Winona State University Current Students Student Employment

Student Employment at WSU

If you’re looking to work while a student, consider applying for an on-campus position.

There are job opportunities in a variety of areas and work settings across campus.

Student jobs are conveniently located right here on campus—your workplace can be just minutes from your residence hall and classrooms. Student employees also have paid sick leave benefits due to the Earned Safe and Sick Time law (PDF) that went into effect in January 2024.

Many job openings are posted during August and September. However, positions open throughout the school year and at the beginning of spring semester too.

Work-Study & Student Help Jobs

WSU has work study and student help jobs, which have different hiring criteria.

Any student is eligible for student help jobs, but you must have work study listed in your financial aid award to get a work study job.

You may hold a work study job and a student help job at the same time.

There are also opportunities for graduate assistantships.

A student worker looks through a file cabinet in an office on WSU campus.

Work study is part of your financial aid award, and it’s given to students who have financial need.

Work study programs are funded through both the State of Minnesota and the federal government. However, you must be a Minnesota resident to receive state work study awards.

To be considered for work study, the first step is to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You must also be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits for undergraduate students and 3 credits for graduate students) to be eligible.

Once you’ve been awarded work study, then you’ll start searching for a work study job. These are things to keep in mind:

You must get a work study job to earn the money you’ve been awarded
Work study eligibility does not guarantee employment, and you must go through the regular hiring process
Your work study can be cancelled if you don’t find a position or you leave a work study job
There is a maximum amount of work study funds you can earn each academic year, and you may not earn the full amount depending on how many hours you work
You can have a work study position in only 1 department at a time
Work study earnings are taxable

You can search for on-campus jobs in Handshake and get help with the job search from Career Services.

Eligibility

You must complete the employment eligibility verification process before working your first shift.

To work on campus, you must be enrolled in a certain number of credits. The guidelines vary depending on:

Time of year
The program which is funding your employment
Whether or not you are a permanent resident of the United States
Whether you are in an undergraduate degree program or a graduate degree program

You are not eligible for on-campus employment if you:

drop courses and fall below the minimum credits
cannot register due to a registration hold
do not fall under “student status”

Enrollment Requirements

Students who are not seeking a degree from WSU must be enrolled for at least 6 undergraduate credits or 3 graduate credits during each semester in which they wish to be employed.

You must be enrolled in the following number of minimum credits to be eligible for a work study or student help
job.

Undergraduate students:

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents – 6 credits
International – 12 credits

Graduate students:

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents – 3 graduate credits
International – 6 graduate credits

If you drop credits and fall below these minimum requirements, you immediately become ineligible to work.

Acceptable forms of identification be unexpired originals, such as:

passport
birth certificate
driver’s license
school identification card
social security card

Students who are hired for a telework position still need to come to campus in person to complete hiring documents (I-9, W-4, and W4MN). Telework positions are only available for those completing the telework in Minnesota.

You must complete the hiring paperwork before working your first shift.

You can also reach out to Career Services. Our staff are ready to help you find the right student job and offer a variety of personalized programs, tools, and guidance in job searching.

Handshake

Handshake is WSU’s job posting site where you can search and apply for on-campus jobs.

You will use your StarID and password to log in.

Visit Handshake

Some departments do not post campus jobs online, so you may want to reach out directly to ask about any openings.

A male student uses a laptop in a classroom on WSU campus.

Job Application Materials

It’s a good idea to prepare your resume and cover letters as well as a class schedule when completing job applications.

If you want help writing or fine-tuning these documents, make an appointment with Career Services.

Questions?

Career Services can answer questions about on-campus jobs.

Connect with the Student Payroll team for any questions about paychecks.

Email Career Services Email Student Payroll