Job Search Overview

Overview

Students looking for on campus employment in the Big Rapids area can view open positions on Ferris State University career website. To access the Ferris State University career website, log into Ferris360 and search for Student Job Postings.

Student Employment Eligibility/Requirements

Student Employment has multiple eligibility requirements related to enrollment and student status. 

• Students must be enrolled at least half-time during the semester they are seeking employment; international students must be enrolled full time. 

• Half-time for undergraduate students is 6 credits; full time for undergraduate students is 12 credits 

• Half-time for graduate/professional students is 5-6 credits; full time for graduate/professional students is 9 credits 

• Half-time for doctoral students is 3-4 credits; full time for doctoral students is 6 credits 

• Over the summer, students must either be enrolled at least half-time or meet the enrollment requirements for both the spring semester immediate before and the fall semester immediately after that summer. 

• Dual enrolled students are not eligible for Student Employment. 

• Students are not eligible for Student Employment during the summer prior to their first full semester. 

Students are also limited in the hours they are permitted to work weekly. Ferris limits the number of hours students are allowed to work to ensure that students can remain focused on their academics, and to remain in compliance with both work study and international student visa requirements. 

• During the academic year (including Winter and Spring breaks): 

• Students are limited to 24 hours per week 

• International students are limited to 20 hours per week 

• Over the summer: 

• All students are limited to 40 hours per week 

For Student Employment, the Academic Year begins on the first day of classes in the Fall and ends on Spring commencement. Summer begins right after Spring commencement and ends before the start of classes in the Fall. 

Work Study vs. non Work Study

Work study is need-based funding from the federal government that helps employers on campus to pay student employee wages. Students who would like to be considered for work study funds must first apply for financial aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). 

Work study is available on a first-come, first-served basis to students as determined by FAFSA. For more information regarding FAFSA and Financial Aid, please visit the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid’s page here. 

Filling out the FAFSA does not guarantee that a student will be awarded work study. Students cannot be awarded work study without filling out the FAFSA annually. 

Typically, students are only awarded work study for the academic year, and summer work study is incredibly limited. 

Students can see if they have received a work study award by viewing their Financial Aid package in Ferris360, or by contacting the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid ([email protected] | (231) 591-2110). 

Employment for International Students

International students have additional requirements and considerations when seeking employment on campus. For the most part, international students are limited to working on campus 

International students must be enrolled full time to be eligible for student employment. Over the summer, international students must either be enrolled half-time over the summer or enrolled full-time for both spring and fall. 

International students can only work 20 hours per week while school is in session (i.e., during the academic year). International students can work 40 hours per week over the summer. 

International students will need to apply for a Social Security number after accepting a job offer on campus. Social Security numbers are necessary for tax forms and form I-9 for Employment Eligibility through E-Verify. International students should reach out to the Office of International Education after accepting a job offer to begin the process. Specific information regarding employment for international students can be found on the OIE website here. 

Hiring Process

After you have been offered employment there will be several forms for you to complete. You must complete an I-9 form. Your employer will ask you to bring original documents to completed section 2 of the I-9.  These must be original, physical documents and cannot be copies or photographs.  You can find out more information about the I-9 and the types of acceptable documentation here.

You will also be asked to present your Social Security card to ensure that your name and social security number are reported correctly to the IRS for tax purposes. The other forms you will be required to complete are the federal, state and city W-4s. The purpose of the W-4 is to make sure that our Payroll office is taxing your income as you have indicated. 

Depending on the position you are being hired for, there may be additional forms for you to complete such as confidentiality forms, criminal background checks etc.

Getting Paid

Students are paid biweekly on Fridays for hours worked during the respective pay period. To view the pay calendar, reach out to FSU Payroll ([email protected] | (231) 591-2160). 

Students are paid either through a Focus Pay Card or Direct Deposit to a bank account. New student employees select their payment method by filling out a Direct Deposit Authorization form when they are hired. Students who would like to update their payment method can either do so through their employee portal in Ferris360 or fill out a new Direct Deposit Authorization form and submit it to Human Resources. 

Student employees will see two values on their pay stubs: 

• Gross pay – total earnings based on hours worked 

• Net pay – the amount received after tax withholding. This is the amount that is deposited or issued for each payday.