It can help you gain personal and career development skills; prepare for the job market; give you practical work experience; and build relationships with faculty, staff and peers. You can also use your earnings to help pay school expenses to help reduce student loan borrowing.
Students who work a moderate number of hours (10-15 hours per week) tend to have better time management skills, are more likely to persist in their studies, are more satisfied with their college experience, and have higher GPAs.
St. Cloud State employs over 2,000 students each year on-campus and in approved off-campus agencies/schools in areas such as tutoring, office assistants, technology support, recreation, and facility maintenance.
The Student Employment Handbook (PDF) has important information about your employment. Please familiarize yourself with our student employment policies and expectations.
Work study: A need-based, limited funding source awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
University student salaries: This is a non-need based funding source for on-campus positions. You do not need to complete the FAFSA, have financial need, or make satisfactory academic progress to be paid with University student salaries. Jobs are listed on Handshake.
Off-campus: You’ll find many off-campus jobs listed on Handshake. These are jobs not paid through St. Cloud State or any financial aid program. They are not endorsed by the University.
Graduate Assistantships: Available only to eligible graduate students, these are academically-related employment. You must be admitted to the School of Graduate Studies and be registered each term of the assistantship. International students, U.S. citizens, and residents are eligible to apply. Fifth-year certificate, graduate certificate, and language admission students are not eligible.
Internships: Internships are a critical part of your educational experience and can be either academic or experiential. Academic internships integrate your classroom learning with practical application and skill development within a professional setting. A faculty advisor oversees an academic internship. Experiential internships are for you to gain employment experience; no credit is given so there is no faculty supervision. Check out more internship information through the SCSU Career Center.
AmeriCorps: A national service program that provides education and work experience in specific areas of community service: mentoring at-risk youth, increasing volunteerism/service-learning, and disaster preparedness. AmeriCorps members receive student loan deferment, training, and may receive a living allowance and limited health benefit options. AmeriCorps opportunities in Minnesota are listed at ServeMinnesota.
Most students must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits for undergraduate or 3 credits for graduate) to work in the St. Cloud State student employment program (work study or student salaries). Contact the School of Graduate Studies for eligibility requirements for graduate assistantships. International students have different enrollment and eligibility requirements. See the section “International Student Employment.”
Priority hiring: Continuing students who worked at St. Cloud State (work study or student salaries) have priority hiring for the next academic year. Work awards for new first-year and transfer students are based on availability of funds and their FAFSA filing date, with early applicants who demonstrate financial need having the highest priority.
We recognize some students who may not have worked in the previous year or had work study on their financial aid award may be interested in student employment. By October 1st of each year, any unfilled positions are open to all students. Students with financial need and who are interested in work study should contact the Financial Aid Office about their work study eligibility.
Search for jobs:
HandshakeHandshake is the ultimate career network for students and is a one-stop-shop for launching your career.
You will need to create your profile and upload a résumé before you can apply for positions.
Once you’re hired in a position (work study or student salaries), you will need to complete a few things before you can begin working.
All earnings are paid directly to you. We recommend you sign up for direct deposit to have your payroll earnings deposited directly into a checking or savings account of your choice.
International students are limited to working on-campus for no more than 20 hours per week while classes are in session, and must be enrolled full-time. International students are not eligible for federal or state work study funds.
International students may work up to 40 hours per week during the summer and must be enrolled full-time for the spring semester, as well as have 6 registered credits for the upcoming fall semester.
Some exceptions may apply for international students to work off-campus; contact the St. Cloud State Designated School Official with any questions about exceptions.
U.S. citizens and resident alien students may work during summer provided they are enrolled 6 credits during the summer term OR are already registered at least half-time (6 credits) for the upcoming fall semester. A student who graduated after spring semester can work during the summer term without summer enrollment.
International students must be enrolled full-time for the spring semester AND be registered for at least 6 credits for the upcoming fall semester.
Work study funds cannot be used for summer employment.