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Rules & Regulations

Texas A&M University students who work for the University or other agencies within the TAMU System are exempt from FICA (Social Security and Medicare) deductions. 

In order to be considered eligible, students must be enrolled at least half-time at Texas A&M. The law allows each institution to define half-time. TAMU uses the definitions set forth by the Registrar. Work performed during school holidays and breaks between academic periods is eligible for the exemption if: The break is less than 5 weeks long, and the student is enrolled or eligible to enroll in the first academic period following the break.

However, if the break is longer than 5 weeks or the student is not enrolled or eligible to enroll in the next academic period, the student will not be eligible for the FICA exemption. Therefore, it is possible (or even probable) that a student employee will have some wages that were subject to FICA taxes and some that wages that were exempt from FICA taxes during the same year. 

 For more information, contact Tax Compliance and Reporting at tax@tamu.edu.

The Student Employment Office and Texas A&M Employee Services are committed to providing employee access to required notices in regard to federal and state laws and system policy. This information is available at Employee Notices on the Employee Services web site. The 76th Texas Legislature, through the Texas Labor Code, requires that all State employees receive mandatory Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) training with biennial updates. For more information, please see State Mandated Training. Please take time to visit this site and familiarize yourself with the rights and responsibilities of all TAMU employees.
The Texas A&M University System supports employee service in state or national uniformed service units. The University provides certain employment protections and rights to those who serve our country.

The term 'uniformed services' means the Armed Forces, including Reserve and National Guard units when engaged in active duty for training, inactive duty training, or full-time National Guard duty, the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, and any other category of persons designated by the President in time of war or national emergency. (38 U.S.C. §4303.16) Texas A&M University complies with all state and federal laws relating to employees in reserve, guard, or active military service and does not discriminate against employees who serve in the military. A person who has an obligation to perform service in a uniformed service cannot be denied initial employment, reemployment, retention in employment, promotion or any benefit of employment on the basis of that obligation. (38 U.S.C. §4301)

Texas A&M University recognizes the importance of providing a prompt and efficient process for resolving student employee/employer conflicts. Resolution should be sought at the level closest to the parties involved. However, a neutral third party may be able to provide assistance in helping the parties in conflict reach a fair and equitable resolution. Employers may seek advice and/or assistance from the Student Employment Office regarding the grievance process.

Student Employment Guidance

Posting part-time student employment positions in a central location benefits both students seeking employment and employers. A centralized location for part-time student positions supports equal access to employment opportunities and a diverse applicant pool. The Jobs for Aggies (JFA) job database has existed as a recruiting tool for on-campus employers for over 15 years. On- and off-campus employers can post part-time student positions at no charge. The JFA Job Board allows the employer to use their own application process or the built-in application system. All currently enrolled students have access to search for jobs in the database.

  • All postings must be active on the Job Board for a minimum of 24 hours.

View the document Using Jobs for Aggies to Advertise Your Open Position.

View a recording of the Texas A&M at Galveston Jobs for Aggies Training

Providing a written position description to student employees is important for many reasons, including setting clear expectations of duties and assisting in performance management.
  • Position descriptions should be stored in Workday, in one of two ways.
    • Enter position description details in Job Description Section on the Position Restrictions Tab for each student PIN. View the Edit Position Restrictions Job Aid for more detailed instructions. 
    • Store collective position descriptions on your website and paste the link under each PIN in Workday.
  • Any template or form can be utilized, but certain information is required per federal regulations. The template available on this page includes all federally required information.
View the Job Description Template. 
The following is a general job description that can be used in Workday when hiring a student using the Student Research Assistant job profile.  The information should be entered into the appropriate sections on the Hiring Restrictions Tab.

Job Description Summary:
Student Research Assistants support faculty research activities under general supervision. Duties may include literature reviews, data collection and management, assisting with experiments, data collection and/or analysis, supporting research staff, and poster and manuscript contribution. All required University and lab specific training must be completed before being allowed to work in the laboratory.

Roles and Responsibilities:
The Student Research Assistant assists with data collection and supports research work under general supervision.  Duties may include, but are not limited to:
  • Conducts literature reviews
  • Collects and manages data.
  • Assists with experiments in support of various research projects.
  • Uses computers and laboratory or technical equipment for data collection, data entry, and analysis and compiles results.
  • Assists undergraduate and/or graduate students and other laboratory, technical or field staff involved in research.
  • Assists with reports, poster, and manuscript development and research documentation.
  • Performs other duties as assigned.
Lab-specific training, instruction in laboratory experimental research protocols and instrumentation operation will need to be completed before being allowed to work in the laboratory.

General Qualifications:
  • Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others
  • Excellent written and verbal communications skills
  • Courteous and professional
  • Strong work ethic (dependable, reliable, demonstrate initiative, etc.)
View the September 2019 memo that addresses how the Student Employment Enhancements were revised to accommodate Student Research Assistants.

Hiring Information

The following descriptions serve as a guide for on-campus employers in determining an appropriate pay range for a part-time student employee position. Within each job position title, an employer may deem a working title (i.e. a Student Technician II may be a Web Designer). Although each title has a maximum and a minimum wage scale associated with it, employers may hire a student at a rate higher than the minimum. Employers should consider both experience and level of responsibility in determining a starting rate of pay.
 
Federal Work Study and Texas College Work Study student employees should be compensated with the same consideration as regular student employees.

Student Assistant

A person with a few special skills and little or no previous training or work experience. A minimum amount of training is necessary to prepare the employee for work. The employee is generally well supervised and jobs are of a routine nature requiring little decision making.

Student Coordinator

Persons classified at this level require a moderate to high degree of mental activity and independent judgment in addition to extensive previous training and experience. The work performed involves decision making, responsibility for the safety of persons and property or supervision of other student employees and may be an essential function of departmental operations.

Student Research Assistant

The Student Research Assistant job profile is reserved for student positions that support faculty research activities and assist with data collection under general supervision. This job profile should only be used for student worker position where at least 60% of the duties are research related. Duties may vary with each specific positions, but all require that university and lab specific training must be completed before a student may be allowed to work in the laboratory.  Persons hired into these positions should have the ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.  It is also expected that these students have demonstrated initiative and reliability.

Student Technician

Persons classified at this level must have technical skills, knowledge of the job, or be in a training phase of a technical position, would need little to a moderate amount of supervision, and would occasionally be placed in a supervisory position. Since other student employee classifications require ordinary skills and abilities, the technician classification will be awarded sparingly.

Student Intern

Duties of student interns should be beyond those of typical student employee positions. Your position description should illustrate the level of duties and the required education and experience for the intern title. There should be specific goals listed for the student to achieve throughout the duration of his/her employment that are related to the student’s career path. The objective of hiring a student intern should be for the employer to have a skilled worker and for the intern to gain valuable experience directly tied to their field of interest. It may be necessary to work with academic advisors to allow the intern to earn academic credit for their experience. 

It is important to know that a student intern position is a short-term position, usually lasting one or two semesters. Please use one of our other position titles for a long-term position.

Visit the Jobs for Aggies Employers webpage for additional information or clarification, or contact the Student Employment Office at (979)-845-0686.
A non-affiliated student employee is a student who is enrolled in an institution other than Texas A&M University (e.g. enrolled in high schools, junior colleges, other colleges and universities), is working part-time, on or off campus and is processed through one of the Texas A&M University System payroll stations under the Non-affiliated Student Employee Job Position Title. These non-affiliated student employees are not student employees by current definition, yet it is necessary that they be paid the same rate as TAMU student employees performing similar duties.
 
It is the responsibility of the hiring department to ensure that the student is eligible to be employed under these Job Position titles (i.e. enrolled or pre-registered for the following semester).

It is also the hiring departments responsibility to verify the age of new employees and follow university guidelines if the employee is under eighteen (18) years of age. Please review University SAP – Procedures for Hiring Minors for details.

Effective December 1, 2016

Workday Job Position Title Wage Scale
Non-Affiliated Student Assistant $7.25 - $15.00
Non-Affiliated Student Coordinator $7.25 - $17.00
Non-Affiliated Student Technician $7.50 - $17.00
Non-Affiliated Student Intern $8.00 - $17.00

The above Job Position title codes are to be used in hiring non-affiliated students for part-time employment on-campus. Although each one has a maximum and a minimum wage scale associated with it, employers may hire a student at a rate higher than the minimum. Employers should consider both experience and level of responsibility in determining a starting rate of pay. Employers wishing to hire or promote a student beyond the upper end of the wage rate category should contact the Student Employment Office at (979) 845-0686.
Texas A&M University is required by Federal and State laws to complete a Form I-9 and electronically submit it to E-Verify for all new hires, including Student Workers. Please read this information carefully and share it with students so that they are prepared in the event that they accept an offer of employment with Texas A&M University.
The Form I-9 has two sections:
  • Section 1 à to be completed by the student employee on or before the hire date.
  • Section 2à to be completed by Texas A&M University, in the presence of the student employee, within three business days of the hire date.
What to Expect
  • Students will complete the Form I-9 in the presence of an HR representative of Texas A&M University.
  • Students should review the lists of acceptable documents that they can present to the employer so that Section 2 can be completed. Students must present original, unexpired documents (photocopies are not accepted) to verify their identity and work authorization. Failure to provide these documents within the required time will result in employment termination.
  • Submitting the information to E-Verify requires a Social Security Number. If a student does not have a SSN at the time the Form I-9 is being completed, they have up to 45 days to obtain a SSN. Once obtained, students should notify their HR contact. Failure to provide a SSN may result in employment termination.
  • Knowingly hiring and continuing to employ unauthorized workers may result in fines and penalties for Texas A&M University. If Section 2 cannot be completed within 3 business days of the employee’s first day of employment, employees must be terminated from the position.
  • International students should refer to UCIS website for more detailed instructions.

Federal and Texas College Work Study Programs

For students who qualify, Federal and Texas college work study programs provides part-time employment for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and certain other non-citizens. These programs allow eligible students to earn money through their pay checks to help pay for educational expenses in addition to gaining valuable work experience. Federal and Texas college work study job openings is posted on Jobs for Aggies Job Board to ensure all eligible students have an opportunity to apply.

For students who qualify for these programs, 75% of the student's gross earnings are paid from Federal or Texas college work study funds. Hiring departments are responsible for paying the remaining 25% of the student’s gross earnings plus required payroll taxes (i.e., FICA, UCI, and WCI). Federal and Texas college work study earnings is paid on a bi-weekly payroll basis.

Students employed under this program work an average of 10-15 hours per week. This may vary depending on the amount of work study funds offered and class schedule.

Texas A&M University colleges/departments and local system members are eligible to participate as employers in the work study program.  However, resident advisors, on-call student workers, graduate assistants and student research assistant positions are not eligible for work study funding.

Graduate and undergraduate students with financial need as determined by the Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA) or Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) are eligible for work study funds. Which application is needed is dependent on whether a student qualifies for all forms of federal aid or only state aid.

Students must meet satisfactory academic progress requirements and be enrolled at least half-time at Texas A&M University. On a case-by-case basis, awards may be offered to students who are enrolled less than half-time. Should a student meet the eligibility requirements for Work Study and funding is available, the amount of Work Study for which a student qualifies will be included in their financial aid offer.

If a student who has not been offered work-study funds wants to know whether they may qualify, please review our How to Check Your Work Study Eligibility video.

Only students with advance approval from Scholarships & Financial Aid may be hired in work study title codes on state or federal work study funding. Eligible students will present a work study certificate form to the hiring department and the hiring department should maintain a copy of the work study certificate in the student’s personnel file.

In order to utilize a student’s work study award, the appropriate Job Profile Title must be chosen when completing the “Create Position”, “Hire Process” or “Change Job” business processes.
When hiring a work study student, the hiring department assigns a department account costing allocation to be used to pay the non-work study percentage of wages. When/if the student’s allocation of work study funds is expended, the entire wages will be paid from the department account.  Scholarships & Financial Aid may initiate the Payroll Cost Transfer request with the department so that the source be moved from work study funds to non-work study funds.

All male employees between the ages of 18 and 25 must show proof of compliance with Selective Service Registration if using Texas work study funds. Proof may be obtained online at the Selective Service System webpage. The hiring department should retain that proof in the student employees human resource files.

Employing departments shall maintain time records in Workday and ensure timely payment of work study employees.

Community Service Program and Reads & Counts Tutor Program work study time sheets must include:

  • The student's name
  • The agency or school name
  • The starting and ending dates of the payroll period
  • The dates and times that the student worked
  • The student's signature
  • The supervisor’s signature

 
Employing departments must create and maintain job descriptions for each student employee in the Jobs for Aggies Job Board under the employer contact and the job id number

All of the following wage rate provisions must be met by the employing department:

  • All student employees will be paid in accordance with the wage rate table developed and posted by the Human Resource office.
  • All student employment classifications are listed by base rate and maximum rate.
  • The starting rate of pay is at the department's discretion so long as the rate is consistent with the wage rate tables and the wages of other student workers in that department or unit.
  • The student's academic classification has no bearing on the title code or rate of pay.


Designated offices include the following –
The Scholarships & Financial Aid office is the office responsible for the work study programs at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Texas A&M Higher Education Center at McAllen and the Texas A&M School of Law.
In determining a rate of pay, departments are to consider the following:
a) the skills needed to perform the job
b) rates the department would normally pay other student employees performing similar duties
c) how much individuals with similar skills are paid in the local market for doing the same type of job.
 
Promotions and Merit Increases may be recommended based upon yearly performance review, across-the-board increase or change in job titles/duties/responsibilities. The department head, or designee, is responsible for the review and approval of recommendations for promotion. The hiring department will appropriately document such pay increases and title changes (i.e. revised position description, letter of recommendation, performance review, etc.).

Merit increases to the student employee’s rate of pay may occur at any time after 12 months of employment. Recommendations must clearly describe meritorious job performance. The department head, or designee, is responsible for the review and approval of recommendation for merit increases. The hiring department will appropriately document such pay increases (i.e. letter of recommendation, performance review, etc.). Merit increases are to be requested through their Human Resources Hub.

Student employees are not eligible for fringe benefits such as sick leave, vacation time or paid holidays; nor are they eligible to participate in retirement programs. Student employees are not eligible for group health insurance benefits unless they work 30+ hours over 90+ days. Federal and Texas work study students are exempt from group health insurance benefits.

The hours worked on positions funded by Work Study do not count toward eligibility for health insurance coverage under ACA.  Student workers who are not in Work Study funded jobs are tracked for ACA purposes, and offered benefits, if they reach eligible hours.

Student employees are covered under the provisions of Workers’ Compensation Insurance and Social Security. Payroll deductions for Social Security and taxes will be made as appropriate.
In accordance with federal regulations, student employees paid through work study awards may not be paid for hours that have not actually been worked. For this reason, estimated time in Workday shall not be processed for work study student employees.

The Scholarships & Financial Aid office will work in coordination with the Hub’s Human Resource Generalists to ensure work study students fully utilize their awarded allocation without exceeding established limits.