Work-Study Rules and Regulations Summary

The Work-Study (WS) program at UNC is funded through a combination of federal, state, and institutional sources and is therefore subject to the rules and regulations of these groups. This guide summarizes the most important of those requirements, providing a plain-language overview of the most important rules and regulations. Please note that readers should review the WS Training Guide for a more thorough listing of governing program guidelines. WS Supervisors should reach out to the WS Team at work-study@unc.edu for all questions about program rules and regulations.

Students

Students must show and maintain the need for WS program funding.
1. To show eligibility, students must submit all requested financial aid document and have a sufficient gap between the cost of attending school and their available resources to warrant packaging under UNC protocols.
2. To maintain eligibility students must disclose all outside awards (including grants and scholarships from non-UNC entities) to UNC staff in the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid. Students must also disclose any changes which will affect their needs-eligibility test.
Students who experience a change in their financial status which negatively impacts their WS funding eligibility will have their awards reduced to prevent an overaward from occurring.
Students must complete a full application to a position in the established UNC WS job system (JobX) in order to be eligible for hiring.
Students must be hired in the official system of record (JobX) in order to confirm eligibility for earnings. Students not hired through this system are not eligible for any earnings under the WS program.
Students may hold only 1 WS position (either through the Federal Work-Study program or Carolina Works program) at a time at UNC. Students may hold simultaneous, additional jobs under non-WS postings.
Students must successfully complete Work-Study Student Training and Score 100% on the quiz on the WS website and provide documentation of their successful completion to their registered WS supervisor prior to beginning work.
Students must successfully complete all HR onboarding processes before beginning work including, at minimum,
1. I-9 verification
2. Payroll enrollment and withholding set-up
3. Direct Deposit set-up
Students must complete TIM (Kronos) training on or before their first day of work.
Students may only work during the Fall and Spring semesters. Students may work from the first day designated (usually the first day of the pay period following the conclusion of summer work-study operations) through the last day of exams, unless the university is officially closed. This means that students can work weekends and holidays that the University is open, but not those holidays when the University is officially closed or during emergency closures.
1. Exception: Departments that remain open during non-emergency university closures who have a registered WS Supervisor present are eligible to employ WS Students during these periods. Students must agree to work during these periods and can not be mandated to do so.
2. Exception: Students enrolled at UNC for the Fall and Spring semesters who have also been hired into a WS position for the Fall and Spring terms may work over the holiday break between the end of Fall finals and the beginning of the Spring term.
3. Exception: Students attending UNC during the Summer who have been awarded Carolina Works funding for the summer are eligible to return to their position over the Summer term.
Students must check in with a registered WS supervisor at the beginning and end of each shift. During the check in process, students should sign in/out using the approved departmental attendance-tracking tool, most commonly TIM.
1. Exception: Students employed in virtual positions may use alternate methods to sign in and out of their shifts. The process must be approved by the position supervisor.
Students must submit accurate time sheets and do so utilizing the system of record for their position, usually TIM.
While on-duty at their WS position, students are not allowed to engage in the following activities:
1. Scholastic activities unrelated to their position including studying, completing homework, and other academic pursuits for class. Educational training related to the position which may also be required for a class (e.g. training on a certain piece of software) is allowed. Students with positions under the IRIS Research program are encouraged to attend educational training through the Office for Undergraduate Research as part of their job duties.
2. Students may not work more than 20 hours per week and 40 hours in any pay period. These limits are the same in periods which include holidays or include the start/end of an eligible work period.
3. Students may not earn more than their allotted WS award under any circumstances.

Supervisors

A supervisor must be available at any time a student they supervise is working. The supervisor does not need to be physically present in the workspace, but must be reachable by students at work.
The primary supervisor must be registered as the primary contact in the JobX system and have completed WS Supervisor Training and the WS Supervisor Quiz for the year.
An unlimited number of secondary supervisors can assist the primary supervisor in the completion of her/his duties. All secondary supervisors must have completed WS Supervisor Training, the WS Supervisor Quiz for the year, and be registered as a secondary contact in JobX.
Both primary and secondary supervisors must be permanent, full-time faculty or staff members employed by the University or an approved community-service partner. Employees who are classified as full-time by the University but work less than 40 hours are eligible to participate, but are encouraged to act as secondary supervisors.
Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all WS positions under their supervision are posted to the JobX site.
Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all WS Students are hired through the JobX system and set up with an employee account in Connect Carolina.
Supervisors are required to ensure that students have completed all onboarding processes before letting the student begin work. These processes include but are not limited to verifying that the student has completed:
1. Work-Study Student Training & the associated quiz
2. I-9 Verification
3. Payroll Enrollment and Withholding
4. Direct Deposit Enrollment
Supervisors are required to ensure that students have completed all required training listed in the position description and any additional trainings needed to ensure the health and safety of the student prior to those skills being required in the WS position.
Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that students complete sign-in and sign-out protocols with a certified WS supervisor at the beginning and end of each shift, respectively.
Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that time records submitted by students are accurate representations of the hours worked by each student.
Supervisors must ensure that students are compensated for all time worked through the WS program.
Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that WS students comply with all rules and regulations of the program, including those listed in the previous section. Most notable among these are the following:
1. Ensuring that the student works only during eligible periods
2. Ensuring that the student does not exceed weekly and biweekly time limits
3. Ensuring that the student’s earnings does not exceed their allotted WS award amount
Primary supervisors are responsible for ensuring compliance with all program rules and regulations. If a violation(s) occurs, the primary supervisor is responsible for rectifying the issue as directed by the WS staff.