Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The goal of the Student Employment Office is to make on-campus employment opportunities fair and accessible to all students. Money earned from the work programs is to be used for educational expenses. If you decide not to dedicate earnings directly toward your bill, it is your responsibility to pay off any balance due on your SIS account.

Several factors determine your eligibility for an employment award, including:

• Available funding
• Date of FASFA application submission
• When verification process was completed
• EFC (estimated family contribution)

Contact The Solution Center (978-934-2000) for further details.

Yes, you do not need a work award to secure a job. The Student Employment Office provides access to on-campus departmental positions (positions funded directly through the individual departments’ budgets) as well as non-university affiliated employment opportunities. Our Off-Campus Employment (JLD) program receives employment postings from local businesses that are looking to hire our talented students. You do not have to be awarded UMass Lowell Student Employment or Federal Work Study to apply.

Students in the program earn an average of $3,500 annually. Depending on your level of experience and expertise and your employment interests, there is a student employment opportunity that fits your needs.

The hourly wage is determined by the level of the position. Each student employment position is assigned a level based on the job description provided by the hiring department. The University of Massachusetts Lowell has three wage levels for on-campus employment. For more information on wage levels, please refer to the University Wage Structure. 

We have more jobs available than students seeking employment, so securing a position is generally not a problem. If you are having difficulty, contact our office and we will help you find a job that fits your schedule and interest.

Visit www.uml.edu/JobHawk and use your student email address and password to log in. Once you are logged in, you can search and apply for jobs. All students will have access to JLD (off-campus)/departmental postings. Only students that were awarded work-study or UMass Lowell student employment will have access to Financial Aid Student Employment job postings.

Your start date should be a mutual agreement between you and your supervisor. You are not authorized to work until you have submitted a completed W-4 / New Hire packet and I-9 with the correct requested identification. You should not report to work until you/supervisor have received an email confirmation from Human Resources / Payroll office.

To get paid you must log in to HR Direct and enter your hours weekly. Supervisors must approve your hours for each two week pay period before payroll can issue payment. If you do not have HR Direct access, please keep record of your time and submit to your supervisor. Once you have access to your timesheet, your supervisor or department administrator will be able to enter past hours on your behalf. A Pay Schedule with deadlines is available on the Payroll Services page of the UMass Lowell website.

Access to your time sheet through HR Direct requires approval by the Student Employment Office and Payroll. There is typically a two week turnaround from when our office approves your supervisor’s hire request to when payroll reviews, approves and grants you access to HR Direct for entering time. Please note: If you did not receive a work authorization email from Human Resources/Payroll Office, you are not authorized to work.

The expectation is that students will only work enough hours during the agreed upon time period (one semester or academic year) to earn money within their award amount.

While classes are in session, students are allowed to work 22 hours/week. During winter and summer break, students are allowed to work up to 8 hours a day, but a maximum of 37.5 hours/week. Most awards will not support that many hours on a consistent basis, so please keep track of your hours so you do not exceed your total award.

You are not allowed to work more than the amount you are awarded. The Student Employment Office provides tools and information to both student employees and supervisors to properly budget based on working hours and pay scale. Student earnings are loaded into JobHawk after each pay period allowing student employees and supervisors to budget accordingly. The Student Employment Office will also send email notifications to both supervisor and student to prevent excessive earnings and notify the supervisor and student of the remaining award balance.

You can calculate and plan your hours using this formula:
Total Award (typically full year) ÷ Wage ÷ Number of Weeks = Number of Hours/Week

You can view your current award balance in JobHawk under your User Dashboard. Log in to JobHawk, click on Employees > My Dashboard. Your total award amount and the remaining balance will be listed under "Awards".

If you wish to apply a portion of your earnings to your student account, you should complete and submit a Student Employment Withholding Form (found under the Forms tab of the UMass Lowell Student Employment website.) Once processed, this form will authorize 70% of your earnings to be applied directly to your account balance. You will receive the remaining 30% of your earnings via direct deposit. You may opt to discontinue an existing 70/30 withholding by completing a Student Employment Withholding Termination Form (found under the Forms tab of the UMass Lowell Student Employment website.) However, you will be responsible for paying any remaining balance on your account directly and at the end of the term, a hold may be placed on your account for any balance over $1,000.

Any remaining award is cancelled and will not be replaced by other types of grant aid. Loan options may be available. Contact Financial Aid counselor for more information.

Yes. You are allowed to switch jobs if you find your current position is not a good fit. You must notify your current supervisor and our Student Employment Office of your intention to switch jobs and your last day of employment in your current position. In order to maximize your award, we recommend lining up a new position before leaving your current position. You will need to apply and be hired into your new position via JobHawk and receive a new contract from our office before you can start working in your new position.

If you are returning to the same position, then your supervisor can use the “rehire” function in JobHawk to hire you without your having to resubmit another application. You must still receive a hire contract from our office before you are officially authorized to work.

All communication is sent via student e-mail, so check your e-mail account often for important deadlines and notifications.