Student employment does not place students in jobs but provides an online job board called Handshake where students can search and apply for jobs.
WSU has a specific Handshake account, WSU Vancouver Student Employment positions where you can find open on campus positions. Students can interact with the system 24/7 and have the option to cater their job search based on campus and funding source. To begin your job search, go to Handshake.
Current on-campus openings
On-campus employers
We ask that all on-campus employers hiring for student positions post positions on Handshake. Handshake allows for work study, part time, and volunteer positions to be posted.
- On-Campus Student Employment Job Template Form
- How to Post an On-Campus Job on Handshake
- How to Link your Handshake Account to the On Campus Student Employment Account
If you are having trouble posting your position, please email van.career@wsu.edu.
Employment tips
On-campus employment
While the majority of on-campus jobs are listed on Handshake, occasionally departments will choose to list available positions on their specific departmental websites. To expand your job search it can be helpful to search within each department.
Don’t be afraid to get out there and ask departments if they are hiring or plan to hire in the future. Making this connection could potentially increase your chances of finding employment. In addition, if you have a work-study award relay this information to the potential on-campus employer, as it may make a difference in the type of employment opportunities available to you.
Off-campus employment
Numerous local businesses use Handshake to advertise their available jobs and hire Washington State University students. Off-campus employers offer employment for students with or without work-study. If you are new to your campus, you can reference the local Chamber of Commerce in your area for employment information where local businesses may have employment opportunities.
What is work-study?
Work-study is a need-based financial aid award through the FAFSA process. It is neither a grant, as you must work to earn it, nor a loan, as you do not have to pay it back. However, funds are limited and you must have need eligibility determined from the FAFSA in order to receive work-study. Work-study never reduces grants or scholarships, only loans! Work-study funds are awarded to qualifying students to assist them in obtaining employment.
The work–study program subsidizes students' wages. Work-study funds are used to reimburse a percentage of students’ gross pay but do not cover 100% of the wages. The gross pay comes from two sources; work-study funds plus employer funds. While the program serves as an incentive for employers to hire students it also creates jobs that would not otherwise exist. When the accumulated gross pay earned during the term reaches the work-study award limit, the work-study funding stops and the employers’ pay 100% of any wages earned that exceed the work-study award limit for the term.
Once a job is approved by student employment it is very similar to working any other type of job as you work a particular amount of hours at a certain pay rate and receive a paycheck for what you have earned. For the employer, the work-study program subsidizes a percentage of the student’s wages which make it appealing to hire students who are work-study eligible.