Federal regulations regarding on-campus employment may be found under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(9)(i) .

  • On-campus employment is not guaranteed for students. Relying on on-campus employment as a sustainable source of income throughout your program is not advised. All on-campus employment opportunities are posted in Handshake.
  • On-campus employment must be performed either on the university’s premises (including on-site commercial firms that provide direct services to students, such as the university bookstore or cafeteria) or at an off-campus location that is educationally affiliated with the university.
  • Employment with on-site commercial firms that do not provide direct student services (such as a construction company building a university facility) is not considered on-campus employment. For off-campus locations, the educational affiliation must be connected to the school’s established curriculum or to contractually funded research projects at the post-graduate level.
  • You are authorized to work on campus throughout full-time enrollment in your degree program as long as you maintain valid immigration status. If you are not in valid immigration status or have a reinstatement pending, you are not eligible for any type of employment authorization.

When you initially enter the U.S. to begin a new course of study, you may not start on-campus employment more than 30 days prior to the actual start of your classes.

  • You are eligible for on-campus employment once you have been registered in SEVIS during your first semester at Missouri S&T.
    • International students may not engage in on-campus employment after completing a course of study, except for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which requires authorization from USCIS.
    • For J-1 students, an exception may be made for those approved for  Academic Training .
    • International students may not engage in on-campus employment if they do not have valid immigration status or have a reinstatement pending with USCIS. Students must maintain an active SEVIS record at all times during employment.
    • International students are limited to 20 cumulative hours per week while school is in session. Full-time employment (more than 20 hours per week) is permitted during official school breaks.
  • Before authorization for on-campus employment, International Students must receive an official job offer letter from the on-campus employer. Once the official offer letter has been received, students must complete the On-Campus Employment Offer Letter (11.18.24).
  • Students then must submit the on-campus employment offer form to International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) for processing - it must be an original form and cannot be scanned or altered.
  • When your on-campus employment form has been approved, you will receive an email from isss@mst.edu to pick up your on-campus employment form. Use your on-campus employment form to begin applying for a social security number with the SSN office.
  • The Career Opportunities and Employer Relations Office (COER) is dedicated to helping students and alumni find part-time and full-time employment. You can find employment opportunities on the COER JobBoardly.