The Student Employment website is a great place to start! Here, you will find resources for on-campus jobs, off-campus jobs, and links to employment through Aramark (JMU Dining Services) and e-Follett (the JMU Bookstore). 

Handshake also has a wide variety of positions, for students in every major. You can search by location and many jobs are remote as well. If you’d like assistance navigating Handshake, please reach out to the University Career Center.

The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships may award federal work-study (FWS) to eligible students as determined by results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition to establishing financial need through the FAFSA, eligible students must be degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate students enrolled on at least a half time basis (6 credit for undergraduates and 5 credits for graduates) who are maintaining good academic standing (meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress and maintaing a cummulative GPA of 2.0 or better.) Students usually work 12 hours per week while taking classes during the academic year. 

Eligible students will see FWS on their financial aid offer letter, which is posted on their MyMadison account. 

Click here to see a list of FWS frequently asked questions.

Federal Work-Study (FWS) eligibility is based on the results of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students who are eligible will be awarded FWS as part of their financial aid offer. Students can view their financial aid on their MyMadison account by clicking on “View My Financial Aid” under the “Finance” section of the Student Center. Click on the current year to see your financial aid offer.

Yes- but only if you are eligible for a Subsidized Direct Loan. If you wish to reduce your Subsidized Direct Loan, we will be able to award you federal work-study (FWS). If you have any questions about you eligibility or if you would like us to reduce your loan so we can include FWS, then please email studentjobs@jmu.edu from your JMU email account.

Institutional Employment (IE) positions are part-time on-campus positions that are available to degree seeking students regardless of financial aid. There are over 300 departments around campus that hire students. 

Please note that Dining Services positions and Bookstore positions are not considered IE. Dining services employment is through Aramark and bookstore employment is through eFollett.

On the surface, federal work-study (FWS) and institutional employment (IE) positions look very similar. FWS positions are only for students who qualify based on financial aid. A FWS student will have a maximum amount of money that they can earn during the academic year. Once the student earns this amount, they will need to discontinue working in their position or check with their hiring department about the possibility to switch their employment to IE (institutional employment) status. The FWS wages can be deducted from the student’s reported total income by entering their FWS earnings on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This way the earnings will not be included in the calculation of their expected family contribution (EFC). 

Both IE and FWS positions:

• Pay similar, taxable wages 
• Have similar job titles and job duties 
• Are posted on Page Up
• Cannot exceed 20 hours in one week 
• Require the student to be degree seeking and enrolled in 6 undergraduate or 5 graduate credits 
• Pay students twice a month through direct deposit 

Click here for a comparison chart. 

On-Campus jobs are posted on Page Up. 

Please be sure that your application is accurate before applying for a job. Once you apply, you will not be able to make changes to your application. 

If you forget your username or password, please email studentjobs@jmu.edu and we can reset it for you.

The Student Employment Office posts off-campus, part time job opportunities on the Student Employment website. 

Many commercial businesses do not post on our website, so be sure to inquire within if you are interested in a particular company. 

For a list of helpful websites that may assist you with finding a part-time job look at the "Helpful Links" here.

All UREC positions are posted on Page Up. UREC typically posts positions in February for the upcoming summer and Fall semesters. Please check Page Up for job postings or contact the University Recreation Center to inquire about positions.   

There are several on-campus opportunities and off-campus opportunities for lifeguards. UREC and occasionally GKIN classes hire lifeguards. Both of these opportunities are posted on Page Up. If there you do not see any postings on Page Up, you can inquire directly with the department to determine when they will be recruiting for the position. 

Massanutten Resort is another great place to find lifeguard positions. Click here for more information about lifeguarding at Massanutten. 

You can also inquire with area fitness centers and gym facilities. (Harrisonburg 24/7 Fitness, Sentara RMH Wellness Center, etc)

There is a maximum limit of 20 hours that a student employee can work in one week. In order for students to be eligible for FICA tax exemptions, students cannot work more than 20 hours a week. Please refer to the Payroll’s Student Employment FICA Exemption Policy. 

If you are working in a Federal Work-Study (FWS) position, then you will not be able to earn more than what you were awarded on your Financial Aid offer. This could impact the number of hours you are able to work. On average, FWS positions are 10 hours a week. 

During week long (or more) school breaks (Thanksgiving, winter, spring and summer breaks), students may work 40+ hours a week (departments are responsible for paying overtime if a student works more than 40 hours in a week.) Students do not need to be enrolled in any credits during the break, but they must have intent to re-enroll after the break.

On-campus positions start at minimum wage, $12.00/hour, and can go up to $15.00 depending on the nature of the job. On average, students will make $13.00 an hour.

Off-campus jobs have a much broader range of wages. On average, students make $12.00 to $15.00 an hour. Off-campus jobs typically offer higher wages, but do not have the flexible schedules like on-campus jobs.

It depends on your job. On-campus positions are very flexible to fit with your class schedule. Most supervisors are also very understanding when you have an exam or an assignment-filled week. Of course it helps to give them as much notice in advance as possible. 

Some off-campus jobs are equally as flexible, but students tend to encounter more problems with these positions. 

Please email studentjobs@jmu.edu with your full name and student ID number and we will be able to reset your password and send your username to you.

If you are applying for a Federal Work-Study position, you will need to attach a copy of your Financial Aid Offer as the “Other Document #1”. You can copy your financial aid offer by going to your MyMadison account and clicking on View My Financial Aid under “Finances”. Click on the current aid year. Copy and paste this into a Word document or PDF. 

If it is not a Federal Work-Study position, then reread the job posting. It should have directions that specify what to submit as “Other Document #1”. Examples include: class schedule, writing samples, art samples, etc.

No, changes cannot be made to your application after you submit it, so please be sure to double-check it before you apply for a job.

The Bookstore and Dining Services are considered to be affiliates of the university and therefore they are not classified as “on-campus” jobs. Bookstore employment is through Follett Higher Education Group and Dining Services Employment is through Aramark. 

Click here for more information about the Bookstore employment. 

Click here for more information about Dining Service employment.