Off-Campus Hiring Procedures
Find out below what steps you need to take once you’ve found a RISD student you’d like to join your team.
Hiring a RISD student
Once you have a RISD student you plan to hire, you need to submit to us a Federal Work-Study (FWS) off-campus authorization form. You and the FWS student should complete the top portion of the form together. If you have any questions about the form process, please contact us.
Upon form approval, your position is authorized for the current program dates. Please note that, if you want to rehire the student for a new academic term, you need to resubmit the form at the beginning of the term (September and/or June).
Important: students may not begin working until you complete the off-campus authorization request and receive written approval from our office. Work-Study staff will determine the student’s start date based on the authorization approval date. Once we’ve approved the placement, we will send you payroll procedures and instructions.
Student employee payment
Agency billing
Your off-campus agency is responsible to pay 25% of the student’s earnings. Students must not exceed their maximum earnings level, which is established by our Student Financial Services office.
Students working off campus are paid biweekly by RISD, based on the hours they submit to us. Agencies never pay students directly.
You will be billed twice a year—once at the beginning of January and again at the beginning of July.
Maximum earnings level
Students employed under FWS have a maximum earnings level, which is indicated on the Off-Campus Authorization Request form. You and the student should establish a weekly work schedule that will let the student work throughout the academic year or summer program without exceeding their maximum earnings level.
Our Student Employment staff will email you when a Work-Study student is within three weeks of exhausting their Work-Study award. However, you and the student are ultimately responsible for keeping track of hours worked and the award balance.
A student who has reached their maximum earnings level is no longer eligible to work under the Work-Study program. Hours worked beyond the student’s Work-Study award must be paid in full by the agency. Students may not volunteer for the same position after working in that position through the Work-Study program.
Timesheets and payroll
RISD pays Work-Study students in full for hours worked, and will bill you for the 25% your agency is responsible for. Agencies should not pay Work-Study students directly.
Within seven days of job placement approval, we will email you the following materials:
- time sheets for the current semester
- explanation of payment procedures
- payroll deadline schedule
- pay date schedule
Supervisors are responsible for completing the daily start/stop record, total hours to be paid, and supervisor signature sections on the timesheet. You must submit a timesheet for each week worked by the student employee.
In order for a student to be paid on Friday, the completed timesheet must be submitted by 5 pm Friday. Students will input their hours worked into Workday as well. Holidays may necessitate early timesheet deadlines. Email timesheets to studentemployment@risd.edu
Taxes
Federal Work-Study earnings are subject to federal and state taxes. Each January students receive a W-2 from us, reflecting all earnings for the prior calendar year.
Scheduling guidelines
When classes are in session during the academic year, RISD Work-Study students may work a maximum of twenty hours per week in an off-campus position, and up to forty hours per week during break periods and the summer.
However, a student’s work schedule will ultimately depend on their award amount so they don't exceed their maximum earnings level, their availability and the employer’s needs.
You must provide your student employee with a 30-minute break if they work six consecutive hours or more.
Take your next step
Learn more about how you can best support your RISD student workers, and your responsibilities as their employer.
01
Agency onboarding
If you’re looking to hire a Federal Work-Study (FWS) student from RISD, we’re here to help.
02
Hiring procedures (YOU ARE HERE)
03
Working with RISD students
Learn how you can best support your RISD student workers, as well as your responsibilities as their employer.