Coronavirus Student Employment Related Guidance
The following answers are provided to frequently asked questions concerning students working during Texas A&M University’s transition to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Important new information is included regarding work study student employees. As circumstances are continuously evolving, this guidance may also change. Information will be communicated as quickly as possible.
Can a student employee still work on campus?
Only students who are considered essential may continue to work on campus. You should consult with your department head to determine if your student worker is essential to your operations. Supervision must be provided as well as appropriate social distancing requirements and other safety measures as noted by campus officials due to COVID-19.
Can student employees work remotely?
Yes. We encourage departments to be creative in identifying mechanisms to allow student workers to work remotely with the provision that appropriate duties can be assigned and that the department has mechanisms in place to monitor that work. Students on work study may also work remotely. Although strongly encouraged, you are not required to provide remote work opportunities.
Can student employees work during scheduled class times?
No. As always, regulations and university Standard Administrative Procedure 33.99.08.M0.01 do not allow students to be scheduled for work during scheduled class times. This includes online courses.
What if our office is not open for employees to work on site and we are unable to provide remote work opportunities for our student employees?
Non-Work Study Students (those that are not part of the federal or state work study programs through their award packages offered by the Scholarships & Financial Aid Office)
Students without work study awards or who have exhausted their work study award for 2019-2020 may not be paid for hours not worked. Any student experiencing a financial emergency due to a loss of student employment wages should contact Scholarships & Financial Aid by phone at
979-845-3236, email financialaid@tamu.edu, or via live chat on the financialaid.tamu.edu website.
Work Study Students (those who have available work study awarded as part of their financial aid award packages through Scholarships & Financial Aid)
Per guidance from the Department of Education and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, students paid from federal or state work study who have a remaining balance in their work study award may continue to be paid for hours they were expected to be able to work. The following stipulations apply.
- Employer is closed for on-site work and remote work opportunity is not available to the student
- Student has relocated outside of the local area due to COVID-19 and remote work opportunity is not
- available to the student
- A student cannot be paid if they have chosen not to work
How do I pay work study students who are performing work during this time?
Work study students who are working on campus as essential personnel or working remotely should continue to submit timesheets for actual hours worked following normal procedures and by published deadlines.
How do I pay work study students who are not performing work during this time?
Work study students who are unable to work on campus and are not being provided remote work opportunities should be paid as follows.
- The student or employer should submit a biweekly timesheet for the hours the student was scheduled to work. The following comment should be added to indicate the student is being paid for unworked hours.
- Due to the COVID-19 disruption the student received FWS funds for their regularly scheduled work period of “insert pay period dates”
- Timesheets must be submitted by the usual published payroll deadlines.
- At this time, the ability to pay work study students for unearned hours is effective beginning March 16, 2020 and extends only through pay period #18, ending May 2, 2020.
- The student must be paid based on their current pay rate. Changes in pay for student employees who are not actively working during this time will not be permitted.
- It is imperative that you do not pay students more than they would have earned if they would have been able to continue working.
- On campus employers are still required to pay the institutional share of work study wages.
- The student can be paid for unearned hours from work study until their work study award has been exhausted. Once work study is exhausted, TAMU departments cannot continue to pay the student from department funds.
- It is the responsibility of the employer to keep track of students’ remaining work study awards and to ensure no time is approved that would not be covered by the work study award.
Our office will continue to monitor funding levels and communicate with employers regarding students that are close to exhausting their award. In addition, we will closely monitor our total funding level in all work study programs. The Student Employment Office is available to assist with any questions concerning this
information. Our staff will be working remotely beginning March 23rd. Please direct questions to workstudy@tamu.edu or leave a voicemail at 979-845-0686 and someone will return your call.
Student Employment Office
The Student Employment Office is designed to help students pursue their educational goals by providing employment resources and professional development opportunities. Additionally, the Student Employment Office provides the human resources function for students and employers of students at Texas A&M University. The Student Employment Office serves students, departments and local businesses. We maintain an online job database, manage work study programs, and offer professional development workshops for students and supervisors.
Galveston students, you can learn about your employment opportunities by visiting the
Human Resources student employment page.