Student Employee and Work Study Hiring Guide

How to Hire

To be eligible for student employment positions, an individual must be classified as at least half-time undergraduate or graduate status and not be employed by the University in a non-student position. A student employee cannot work more than 20 hours per week.* All Drexel University student employment positions are hired via Electronic Personnel Action Forms (EPAFs). To gain access to EPAFs, please complete the EPAF Access Request Form [PDF] and submit to hris@drexel.edu. For assistance with EPAFs, please consult Drexel's EPAF Guides.

*PLEASE NOTE: During break weeks when a student is not actively scheduled to attend classes, a student may work a maximum of 40 hours per week.

1. A department identifies a student they want to hire as a Student Employee.
If the student is a new hire/has not worked at Drexel in the last 12 months: Log in to DrexelOne and create a new hire EPAF. TIPS Position number can be found in WebSalary under the Fund/Orgn. If no position number exists, please complete the Position Number Request Form [PDF]. All grant-funded positions must have PI and GRANTS (Research) added to the routing prior to submitting for approval. All student appointments cannot cross fiscal years and will automatically end on June 30th. Students must be rehired annually. Students on Co-op with an employer that is not Drexel University / Academy of Natural Sciences are permitted to hold student employment positions, with the exception of Federal Work Study positions, during this period and may work up to 20 hours per week. Students on Co-op with Drexel University / Academy of Natural Sciences as their paid employer are not permitted to hold student employment positions during this period. Per IRS guidance, the internal Co-op position puts the student in a “service relationship” to the university thereby making the student ineligible for the FICA tax exemption provided for student employment positions. If an EPAF is initiated, HRIS will notify the department of this issue. You can check the status of your EPAF in DrexelOne. Students are not permitted to begin work until the EPAF is marked “complete.” If the student has worked at Drexel within the last 12 months:* Log in to DrexelOne and submit a rehire EPAF. (This will bypass the need for the student to complete other onboarding requirements, including the new hire paperwork and I-9.)
2. A department completes and submits an EPAF to Department Head/Department Budget Administrator for approval
If a student is making more than $15 per hour in a graduate position, or more than $10 per hour for an undergraduate position, list the job duties in the comments section of the EPAF for Compensation to review. For information on EPAFs, please review the EPAF Guides webpage. For grant-funded positions: Department Head/Department Budget Administrator approves and the EPAF and routes it to the PI for Research review and approval.
3. Department Head/Department Budget Administrator or PI approves EPAF and routes it to HRIS for approval
HRIS will review the EPAF for accuracy and approve it, or communicate to the department within two (2) business days if there are any issues. PLEASE NOTE: The EPAF will appear as "more info" in DrexelOne. This means that the student must submit the new hire packet and complete the I-9 after they receive their onboarding email from Human Resources (HR).
4. HR sends onboarding and I-9 emails directly to the student being hired
If the student has not worked at Drexel within the last year or is a new Drexel employee, they will need to complete two onboarding requirements: New hires must complete the Drexel Student and Work Study New Hire Packet, sent to them via email by HR. New hires must complete Sections 1 and 2 of the I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification (regulated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). Drexel policy states that student employees may not begin working until the following requirements are completed. An email will be sent with a link for students to complete Section 1 of the I-9 remotely through the I-9 software Tracker. Section 2 of the I-9 must be completed in-person in the HR office when students come in to submit their new hire paperwork. Employees must present acceptable documentation of their identity, including proof of US citizenship or alien status with authorization to work in the United States. Please see the list of acceptable I-9 documents, which must be original and unexpired (copies, photos, expired documents, etc. are not accepted). PLEASE NOTE: If the student is being hired via a rehire EPAF, they will not receive these emails. Their EPAF will be processed by HRIS and their timesheet for the new position will then appear under the Employee tab of their DrexelOne account. For more information on the I-9, please contact HR at 215.895.2850. FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS Paperwork Requirement: International Students must complete the International Student New Hire Packet (sent to them via email), which includes the International Student/Employee Notification Sheet in lieu of the W-4. Once students have visited HR to submit their paperwork, they will be directed to the Tax Office to have their international tax form processed and to be set up on the tax software Glacier. Social Security Number Requirement: If the student employee is not a US citizen or permanent resident, they are considered a foreign national and must apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) before being hired. Students must apply for their SSN and received at least the receipt of application from the Social Security office before visiting Drexel's HR office. The Social Security Administration (SSA) suggests that foreign nationals be present in the US for at least ten consecutive days before applying for a social security number. The typical wait time for receiving a social security card is two (2) weeks from the date the application is submitted to the SSA. Once the card is received, the employee must bring the original card to HR and the Tax Office. If you have questions about applying for an SSN, please review this PDF document or contact Drexel's International Students and Scholars Services (ISSS) office at 215.895.2502. Reverification of Employment Authorization Using Form I-9: A reverification of employment authorization is required prior to the expiration date of the current authorization for international employees. Prior to the expiration of their current employment authorization, the employee will receive an email from HR with specific instructions on how to complete their I-9 Reverification.
5. HRIS processes the student's new hire paperwork. The EPAF is now completed and the employee has been fully hired.
Within 2-4 business days of processing by HRIS, the employee is active and can now see job information in the Employee tab on DrexelOne. At this point, hours worked can be submitted under the appropriate timesheet. For payroll information, please review the Payroll Schedule on the Comptroller's website.