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Who Can Work as a Student Employee?

Who Can Work on Campus?

U.S. Citizen Students

To qualify for student employment, U.S. citizen undergraduate students must carry at least 6 day-continuing (degree seeking) credit hours Fall and Winter semesters.  During Spring and Summer, U.S. citizen undergraduate students must be enrolled in either a combined total of 3 credits over the two terms, or a minimum of 6 credits the following Fall semester.

U.S. citizen graduate students must be accepted into a BYU graduate program, and must carry at least 2 day-continuing credit hours during Fall and Winter semesters.  U.S. citizen graduate students must carry either a combined total of 1 credit Spring and Summer, or a minimum of 2 for the following Fall semester.

International Students

To qualify for student employment, International undergraduate students must carry at least 12 day-continuing credit hours Fall and Winter semesters, unless on an approved vacation break through International Student Services.  During Spring and Summer, international undergraduate students must be enrolled in either a combined total of 12 credits over the two terms, or be on an approved vacation break and have a minimum of 12 credits the following Fall semester.

International graduate students must carry at least 9 day-continuing credit hours during Fall and Winter semesters, unless on an approved vacation break through International Student Services.  International graduate students must carry either a total of 4.5 credits each term for Spring and Summer, or be on an approved vacation and have a minimum of 9 credits for the following Fall semeser.

Prior to Obtaining Employment

There may be governmental restrictions placed on students from foreign countries who work while attending school. For this reason, all international students are required to contact the BYU International Student Services Office to determine their employment eligibility and to obtain a work permit which clears them for campus employment. International students need employment verification forms from both the International Student Services Office and the department that is hiring them to take to the Social Security Office to order a Social Security Card.

International Student Services (ISS)
(801) 422-2695 | 2400 WSC | ISS@BYU.EDU

For more information on employment regulations for International Students, visit International Student Services.

Hours per Week

Federal law strictly prohibits International Students from working over 20 hours per week when school is in session. During campus holidays, breaks in between semesters, and an ISS approved vacation, International Students may work over 20 hours per week without taking classes. See Holiday/Break Schedule for more details.

Those who exceed the allotted hours, outside of the exceptions listed above, are no longer eligible to work in the United States and will be terminated immediately from their campus jobs. There are also exceptions for students under the Asian Relief Act and for students applying for Permanent Residency who have an E.A.D. Card issued by the Citizenship and Immigration Services (C.I.S.). Please contact our office if you have any questions about this policy.

English Language Center (ELC)

ELC students are not technically BYU students. However, they are eligible to work up to 20 hours per week while enrolled in the ELC program. For questions about work eligibility of a student, call our office at 801-422-3562. For more information about the ELC program, visit their website here.

Other Students

BYU Evening Classes and BYU Salk Lake Center are considered FlexGE students. FlexGE students need to maintain enrollment in day continuing credits while working as student employees within the current semester to keep their job eligibility.

Post-bacc students who have completed their bachelor's degrees and are currently enrolled in BYU courses, but are not pursuing a graduate program, are ineligible for student employment.