Student employees are designated as Professional and Support Staff (PSS) with Casual/Restricted status. The terms and conditions of student (non-academic) positions are governed by the PPSM policy.
PPSM link: Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM).
Student Employment Payroll Job Titles
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Student Assistant 1-4, RA, and ASUCM
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The appointment is temporary.
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Working hours are irregular.
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Work is secondary to the student’s academic success.
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Work schedules are flexible enough to support the academic program of the student.
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As distinguished from regular staff positions, Student Employment positions are less complex and require fewer skills, knowledge, experience and training; are absent continuing responsibility and/or on-going accountability for the work performed. Incumbents work less independently and exercise judgment less often.
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A casual/restricted appointee may be released at any time at the discretion of the University; however, the appointee must be notified of an early release in writing by the University.
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A casual/restricted appointment will automatically terminate on the last day of the appointment unless there is an earlier separation or formal extension of the appointment in writing.
Graduating Students
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Graduating seniors must have been active and working in their current positions during Spring/Fall semester to be eligible for extension through Summer or Winter Intercessions. Extensions through Summer/Winter intercessions must terminate the day before Spring/Fall instruction (first day of instruction).
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Graduating seniors may not apply for or accept “new” campus student employment positions after graduation.
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Examples:
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Students graduating in Fall 2024 may work until the day before Spring 2025 Instruction begins (Tuesday, January 21, 2025).
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Students graduating in Spring 2025 may work until the day before Fall 2025 Instruction begins (Wednesday, August 27, 2025)
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UC Merced Academic Calendars: https://registrar.ucmerced.edu/schedules/calendars
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Undergraduate Student Employment Job Limitations
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Students cannot work more than 2 jobs at one time.
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Student employees may only work 18 hours per week for all jobs combined during the academic year.
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Student employees may work up to 40 hours between semesters up to the last day before the start of instruction.
Graduate Students in Casual/Restricted Titles
Guidelines for Fall 2024-Summer 2025
For Fall 2024/Spring & Summer 2025 the hiring of graduate students into casual restricted titles (Student Asst Series 1-4) is restricted to those students who are not receiving support via a TA/TF or GSR appointment (including summer session teaching or research).
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Hiring into the Student Asst series will follow the usual recruitment or waiver process established for all casual/restricted classified titles
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Newly hired employees will not be permitted to perform services in any capacity until they have successfully completed all required hiring documents (instructions to complete new hire documents can be found here)
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Casual/Restricted classified jobs do not support tuition and fee remissions, thus no commitment to support a student in this capacity should be made.
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Students must meet the minimum enrollment requirements to be deemed FICA exempt.
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Failure to meet the minimum enrollment requirements may result in DCP withholding. It is not possible to decline the DCP deduction if eligibility requirements are not met.
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International graduate student employees may not exceed 50% time worked, regardless of program.
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No department shall hire a graduate student into a casual/restricted job without receiving PRIOR confirmation from the Graduate Division that the student holds no other conflicting jobs.
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Please utilize the pre-populated email request (above) to receive authorization from Graduate Division.
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A graduate student who is on a "short work break" from their primary job may hold a casual/restricted student staff title so long as the date of pay between their casual/restricted (FLSA non-exempt) and graduate job (FLSA exempt) to not overlap, even for one day.
