Student Employment FAQ

FWS is a federal financial aid program offered by the US Department of Education to help domestic undergraduate and graduate students meet educational expenses through employment opportunities.

Learn more about federal work-study

To apply for FWS, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and indicate your interest in the program. Please note that only domestic students are eligible for FWS. If you’re eligible, RISD will include the FWS award in your financial aid offer.

Learn more about federal work-study

Learn what documentation you need to submit through our onboarding page below:

Employee onboarding

Find the full list of steps you will need to take as an international student below:

International student employment

We offer resources and support for students seeking jobs through the link below:

Finding a job

If you forget to enter your hours, contact your supervisor as soon as possible and request a late time card submission. The missed hours will be included in the next pay period. 

Learn more about student employee payroll

On average, most student employees work about 12 hours per week. Please note that you are not permitted to work more than 20 hours per week during the academic year whether you have one job or two.

International students can only work up to 20 hours per week when school is in
session, but can work more hours during the summer or any time that you have at least one full week (no partial weeks) off. 

Learn more about International Student Employment

If you don’t see your position, contact your supervisor and ask them to "add a job" for
you in Workday. Once processed, the job should appear in your student employment
profile within a couple of days, and you’ll be able to submit hours to the correct position. If you have multiple jobs, make sure you are adding hours to the correct one.

Learn more about student employee payroll

View employee payroll schedules on our payroll page below:

Student employee payroll

For on-campus supervisors, learn how to hire a student employee below:

Interviewing and hiring

For off-campus employers, learn how to hire a RISD student employee below:

Off-campus hiring procedures

Student employees are not permitted to work more than 20 hours per week during the academic year whether they have one job or two. During breaks that are at least one full week long, student employees can work a maximum of 40 hours.

Always contact us before taking any corrective action. Our team is here to guide you through the process and help find a solution. 

Students who fail to complete the Federal I-9 form, including both the submission of the
form and the required document verification, will have their position temporarily closed until the I-9 process is fully completed.

They will be notified that their position has been closed due to the incomplete I-9
form. They will also be advised to promptly inform Student Employment once the I-9
form has been successfully completed and all necessary documents have been verified,
in order to reinstate their position and resume work.

You can direct them to our employee onboarding page for more information.

It is your responsibility as a supervisor to ensure that students are paid promptly for their
work. Any delays or issues should be addressed immediately to avoid impacting the
student employee’s financial stability, regardless of the cause of the delay. 

How to approve student employee time entries

Supervisor responsibilities

When classes are in session during the academic year, federal work-study students may
work a maximum of 20 hours per week in an off-campus position, and up to 40
hours per week during break periods and the summer.