies, such as entering facilities, using or checking out resources and notifying the appropriate staff member about instances of noncompliance.  Many students perform basic IT functions, social media assistance, research, and much more.

Student Work Hours and Schedules

How Many Hours Per Week Can A Student Work?

It is recommended that student employees work no more than 19 hours, on average, per week so that they can focus on their academic studies and so that more students can take advantage of the limited available student work opportunities. Students should only work outside of scheduled class time. Remember, student employees are students first. International students authorized to work under a visa must follow the regulations regarding hours worked set forth by their visa. Contact the Office of International Education for more details. 

Setting Your Student’s Work Schedule

The student’s schedule is jointly determined by you and the student, A typical schedule for a first-year student is about eight (8) hours per week. Remember: student employees are students first. Students are not permitted to work during scheduled class hours. Supervisors should be flexible with working hours during exam preparation periods, institutional holidays, extended breaks (winter break, spring break), and unexpected school closures. Students’ availability may change from semester to semester as their class schedule changes, so be sure to ask your student employee about scheduling changes before a new semester starts.

Work-Study Students’ Working Limits

Remember: student employees are students first. Per UTA policy, work-study students are not allowed to work more than 19 hours per week during the school year. Students are not permitted to work during scheduled class hours. Learn how to calculate the award under "Work-Study Explained."

International Students’ Working Limits

International students studying at UTA on F-1 or J-1 visas are strictly limited to working 20 hours per week during the school year. Contact the Office of International Education for more details.

Location: The Career Development Center is in the E.H. Hereford University Center.
300 W. First Street, Suite 180S, Arlington, TX 76019
Phone: 817-272-2932, Fax: 817-272-0268
Phone & Email: Call us between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday at or email us at studentemployment@uta.edu

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

It is the policy of The University of Texas at Arlington to provide an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. In accordance with federal and state law, the University prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, and/or veteran status. The University also prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity and gender expression. Retaliation against persons who oppose a discriminatory practice, file a charge of discrimination, or testify for, assist in, or participate in an investigative proceeding relating to discrimination is prohibited. Constitutionally protected expression will not be considered discrimination or harassment under this policy. It is the responsibility of all departments, employees, and students to ensure the University's compliance with this policy. 

For all UTA employment policies, please visit this UTA Policies, Procedures and Forms.