On-Campus Employment: The Basics
- As an international student, you may work on campus if working will not interfere with your enrollment or delay your degree completion.
- International students are eligible for any regular hourly student worker position at PSU. Some on-campus employers can also hire you as an “independent contractor,” or non-hourly employee. International students are not eligible for work study positions.
- New students are eligible to work on-campus up to 30 days before the start of term. Transfer students are eligible to work on-campus as soon as you receive your I-20 or DS-2019 from PSU.
- You may work a cumulative maximum of 20 hours per week on-campus while classes are in session. This means that may not work full-time and attend classes full-time during the same term. You may only exceed this limit during academic breaks or during your annual vacation term. The duration of an academic break is defined as the Sunday following finals to the Sunday before the next term begins. During an annual vacation term, a student is not required to enroll in courses. During their annual vacation term, a student would be eligible to exceed the 20 hour maximum even if they chose to take one or two classes, as these courses would be considered incidental, and not mandatory.
- On-Campus Employment does not interact with other forms of work authorization. Hours worked under a Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorization, for instance, would not count against the 20 hour maximum for on-campus employment.
Social Security Numbers
A Social Security number (SSN) is a tax ID number that is required if you work in the US. As an international student, the only way to receive an SSN is to have a job offer first.
The Social Security Administration requires an in-person interview for anyone requesting an SSN.
For more details, review the process for employment authorization and SSN (Under "Process for requesting a Social Security Number")