Office of Academic & Career Services: 859-622-1296
Working while you’re in college is a great way to help keep loan debt minimal and gain real work experience. Research suggests that many students successfully balance a full-time enrollment status and working on a part-time basis. You may find that you become more effective at managing your time as you fit your work schedule into classes, studying, and other obligations.
EKU’s Student Employment Program offers students unique job opportunities, such as working at Meadowbrook Farm, Campus Recreation, or Noel Studio. Student work-study positions start at a minimum of $8.00 per hour and may range up to $18.00+ per hour.
Work Study Program
The Student Employment Work-Study Program provides wages, in return for service, to assist you in achieving your goal of earning a college degree.
The work program at Eastern Kentucky University has three purposes:
It provides employment for those eligible, enabling you to earn a portion of your expenses while pursuing a college education.
It is a part of the educational process whereby you can acquire marketable skills.
It provides academically related work experience, which may have vocational value in post-college years.
Eligibility
Before a student is eligible for Student Employment, a student must complete the following steps:
If a student wants see if they qualify for Federal Work Study funding, they must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); otherwise, this is not a requirement. For additional questions about the FAFSA contact the Financial Aid Department.
Undergraduate students must be enrolled in classes for the semester in which they are applying to work. Students must be enrolled 12 credit hours or more to be eligible for Institutional Work Study or 6 credit hours or more for Federal Work Study.
Graduate students must be enrolled for 9 or more (4.5 or more for FWS) credit hours or more during the fall and spring semesters, and 6 credit hours or more during the summer term.
For VA work study program: EKU veteran and military students (including dependent children and spouses) using GI Bill® benefits and enrolled at least 3/4 time
At Eastern Kentucky University there are two types of work study programs; Federal Work Study and Institutional Work Study. Students should check their eligibility status by contacting the Financial Aid Department at 859-622-2361 or Human Resources Department at 859-622-5094.
All jobs posted on the human resource jobs site will indicate if the job is a federal work study job and/or institutional work study job.
Eligibility does not guarantee a position with either work study program. Students must apply for available jobs online at https://careers.eku.edu, go through a selection/interview process, and be selected by the hiring manager before receiving a job offer.
The Federal Work Study (FWS) Program provides the opportunity to obtain on-campus student employment to eligible students as a part of a student’s financial aid package provided by Eastern Kentucky University and the Federal Government. These positions are not guaranteed and the number of available positions is limited.
This program is federally funded and governed by federal regulations. As such, employment of students is based on financial need as determined from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
FWS Eligibility
To be eligible for the Federal Work Study program, a student must qualify based on financial need and be one of the following:
U.S. Citizen or National
U.S. permanent resident with an Alien Registration Receipt Card (I-551 or I-551C)
Permanent resident of the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands
Otherwise eligible non-citizen with a Departure Record (I-94) from the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services showing one of the following designations:
Refugee
Asylum granted indefinite
Parole and/or humanitarian parole
Cuban-Haitian entrant
T-Visa Holder
Certificate/eligibility letter from the Department of Health and Human Services designating “victim of human trafficking”
Institutional Work Study is designed to allow students who are not eligible for a Federal Work Study award to work on campus. International students are not eligible for FWS, but may seek employment through this program. In addition, FWS eligible students can utilize this program to supplement their FWS funding (as noted above) or if they are unable to obtain a job offer for an FWS job.
IWS Eligibility
Students must be enrolled full time for the semester in which they seek employment (at least 12 credit hours for undergraduate students and 9 credit hours for graduate students).
Institutional work eligibility, unlike Federal Work Study, is not determined by financial need or awards.
Eligibility: EKU veteran and military students (including dependent children and spouses) using GI Bill® benefits and enrolled at least 3/4 time.
Benefits: Flexible work schedule, up 25 hours per week!
*GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
How to Apply for Student Jobs
First, you need to determine your funding eligibility. It will be either Federal Work-Study and/or Institutional Work-Study, or Graduate Assistantship.
Work-Study, call Financial Aid at 622-2361 or Human Resources at 622-5094.
Graduate Assistantship, call the Graduate School 622-1744.
Go to the EKU Online Job Site to begin searching for open positions. Select the desired “Employment Type” to narrow your search.
Click the Position Title to view more details.
Apply online. Enter your name and email address and click the “Apply” button at the bottom of the page when you find a position you are interested in. You will then be prompted to create a profile.
Ask questions. Any questions about specific jobs may be sent to the listed “Contact Person” on the job posting.
You Got the Job! What is next?
Upon being selected for a position, the first step is to complete a background check (if needed). If you have not worked for EKU in the last year (12 months), you will need to complete a background check.
If you do need a background check, you will receive an email from HireRight to complete your background information; and once the background check is completed, you will receive an email from HR on the next steps.
If you do not need a background check (have worked at EKU in the past 12 months), your supervisor will contact you once your position has been approved by HR to begin training for your new position.
After your background check has been completed, you will receive an email from HR that will include the new hire paperwork you will need to complete, as well as for instructions on how to complete it. Upon completing the paperwork, you will need to provide original documents for the I-9 form. These are required to verify identity and show work eligibility. A full list of acceptable documents to complete the I-9 will be included in the email.
Once you have your paperwork and original documents prepared, you will need to come to the HR Office, located in the Jones Building, Office 203. Please prepare for a 15 to 30-minute visit. Time will vary depending on new, partial, or completed paperwork and/or any corrections necessary.
Once your new hire paperwork has been processed, you and your supervisor will receive an e-mail clearance for your new job. DO NOT WORK until your supervisor has received this clearance and you have agreed on a work schedule.
Required Documents
You will need several original documents to complete new hire paperwork before you start working.
Photo ID such as: Passport, Driver’s License, School ID, or Military ID.
Social Security Card – For Tax Reporting.
Bank Information: Account and Routing Numbers. Direct deposit payments are required at EKU.
Other Job Options:
Campus Bookstore: 859-622-2696
Aramark Dining: 859-622-2175
Office of Academic & Career Services: 859-622-1296
