Career Services
A student sitting in CELS studying on their laptop.

Finding an On-Campus Job

Student Employment Policy

Montclair State is committed to providing meaningful on-campus employment opportunities for full-time undergraduate and graduate students.  These opportunities are intended to enable students to earn a portion of their educational expenses, enhance their educational development and growth, and provide experiences that may be of vocational value in post-college years.  Prior to applying to on-campus student employment positions, please review the Student Employment Policy.

There are two employment programs available for students on campus:

  • Federal Work Study (FWS): This is a federally supported employment program for students who are eligible based on the FAFSA. If you are a recipient of financial aid, you may be eligible to receive Federal Work Study funds. Check if you have FWS funds.
  • Student Assistant (SA): This is a University employment program. View eligibility requirements for SA employment.

Federal Work Study (FWS)

A federally funded, college-administered program that allows you to earn a specific amount of money to help with college costs.

Check if you have Federal Work Study funds:

  1. Log on to NEST.
  2. Click on the Financial Aid tab.
  3. Click on Financial Aid Awards.
  4. Choose the appropriate academic year and click Submit.
  5. If you have Federal Work Study it will be listed with a dollar amount on this page.

If you have Federal Work Study funds, you should apply for on-campus positions that are designated for FWS students, although you may apply for Student Assistant positions, as well.

If a student has not submitted a timesheet and/or has not obtained employment by October for fall enrollees or by March for spring enrollees, their work study award will be canceled. Please Note: If an award is canceled, it will be offered to another student. Your award offer will be canceled for the semester and/or academic year.

Student Assistant (SA)

A program that offers on-campus, part-time jobs if you do not qualify for FWS.

Student Assistant Eligibility

  • All students must maintain a 2.0 GPA
  • Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum of nine credits per semester
  • Graduate students must maintain a minimum of six credits per semester
  • SA employment cannot exceed 20 hours per week

Students without Federal Work Study funds may apply for jobs designated for Student Assistants.

Finding an On-Campus Job

On and off-campus employers post jobs, internships and other opportunities can be found in Handshake. To find on-campus student employment postings:

  1. Click on the “Jobs” link in the upper right corner of your screen.
  2. Click the “On Campus” filter at the top of your search page
  3. Click the “Show Results” button on the lower right corner to see your search results.
  4. After you click the Save your Job Search link at the top of your results, you can set up job alerts (email notifications) when similar positions are posted. If you find a position that interests you and you are not ready to apply, you can favorite it by clicking the star on the upper right of the corner of the position and apply later.
    Example of on-campus job in Handshake

Student Employment Compensation

Compensation for on-campus employment is determined by each department. View the compensation scale provided by Financial Aid. Please read the Statement on Ethical Conduct prior to your on-campus employment.