Student Employee Policy

Student Policy
Policy No. 011
Revised April, 2002

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT

I. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines and definitions for supervisors as they hire student employees at Abilene Christian University under compliance rules of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) as well as ACU policy.

II. Scope
The policy applies to all undergraduate and graduate students who are working for ACU while attending school at ACU.

III. Policy
Students who are employed by ACU are exempt from paying Social Security taxes if they are enrolled and attending classes in a minimum of half time hours. (For International students, see Section VII.) This exemption applies to employment which continues during school breaks of 5 weeks or less. Any break in status that lasts 5 weeks or more discontinues the Social Security exemption. (See Section V.) The Student PAF is the appropriate form to use and must be submitted by the supervisor on time in order to pay the student on time.

If an international student holds a F-1 or J-1Visa and is classified as a non-resident alien, he/she is exempt from paying Social Security taxes. (See Section VII for additional information concerning employment of international students.)

Texas Pay Day Law requires that hourly paid employees must be paid at least semi-monthly.

Students should work no more than 20 hours per week. This includes all ACU jobs. If a student has more than one position, the cumulative hours should be no more than 20 hours per week.

IV. Definition of Student Employee
A student employee is defined as an ACU student who is taking at least a half-time course load. A half-time course work load is defined as 6 hours for both undergraduate and graduate studies during Spring and Fall terms and 3 hours during Maymester and Summer terms.

V. Maymester and Summer Terms
In order to maintain student employment status and benefit from the Social Security exemption, the student must be enrolled in one 3-hour course concurrently while working.

If the semester term is less than 5 weeks, and the student is enrolled in the appropriate number of hours for the term before and after the employment, the exemption remains. If the term is more than 5 weeks, and the student is enrolled in the term before and after the break, the exemption is discontinued.

Student work is limited to no more than 20 cumulative hours per week. Any exception to the 20 hours per week for Maymester and Summer terms must be made by the Director of Human Resources.

VI. Last Semester Enrolled
If a student is enrolled in his/her last semester, and will graduate at the end of the semester, an exception may be made to be enrolled in less than 6 hours and work for ACU. For example, if the student only needs 3 more hours to graduate, the student may work during the last semester and receive the Social Security exemption. The exemption applies for only one semester.

VII. International Students
The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (BCIS) requires that an international student must be enrolled in 12 undergraduate hours or 9 graduate hours to be eligible to work at ACU. The international student does not have to be enrolled in Maymester or Summer terms to work for ACU during those times but must be enrolled in the appropriate hours during the long semester (Spring or Fall) immediately prior to the work.