Student Employment
Student employment is one way to help make the cost of college more manageable. By working while you’re enrolled, you can earn income to put toward your educational expenses while gaining experience along the way.
Student Employment Program Eligibility
To be eligible for the student employment program, you must be fully accepted into a degree-seeking program and enrolled at least half-time (6 credits for undergraduate, 3 credits for graduate) for the current or upcoming semester.
There are different types of student employment programs:
- Federal Work-Study - Awarded to students who demonstrate financial need. A limited number of community-based positions are also available through Federal Work-Study.
Institutional Student Employment - Available to eligible students regardless of financial need.
Earn money. Build experience. Invest in your future.
You can earn up to $7,200 per academic year while gaining experience that complements your education. Student employment gives you a way to earn money toward your educational expenses while gaining valuable work experience, building connections, and developing skills that can benefit you long after graduation.
What to Know About Student Employment
Student employment positions are posted throughout the academic year. You can search for opportunities, apply for multiple positions, and find a job that fits your interests and schedule.
Applying for Student Employment
At the start of each semester, various campus departments will post job openings on JobX, our student employment portal. You can access JobX directly through Handshake. New positions open up frequently, so make sure to check the online job listings regularly throughout the academic year. The student employment office does not guarantee positions; it is up to the student to secure a position by applying online in JobX to any of the departments with openings.
Student Employment positions allow students to work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week when classes are in session. The current base rate is $12.00 per hour. Students will receive a bi-weekly paycheck, which will be directly deposited into their bank account.
Step 1: How to Apply
- Log into your Handshake account with your student email address & password (SSO option).
- Click on "Jobs".
- Click on the "CommonwealthU" collections filter.
- Click on "close to campus" & show results.
- Find the appropriate campus job posting.
- Review the short description.
- Click "apply externally".
- Click "external application".
- You will be taken to the application platform, JobX.
You can search and apply for many jobs at one time!
Once you submit an application, an email is sent to the hiring supervisor for review. He/she will contact you for an interview if your qualifications and schedule match what the department is looking for.
Notice: Departments have the discretion to hire students who they believe best meet the needs of the position.
Step 2: What is the Hiring Process?
- Once hired by the department, you will need to complete all necessary forms for employment on your JobX Dashboard. The forms will be marked as "not completed," hyperlinked, and highlighted in pink.
- Once all required forms are completed, your application will then progress automatically to the student employment coordinator for awarding and then to Payroll for processing.
Notice: Students should not begin employment until they receive an official hire approval email from Payroll stating they may begin work.
Questions regarding student employment should be directed to the CU Student Employment Coordinator, Mrs. Christina Preston at 570-662-4418 or studentemployment@commonwealthu.edu.
Commonwealth University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The Financial Aid Office reaffirms the University's commitment to the policy that there will be no discrimination against any individual in educational or employment opportunities because of age, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, or disability.
