As we prepare for the fall semester, Human Resource Services (HRS) would like to provide important information regarding student and graduate assistant employment.
As a reminder, student employees and graduate assistants were permitted to work up to 37.5 hours per week over the summer session. However, those that were hired above 88% FTE (33 hours per week) over the summer cannot work more than 20 hours per week the following fall or spring semesters. No exceptions will be permitted, including for REEGAs.
Academic Year Employment (starting Aug. 16)
Student employees and graduate assistants are limited to working 20 hours a week or less during the academic year.
To exceed this limit:
- Student employees must have an approved excess hours permit to work up to 5 additional hours per week.
- Graduate assistants must have an approved exception from the Graduate School.
International students are not eligible for excess hours permits or exceptions from the Graduate School during the fall or spring semesters due to limitations imposed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Post-Graduation Employment
Students who graduated in May or will graduate in August, cannot continue as student employees or graduate assistants after Aug. 16. You must either end their appointment or transfer them to extra help employment, effective Aug. 16.
Appointment End Dates
Please review and extend your student employees’ appointments if their employment will continue into the fall semester. Graduate assistants who have appointments through the summer term must be reappointed for the fall semester.
Training Opportunities
While there are no changes to hiring practices this year, the HRS Student and Graduate Assistant Employment Team offers individual training upon request. If you have new employees in your unit processing these types of requests, or if a refresher would be helpful, please contact StudentEmployment@niu.edu for student employees or GradAssistantshipEmp@niu.edu for graduate assistants.
Please direct any questions to the email addresses above.
*This communication is being sent to all Deans, Chairs, and Business Managers. Please forward to those in your units who process these types of HR requests.
