Types of Employment

UTD offers students many different types of opportunities to gain employment experience.

All students processed by the Student Employment Office are hourly paid, non-benefits eligible employees. This page is meant to serve as an outline of the various types of employment a student at UTD may apply for.

Regular Hourly Student Assistants

Employed directly by a department or multiple departments on campus. All enrolled students meeting the basic eligibility requirements for participation in student employment can be hired by a department as a part-time student assistant in this category regardless of class year or financial aid award.

Funding

Wages are provided via department-specific funding.

Example Positions

  • Student Fitness instructors for UREC
  • Peer Tutors for the Student Success Center
  • Help Desk Analysts for Office of Information Technology

Federal Work-Study Student Assistants

Employed directly by a department on campus that would like to subsidize total wages through the government-backed program. These student assistants are participants in a federal aid program that allows a portion of their pay to be subsidized by the federal government.

Funding

Wages are funded from a split of federal funds and department-specific funding at a 75%/25% rate. The Office of Financial Aid determines each student’s semester eligibility and maximum earnings.

Example Positions

  • Student Fitness instructors for UREC
  • Peer Tutors for the Student Success Center
  • Help Desk Analysts for Office of Information Technology

Federal Work-Study Off Campus

Employed by an external organization that has entered into a valid Federal Work-Study Partnership Agreement with the University.

Funding

Wages are funded from a split of a student’s federal award funds and department-specified funding at a 75%/25% rate. The Office of Financial Aid determines each student’s award eligibility and maximum earnings. These student assistants are held to the standards of both UTD and the employing organization/agency.

Example Positions

  • Office Assistants for The National Math and Science Initiative
  • After-Care Assistants for Kids-University

Comets Serve Program

Employed by an external non-profit or agency with a dedicated civic or community improvement purpose/mission. These employers must be entered into a valid Federal Work-Study Partnership Agreement with the University.

Funding

Wages are funded from a split of student federal award funds and department-specific funding at a 75%/25% rate. The Office of Financial Aid determines each student’s semester eligibility and maximum earnings. Students are held to the standards of both UTD and the employing organization/agency.

Example Positions

  • AVID Tutors for Plano and Richardson Independent School Districts
  • Peer Health Educators for Peer Health Exchange
  • InspirED Peer Educators

Stipend

Employed by the University in specialized roles for select departments on campus. Students may be required to meet specific guidelines or meet additional specified requirements to be considered for these positions and therefore are not hired or on-boarded through the Student Employment Office.

Funding

Stipend wages are usually funded in the form of a monthly stipend provisioned through department-specific funding or grants.

Example Positions

  • Peer Advisors
  • Writers for the Mercury
  • Other contributors to Student Media

Retail Employment

Employed by affiliate retailers that are authorized to operate on campus. These students may meet specific requirements or be asked to comply with external guidelines set by the individual employers and therefore are not hired or on-boarded through the Student Employment Office.

Funding

External employer

Example Positions

  • Chick-Fil-A
  • UTD Bookstore
  • UTD Tech Store
  • Dining Services

Research, Teaching or Graduate Assistants

Employed by academic departments, professors and research labs on campus. Partially-benefits eligible. These students may be asked to meet specific academic and department criteria involving the potential offer of partial benefits and therefore are not hired or on-boarded through the Student Employment Office. Students in this category are exclusively hired and on-boarded by the Human Resources Department.

Funding

Department-specified funding source.

Example Positions

  • Research Assistant
  • Teaching Assistant
  • Undergraduate Assistant
  • Graduate Assistant