J-1 Student On-Campus Employment (Assistantships, Fellowships, and Hourly Work)

International students in J-1 status in good academic standing can work on campus up to 20 hours a week while school is in session during the fall and spring semester.

  • If a student has multiple on campus jobs, the total combined hours worked for all jobs cannot exceed 20 hours a week while school is in session.
    • Each job requires ISSS authorization before beginning employment. To request authorization, please submit the On-Campus Employment Request Form available through the MyISSS Portal for each on-campus position.
  • It is the student’s responsibility to track their hours to make sure they do not exceed 20 hours a week.
  • International students can work full-time on-campus (more than 20 hours a week) during the summer vacation break.
    • Students can also work during official school breaks (fall, winter, and spring breaks).
      • If a student’s employing department would like the international student in J-1 status to work more than 50 hours in a bi-weekly pay period, due to business or academic purposes, Student Employment requires the student’s supervisor to complete the Exception Request for Student Employee Work Hours. Approval will not be granted based on a student’s desire to work more hours.
      • Please see contact Student Employment for more information.
  • ISSS advisors can approve student employment for up to one year at a time. Therefore, students must report their on-campus employment to ISSS every year.
  • Any changes to on-campus employment, including a new position or additional jobs, must be reported to ISSS.

You must receive authorization from ISSS before beginning any on-campus employment.

To request authorization (or report changes/additional employment):

  • Complete the On-Campus Employment Request Form available through the MyISSS Portal.
  • This must be completed for each year you are employed on campus.
  • If a student has multiple on campus jobs, the total combined hours worked for all jobs cannot exceed 20 hours a week while school is in session.
    • Each job requires ISSS authorization before beginning employment. To request authorization, please submit the On-Campus Employment Request Form available through the MyISSS Portal for each on-campus position.

All on-campus jobs are located on CU Boulder’s employment platform Handshake.

  • To begin searching, you must create a free account.
  • Filter your search to only include Boulder on-campus (hourly) positions.

Only positions at CU Boulder are considered on-campus employment for students in J-1 status. Jobs at other University of Colorado campuses (e.g., University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, University of Colorado Anschutz, System Administration offices) require off-campus work authorization.

If the employer is a private company that is physically located on the CU Boulder campus but provides direct services for students (e.g., Subway in the UMC), such employment would qualify as on-campus employment.

In some circumstances, on-campus employment can be located at an off-campus location when there is a documented affiliation with CU Boulder. ISSS must review each case before employment begins.

Some positions listed on handshake as on-campus jobs are for organizations that are NOT on-campus employers: the Graduate School of Banking, CU Foundation, National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Students who have questions about whether a job is considered on-campus should consult ISSS.

International students are not eligible for on-campus jobs classified as “work study” as such positions are subsidized by federal financial aid for domestic students.

Tax Information

Please carefully review this ISSS webpage on taxes.

All new international CU employees and students that receive a taxable income must complete a Sprintax Calculus profile to document their U.S. tax residency status with the International Tax Office. You will receive an invitation from CUIntlTax-noreply@Sprintax.com to activate your profile within approximately 14 days of your hire date. Please complete your profile as soon as possible to ensure accurate taxation of your pay including any applicable tax treaty or FICA tax exemptions.

If you haven’t received your Sprintax Calculus activation email within 21 days from your start date, please check your junk mail folder. If you still cannot locate your activation email, contact intltax@cu.edu.

Tax Filing Support

To assist students and scholars in J-1 status with U.S. tax filing obligations, University of Colorado’s International Tax Office provides a variety of helpful resources including tax preparation software. Review the Tax Preparation Support document for further information.