On-Campus Employment

F-1 and J-1 students are generally permitted to work on campus while attending classes. This work does not need to be related to one's program of study, however, you must maintain your student visa/immigration status while engaged in this type of work.

Definition of "On-Campus" Employment

There are three types of on-campus employment:

Employment by Drexel

This is employment that takes place on Drexel’s campus, and it provides direct services for students. It includes work performed as a teaching or research assistant as well as jobs in the university library, dorms, research labs, and administrative offices.

F-1 students do not require advance approval from ISSS, however, please ensure that you have the documentation needed to complete onboarding and I-9 procedure with Drexel’s Department of Human Resources (HR).

J-1 students must request permission from ISSS before starting any on-campus employment. Please email ISSS at isss@drexel.edu with a copy of your job offer including your position title and expected start and end dates before accepting employment.

For jobs hired by Drexel, consult the Human Resources' Student Employee and Work Study Hiring Guide. You will be required to do onboarding and submit the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Form with Drexel’s HR. Please consult with HR directly for specific requirements needed to complete your onboarding/I-9. You may be asked to provide the following documents:

• A valid and unexpired passport. 
• A valid I-20 issued by Drexel University
• A valid I-94 admission record that you can retrieve from the Department of Homeland Security website.
• A U.S. Social Security Number (SSN)

Other employment on Drexel’s campus

On-campus employment can also occur at on-campus commercial businesses that operate on Drexel’s campus and provide services for students (e.g., jobs through Aramark). Work at these commercial firms/businesses must be performed on campus as defined by the boundaries of Drexel University’s map. If you are not sure whether a job is considered on-campus, do not accept the job until you consult with the Office of Human Resources at hr@drexel.edu. In your email, make sure to note that you are only inquiring about the location of the job that you are considering and that you have contacted/will contact ISSS for all immigration-related questions and concerns.

Please check directly with your employer for specific requirements needed to complete your onboarding/I-9. You may be asked to provide the following documents:

• A valid and unexpired passport. 
• A valid I-20 issued by Drexel University
• A valid I-94 admission record that you can retrieve from the Department of Homeland Security website.
• A U.S. Social Security Number (SSN)

Certain employment at off-campus location

F-1 immigration regulations permit “on-campus employment at an off-campus location” where an official relationship between Drexel & the off-campus site exists. Such employment must meet one of the following conditions:

• Off-campus location is educationally affiliated with Drexel’s established curriculum, OR
• The employment is related to contractually funded research projects at the graduate level.

Students must receive prior authorization from their Drexel supervisor and ISSS prior to engaging in any on-campus employment at an off-campus site. To authorize off-site work, the Drexel supervisor must complete the On-Campus Employment at Off-Campus Location attestation form (available to hiring departments in the ISSS Sharepoint Portal.)

What is not "On-Campus" Employment

Any other types of employment that do not meet the above definition of on-campus employment are not covered by F-1/J-1 on-campus employment authorization. For example, jobs that physically occur on campus, but do not provide direct services to Drexel students (e.g., tutoring high school students, working remotely for an outside employer regardless of whether the employer is U.S. based or abroad, etc.) are not considered F-1/J-1 on-campus employment. In order to pursue employment that does not meet the definition of F-1/J-1 student on-campus employment, students must have other F-1/J-1 work authorization.

Applying for a U.S. Social Security Number

A Social Security Number is a nine-digit identifying number issued by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It is primarily used for tax-identification purposes, such as withholding taxes or filing a US tax return. For more details, please consult Social Security, ITIN, and Taxes.

IMPORTANT: Rules for On-Campus Employment

1. On-campus employment must not impact your academic performance. It is not a reason to miss classes, fail to do homework assignments, or score low on exams. Failing or dropping classes may affect your full-time enrollment and/or your progress to graduation, which may lead to termination of your SEVIS record.
2. Immigration regulations allow F-1 and J-1 students to work on campus for up to 20 hours per week while school is in session and over 20 hours per week during an approved vacation term. Students must consult the Office of Human Resources for their (non-immigration) policies for working on campus during this time.
3. Doing co-op and on-campus employment at the same time is strongly discouraged. While you are in your co-op cycle, your co-op employment is your "class", and on-campus employment is limited to 20 hours per week — see point #2 above. On-campus employment must not impact your ability to perform your responsibilities at the co-op job.
4. F-1 and J-1 students must be maintaining valid F-1/J-1 status to qualify for on-campus employment. F-1/J-1 students suspended, dismissed, or transferred to another institution, or failing to maintain status are not eligible to continue working on Drexel’s campus.
5. You may not use on-campus employment authorization to work on campus or receive wages/payments from Drexel after graduating from your program or after your I-20/DS-2019 has expired. If you are authorized for post-completion Optional Practical Training (F-1 students) or Academic Training (J-1 students), you may be able to work at Drexel in a non-student job that is directly related to your field of study. Students who have graduated from Drexel and will immediately start another Drexel program in the next available term may be permitted to work on-campus between programs if they apply for and receive a new program I-20 from ISSS.
6. Special note for PhD students: If you will be required to work as a teaching or research assistant after your I-20/DS-2019 expiration date you MUST do one of the following:
   • If eligible, apply for an extension of your I-20/DS-2019. You must apply for an extension at least 30 days prior to the current I-20/DS-2019 expiration date.
   • If you are not eligible for an I-20/DS-2019 extension, or you otherwise do not wish to extend it, you must apply for F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) or J-1 Academic Training (AT) to commence immediately after the I-20/DS-2019 expiration date.
   • J-1 Students: Note that post-completion AT must already be granted prior to your program expiration date.

How to find an on-campus job

Some helpful web pages to find jobs include:

• Human Resources – Student Employment
• Student Life Employment Opportunities
• Business Services Student Employment Opportunities
• Recreational Athletics Student Employment
• PDF Instructions to log into Drexel Internal Careers for Students

Please note that these pages may not provide the complete list of available job openings. Some colleges and departments may have student employment opportunities posted on their college-specific website.

Additional ways to search for a job on campus:

• Contacting offices/departments on-campus to inquire if they are looking to hire students.
• Asking friends, classmates, academic advisors, and professors if they know of any available positions.