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Student Employment FAQs

For Students

For Supervisors

Student FAQs

How do first-year work-study eligible students apply for an on-campus job?

In mid-May, first-year students who have received a student employment award through Financial Aid are given access to Macalester’s online job postings.

While there are a variety of positions, some departments hire a larger number of first year students than others. First year students should consider applying to work in these departments: Facilities, Cafe Mac, Athletics and ITS.

Check out the First-Year Student page for deadlines and forms.

How do returning work-study eligible students apply for an on-campus job?

  • Returning students are responsible for finding their own positions using the online job search.
  • Every Spring, students are able to participate in a job search and should have a position finalized before classes end in May.
  • Even those students who wish to remain in their present positions should re-apply and be re-hired each year.

What should I do if I haven’t been hired by the start of the semester?

If you have work-study as part of your financial aid package but are unable to find a job on campus by the start of the semester, contact Student Employment at . You may also contact the Financial Aid Office about the possibility of replacing some or all of your year’s work award with a loan.

May I split my work-study award between two on-campus jobs?

Yes, returning students may split their work-study award between two on-campus jobs by having both supervisors sign an Award Release Form found under Forms on the Student Employment website. Students must monitor hours in both positions to ensure they do not exceed their total award amount. Some positions require student to utilize their full award, therefore a supervisor may not agree to a release.

If a first-year student’s schedule does not permit them to work all their hours in one department, they may split their work-study award for those unfilled hours to work in another department. These situations must be reviewed and pre-approved by the Student Employment Program Manager. Otherwise, first-year students must remain in their position for the entire first semester.

When will I get paid?

Students employees follow the bi-weekly payroll calendar.

How many hours should I be working each week to earn my entire work award?

On average students should be working somewhere between 8 and 10 hours per week based on their work-study award and the rate of pay for their position. Review the Hourly Calculation Chart to approximate how many hours per week you may work during the academic year. Locate your award amount from the top row and your hourly rate from the left column. The intersection of these two data indicates how many approximate hours per week you may work during the academic year. This calculation is based on 28 weeks per academic year. For example: If your award is $4,000 then you may work up to 9.1 hours per week.

Working more than what is listed below will result in reaching the max earnings faster. Once awards have been used students may not continue work.

Average Hourly Calculation Chart, based on academic year 2024-2025 award:

Award Amount$3,900$4,000$4,200$4,290$4,400$4,480$4,800
Hours/ Week8.99.19.69.81010.211

Go to 1600grand.macalester.edu and log in.

Where can I view my award balance?

View your work-study award balance on 1600grand.

  1. Click Student Life.
  2. Locate the Student Work/Study Balance channel.
  3. Your work-study balance is as of the last payroll processed.
  4. Award balances are not available on the Student Life tab for no-need student employees.  No-need student award balances are sent to supervisors biweekly on the Student Work/Study Award Tracking report.

How can my earnings be applied to my student account?

You may have your earnings applied to your student account instead of receiving your pay directly by completing the Student Employment Check Authorization Form (PDF).

How do I sign up for direct deposit?

Sign up for direct deposit online via 1600grand.macalester.edu and your paycheck will be deposited directly into your bank account. You will need to know your bank or financial institution’s Routing Transit Number (RTN) and your account number.

How do I apply for an off-campus, work-study job?

Students may apply to earn their student employment award while working at a local nonprofit organization or elementary schools. For more information, visit the Off-Campus Student Employment Program.

How do I track my hours worked?

Student employees track time as it is worked via 1600grand or a physical timeclock. Your supervisor will notify you of your method of tracking time. For log in instructions, what to do when you forget to clock in or out, and more, check out the Time Reporting section of the Payroll website.

Are there employment opportunities for students who do not have a work-study award?

Potentially. The Program is designed for students who need employment to assist in financing college costs. Therefore, students with student employment awards are given the priority on all on-campus positions. Students without awards may seek out remaining positions on campus. However, hiring of no-need students may be delayed or denied in order to allow for available positions to be filled by students with a student employment award. When no-need students are approved for on-campus employment, they are given an earning cap corresponding to the above chart.

Are there employment opportunities during the summer for students?

Yes! There are many positions for students during the summer. Summer positions range from temporary, part-time and full-time. Students (domestic and international) are able to work up to, but not over, 40 hours a week during the summer. Macalester students are eligible for summer employment the summer after their first year through the summer after graduating.

To view summer employment opportunities, go to Find A Job > Find a Job > Quick Search > Summer Job.

How do I complete hiring paperwork?

If you have not worked on campus before you will need to complete hiring paperwork. The following items are required before you start your job.

What documents can be used to validate an I-9?

Reference the List of Acceptable Documents. Either one document from List A or one document from each List B and C are needed to validate Form I-9. Documents must be originals and not expired. No one is allowed to start working until their I-9 has been validated with the Student Employment Office.

Supervisor FAQs

How do I post a Student Employment job?

All open positions must be posted on the Job X site so all financial aid students have an equal opportunity to apply and be considered for employment.

  1. To create a new position, contact Student Employment.  To post an existing job, go to JobX Supervisor Login.
  2. Update any job posting details including the job description and qualifications for the position you are posting/re-posting. Job postings must be in Active-Not Listed mode to make any changes.
  3. Submit the job posting for approval.
  4. Once approved by the Student Employment Office, students may apply for the job online using the JobX online application form you have created.
  5. Review submitted applications and select students whom you feel meet the job requirements. You may also interview the student candidates.
  6. Complete the hiring process online for those students you decide to hire.
  7. Once the total number of available positions have been filled, the job posting will automatically be removed from the JobX online search.
  8. Send an email to applicants not selected thanking them for applying.
  9. To unpublish the job manually, go to Manage Job and select the job posting and and click one of the following:
    • ACTIVE- NOT LISTED mode – Un-publishes the job posting so students can no longer find it on the web, but supervisors can view the applications for future review and use.
    • INACTIVE mode – Deletes all applications associated with the position

How to unpublish a job posting

Once all of available positions have been filled, the job post will automatically be moved from LISTED to ACTIVE-NOT LISTED. To unpublish the job manually:

  1. Go to JobX Supervisor Login.
  2. To to Manage Job and select the job posting
  3. Select one of the following:
    • ACTIVE- NOT LISTED mode – Un-publishes the job posting so students can no longer find it on the web, but supervisors can view the applications for future review and use.
    • INACTIVE mode – Deletes all applications associated with the position.

When can I hire a no-need student?

Conditions for hiring a no-need student:

  1. Positions must have been posted for a minimum of one week prior to hiring, and there must be no students with work-study available to fill the position.
  2. Jobs which any student can be easily trained to perform are intended for students with work-study only.
  3. An example of an approved no-need position is a preceptor. A preceptor has to have taken and received a specific grade in the course they are precepting, and must also carry a specific GPA. Therefore this type of position could be filled by either a financial aid or no-need student.

How do I hire a no-need student or a student without a work-study award?

  • Students without a work-study award can be hired through JobX. Please note, hiring of no-need students may be delayed or denied in order to allow for open positions to be filled by students with a work-study award.
  • Students cannot start work until the request has been approved in the Student Employment Office.

What do I need to do to create a new Student Employment position in my department?

Any new Student Employment positions need to be approved by Student Employment before posting. Contact Jaelynn Blenkush, the Student Employment Program Manager, at to get started.

What are my options when a student requests to split their work-study award?

  1. Agree to release a certain amount of the award; which means you are decreasing the amount of hours a student can work in your department.
  2. Deny the request if the current position requires the full work-study award.
  3. Deny the request to split an award and release the full award which would allow you to hire another student for this position.

How do I use TimeClock Plus?

For information on TimeClock Plus please visit the Time Reporting  section of the Payroll website.

How do I record sick leave for a student employee?

For information on how to record sick leave for a student please visit the sick time portion of the Payroll website.

What documents can students use to validate an I-9 form?

Refer to the List of Acceptable Documents. Either one document from List A or one document from each List B and C combined are needed to validate the I-9. Documents must be originals and not expired. No one is allowed to start working until their I-9 has been validated with the Student Employment Office.

I have general inquiries, ideas or concerns about Student Employment. Whom should I contact?

Depending on your inquiry, it may be appropriate to contact the Student Employment Program Manager or the Student Employment Advisory Committee (SEAC). SEAC serves as a liaison between the Macalester Community and Employment Services, Financial Aid and Student Employment. SEAC addresses the concerns of faculty, staff and students with regard to student employment and of those who supervise student employees. The committee also serves the Student Employment Office in an advisory capacity in determining the current and future direction of student employment at Macalester College. For more information on SEAC, visit the Staff Advisory Council (SAC) Campus Committees page.