Quad Cities Campus

Enrollment Requirements

Academic Year

To be eligible to work on campus during the regular academic year (fall and spring semesters), a student must be enrolled for six (6) or more semester hours of credit per term. International students must be enrolled full-time (12 hrs. for undergraduate students or 9 hrs. for graduate students), unless otherwise cleared by the International Student Advisor/U.S. Immigration for less than full-time enrollment, to maintain their status in the United States. Audit classes do not count.  All students must be enrolled in at least six (6) or more semester hours to be eligible for student employment, unless they are a graduating student with only a limited number of hours remaining to meet graduation requirements (in which case prior approval of Human Resources is required).

Summer

To be eligible to work summer, a student either:

  1. Must have been enrolled for six (6) or more hours during the previous spring semester and be preregistered for fall at WIU for six (6) hours, OR
  2. Must be accepted for admission/re-entry to WIU for the following fall semester and be pre-registered for at least six (6) hours, OR
  3. Must be enrolled at WIU for a minimum of three (3) hours during each summer session while they are employed.
  4. International students are required to be enrolled three (3) hours each session during summer or pre- registered for full-time for fall.

Note: During summer sessions, student employees may work a maximum of 28 hours per week if enrolled for less than six (6) hours during the current summer session. 

Break Periods

During break periods, students may work up to 28 hours per week. The break periods are:

  1. Period of time at the end of the spring semester and before summer session (must have been enrolled for six or more hours for the spring semester or be eligible for summer employment).
  2. Period of time after summer session and before fall semester begins (see summer eligibility above).
  3. Thanksgiving break (must be enrolled six (6) hours for the fall semester).
  4. Break between fall and spring semesters (must have been enrolled for six (6) or more hours for the fall semester or pre-registered for at least six (6) hours for spring semester).
  5. Spring break (must be enrolled at least six (6) hours for the spring semester).

Students who graduate are only eligible for regular student employment during the break period following their graduation. (Federal Work-Study cannot be used.) They must have been registered for at least six (6) hours their last semester. They are not eligible for further employment unless they have been accepted into the WIU Graduate School and are pre-registered. International students are not permitted to work after graduation unless they are continuing study in another WIU program, can show acceptance for the new program, and are pre-registered for the next regular semester.

Students MUST stop working IMMEDIATELY if they withdraw from school, cancel their registration, or reduce their credit hours below the minimum enrollment requirements for student employment.

Maximum Work Hours

Student employment should not interfere with students' educational goals. Students are not permitted to work during their scheduled classes or examinations. Students are not to work more than 20 hours per week when classes are in session. A normal work week is 10 to 20 hours per week. Students are permitted to work multiple jobs, but the total number of hours from all jobs are not to exceed these limits.

  • International students may not work more than 20 hours per week during Fall and Spring semesters when classes are in session. International students may not work more than 28 hours per week when classes are not in session during Fall and Spring semesters. International students can work up to 28 hours per week during the Summer semester, if enrolled for less than six (6) hours during the current summer session. International Students who are registered for six (6) or more hours during the Summer semester may not work more than 20 hours per week.
  • All other students are not to work more than 20 hours per week when classes are in session and not more than 28 hours per week during breaks when classes are not in session.
  • Both student employees and supervisors should ensure that the student employee never exceeds the maximum work hours per week from all jobs worked at Western Illinois University.
  • Employees are expected to inform their supervisor(s) if they will exceed the maximum work hours per week limit. Every effort should be made to inform supervisor(s) before going over the limit so that adjustments can be made to keep the hours under the maximum work hours per week.
  • Student Employment monitors maximum work hours and will notify the employee and supervisor if the maximum number of hours allowed to work are exceeded.
  • The first violation will result in a warning notice; the second violation will result in termination of the student work authorization(s) for the current semester or break period; the third violation will result in termination of the student work authorization(s) with ineligibility for student employment for a year.
  • If the hours reported are incorrect, please contact the supervisor. The supervisor must verify that the hours were misreported and provide documentation via email to Student Employment.
  • Students will need to contact Student Employment regarding re-eligibility for student employment due to termination for maximum hours violation.
  • Student employees are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and must receive overtime pay if they work in excess of 40 hours per week. FSLA does not require overtime pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest, nor does it require extra pay for night or weekend work. More information is available at: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/overtimepay.htm. Federal Work-Study funds will not be utilized to pay overtime.