The Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment is responsible for all on-campus student employment during the academic year. The Office of Human Resources handles student employment during the summer.
If your aid award contains a work-study job, in late August you will be given access to a listing of available job openings on campus (see "Applying for Jobs" below). Earning the award amount cannot be guaranteed, however, as it is dependent on such variables as job availability, hours, and academic schedules. To maximize the chances of securing the number of work hours needed to earn the amount listed in an aid award, work-study students should apply for jobs before the third week of classes, as they have first preference for jobs only during that time. (Beginning the third week of classes, all students will be eligible to apply for job openings.) Although we cannot guarantee employment, interested students are almost always able to find job opportunities on campus during their time at Colgate.
As remuneration for jobs is earned on an hourly basis and paid bi-weekly, the work-study figure indicated in an award letter cannot be deducted from a student's university term bill. Additionally, students who have a work-study award greater than the amount of their allowance for books, travel, and personal expenses may need to contribute the difference toward their billed expenses.
Work-study awards will generally increase each year.
If you were not awarded a work-study job opportunity, you may still be considered for on-campus employment during your enrollment at Colgate. While work-study-eligible students will have priority in hiring, limited job opportunities may exist for those not otherwise eligible.
Getting Paid
An I-9 form (used to determine work eligibility) must be on file with the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment before a student may begin working. The form must be completed in person, and specific forms of identification must be presented: acceptable forms of identification include, but are not limited to, an unexpired passport OR a combination of a Colgate ID or driver's license AND Social Security card or birth certificate. (Students are free to submit any acceptable document, a complete list of which can be found on page 5 of the I-9 form.) All documents must be originals. Additionally, providing documents either that have no expiration date or that expire after your expected date of graduation may help you avoid having to either submit new ID documents or re-verify your employment authorization while enrolled at Colgate.
A W-4 form (used to determine withholding allowances for tax purposes) should also be submitted, as all wages -- including Federal Work-Study -- are taxable earnings.
Student wage rates are set according to the particular requirements of the position, as well as the number of years the student has held that particular position at Colgate. No merit pay can be offered, but students remaining in their positions will receive a modest pay increase in each successive year.
Students submit a record of their work hours to their supervisors on a bi-weekly basis, according to pre-established Student Payroll Deadlines. Failure to do so will result in wages unpaid. Students are paid bi-weekly, either by check sent to a student's on-campus mailbox or by direct deposit to a student's bank account. Direct deposit allows a student to receive his or her pay most quickly and may be set up by completing and submitting to the Office of Accounting and Control a Direct Deposit Authorization Form. For further information about direct deposit, please contact the Office of Accounting and Control.
Applying for Jobs
Enrolled students interested in obtaining a job should log on to the Colgate portal. Jobs can be found by looking for the "Student Employment" link under the "Quicklinks" in the lefthand side bar. From there you can use the "Find A Job" link to search through postings and apply for jobs. Clicking on the "Apply for this job" link at the bottom of a job description will create an e-mail application, which can be sent directly to the supervisor. Supervisors will contact you if they wish to interview or hire you. If you have not heard anything about your application status within a week or two, you may contact the supervisor via e-mail to re-express interest in the job and to inquire when a hiring decision may be made.