Part-Time Student Employment
Duke offers many great student employment opportunities both on campus and off campus within the community of Durham. Here a just a few of the many benefits of student employment:
- Supervisors and coworkers that serve as a built-in support system in addition to professors, family, and friends
- Begin and continue to grow professional networks and cultivate potential future references
- Explore opportunities for exposure and experience in a personal, academic, and or career interest area
- Earn income to help with educational and living expenses
- Develop core skills and competencies that will transfer into various roles long after your time at Duke
Skills and Core Competencies
As defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, NACE, career readiness is a foundation from which to demonstrate requisite core competencies that broadly prepare the college educated for success in the workplace and lifelong career management.
Career Readiness Competencies
There are eight career readiness competencies, each of which can be demonstrated in a variety of ways. You can begin building these core competencies during your part time job as a student!
Students
Consider the following tips when searching and applying for part time student employment opportunities:
- Explore opportunities for exposure and experience in a personal and or career interest area.
- Flexible part time employment requires fewer hours to allow adjustment to college and a new schedule.
- Put your academic studies first and commit to work hours you know you can manage.
- Seek positions that will build references, professional contacts, skills, and core competencies.
- Seek employers that will offer flexible work hours and will support your commitment to your academics.
- Consider using your Work Study Awards! Scroll below to Work Study Financial Aid Awards to learn more!
Student Employment Resources:
Find openings on-campus and within the Durham community by logging into JobX – Duke’s Student Employment Platform. Filter through various opportunities and find the one that best fits you and your interests! Each Duke department manages its own hiring. If you are interested in working in a certain department, you can filter via Job X by clicking the option to filter called “Jobs by Department”.
Some (NOT ALL) of the largest on-campus employers include:
Duke University Libraries employs over 250 students to work in a variety of jobs. These positions are an excellent opportunity for you to gain valuable work experience –from traditional library jobs in circulation and shelving to opportunities to put your academic, technology, or language skills to use.
Duke University Athletics has student job opportunities within marketing, communications, ticket sales, tutoring, videography, facilities and game operations, and more!
Duke’s Academic Resource Center– Peer Educators are the students who lead Peer Tutoring Groups, SAGE Learning Communities, and individual tutoring sessions for specific courses. To serve as a Peer Educator for a course, a student must have previously taken the course or a follow up course. Peer Educators who lead Peer Tutoring Groups can be either undergraduate or graduate students, however those leading SAGE Learning Communities must be undergraduate students. Learn more about becoming a Peer Educator here!
Duke’s Biology Department has various student job research assistant opportunities. Find what areas are most interesting to you via Duke’s Student Employment Platform and Muser’s Projects Platform.
Sarah P. Duke Gardens has student job opportunities including student gardener, student ambassadors, Spanish language children and family garden educators, photographers and videographers, programs interns, weekend visitor services assistants, and more.
If you are an international student here at Duke and are currently receiving need-based aid, and if you have work eligibility here in the United States, you may be eligible for Duke work study. Students should contact the Office of Visa Services to determine the number of hours they are eligible to work based on their visa status.
If you are an international student and did not check the box on your initial admissions application requesting need-based financial aid, you are not eligible for need-based aid while you are an undergraduate at Duke. This includes Duke work study.
However, there are many departments that are able to pay their employees’ full wages, so students would not need to have Federal or Duke work study in order to work there. If you have work eligibility in the US, you may be able to find this type of position without work study funding.
Available openings for both on- and off-campus jobs are posted to JobX year-round by employers. While you are not guaranteed to find a job, you will want to begin applying early in the semester and check JobX often for open positions. In addition to jobs on campus, some off-campus positions may be available as well. These positions will also be posted in JobX.
You will need to log-in to JobX using your Duke SSO net id & password. You will go into the Students page & use the Search for Jobs link. Once you find a position(s) you’d like to apply for, click apply & complete any requested information. The employer will be able to review your application(s) to determine if they would like to interview you for their open position. If an employer decides to offer you a position, they will do so directly. If it is a Duke department, they will request the needed information to place you on Duke’s payroll. If it is an off-campus non-profit employer, they will request the information needed to place you on their payroll.
Sign in using your Duke netid and password.
Employers will post job openings to the JobX platform. The job postings will include a job description, salary range, qualifications, etc., and students can search the job postings using different criteria to narrow their search. They can also set up jobmail notifications which send an email to the student when a job is posted that meets their criteria.
Sometimes students will get the following error message when logging into JobX: ‘You are currently logged into the site but do not have permission to view this page…’
If this happens: Please click on the Employees dropdown (top left) & select Find a Job after you’ve logged in using your netid/password.
This will allow you to search positions.
Students will determine which position(s) they would like to apply for & apply directly within JobX. The employer will review applications & determine whether to interview a student. If interviewed, the employer then determines whether to hire a student.
Students will receive communication directly from the employer if they extend a job offer. When a student accepts a position within JobX, the hiring process will be started with the student by the employer. When a student is hired, employers remove their job listing from JobX in order to prevent their department from receiving inquiries about a job vacancy after it has been filled.
During the academic year and summer sessions, undergraduate students enrolled in classes are allowed to work no more than 19.9 hours per week. This figure is the maximum amount. Please note that it is not recommended students the maximum amount of hours permitted. It is critical that a student’s campus employment be a manageable part of his/her undergraduate career, not an overwhelming experience. Students should discuss with their employer the number of hours that they feel comfortable working given all other obligations of their time.
Graduate students are permitted to work up to 19.9 hours a week during periods of enrollment.
Students are allowed to exceed the 19.9 hours during spring and winter breaks.
Increase in minimum and maximum rates for hourly student employees (effective July 1, 2025).
- Student Assistant-General $16.50/hr – $21.00/hr
- Student Assistant-Specialized $17.50/hr – $24.00/hr
(Specialized ex: research assistant, advanced computer, technical work)
If you are working within a Duke Department, student employees are paid on the Duke University bi-weekly payroll system, with the exception of Ph.D. graduate students employed as teaching assistants who are paid on a monthly basis. The departmental payroll clerk will contact you to obtain all information needed to place you on payroll (please make sure to respond to their requests in a timely manner as there are deadlines that must be followed). Earnings are not paid into a student’s bursar account, it is paid directly to the student. Direct deposit is required for all work-study students and must be set up using Duke@Work.
If you are working with a non-profit agency off-campus, the Agency will hire you using their payroll system. You will need to provide them with all information needed to place you on their payroll. The Agency is required to pay you at least once a month.
Please note that students who are employed in a work study position within Duke or America Reads are paid on a biweekly basis based on the timecard s/he submits via Duke@Work. Students who are employed by an off-campus non-profit agency are paid directly by that agency using their payroll dates (it should at least be monthly but may be more frequent).
Students should discuss with their hiring department how the position will be handled once work study funding is depleted.
Students receive a limited amount of money for work study. If a student works more hours than the work study allotment can reimburse, it is up to the department/agency to begin funding 100% of the student’s pay. Academic Year work study allocations can only be used for hours worked during the designated timeframe for the fall & spring semesters of an academic year (specific dates change with each year but timeframes usually start around the 2nd week in August and end around the 1st week in May).
Students cannot use the academic year work study during the summer. If resources exist, students may be awarded summer work study. In this case, students will receive a new verification paper from their financial aid counselor valid only for the summer. Please note all requests for reimbursements by Non-Profit Agencies for work performed during the academic year must be submitted to the Office of Student Loans & Personal Finance by mid-June (exact dates for each year will be communicated).
In order to qualify for work study allocation, a student must have an established and documented financial need. A work-study award is one component of a financial aid package and is not a requirement, but an opportunity. Work study is awarded by a student’s Financial Aid Counselor.
The student’s work study information is in JobX and accessible by Duke employers.
A student employee under age 18 must obtain a Youth Employment Certificate by following the process outlined in the link. This certificate must be completed and submitted with the other payroll documents before they can be put on the payroll.
Yes, the student would need to be hired for both positions within JobX for both employers to receive the work study fund code info needed for Duke@Work. The two employers must agree on how much of the student’s allocation will be used by their departments. If the department holding the primary position within Duke@Work indicates on the form that they plan to use all of the student’s work study award amount, then the secondary position will need to be setup as 100% dept funded. Both depts should complete & sign the Multiple Job Form. A completed copy of the form should be sent to studentemployment@duke.edu before the student is placed on the payroll.
Please contact us either by email at studentemployment@duke.edu or by telephone at (919)-660-3630.
Work Study Financial Aid Awards
- Work study is a program that helps students get part-time jobs, both on campus and off campus. When a student finds a job and has work study awards, financial aid pays a portion of their wages.
How do I know if I have Work-Study Awards?
- Log into your Duke Hub account and click tab labeled, “Financials.”
- Under “Financials”, click “Financial Aid”
- See if Federal Work Study or Duke Work Study is listed
Students may work a maximum of 19.9 hours per week during academic periods and up to 39.9 hours during periods of non-enrollment.
- Students enrolled in one or more classes during the summer may only work up to 19.9 hours. The student is responsible for reporting to the employer any changes in his/her work-study allocation.
Transportation for students to and from their place of employment will not automatically be provided by the Institution.
Compensation for work performed will be disbursed by the employer and paid to the student at least once per month.
Undergraduate students are paid Federal Work Study (FWS) wages on an hourly basis only. Graduate students may be paid by the hour or may be paid a salary.
FWS employers must pay students at least the federal minimum wage in effect at the time of employment. Please note that Duke University’s current rates are higher than the federal minimum wage rate & employers using FWS are to use the Duke rates.
Below are the current University rates for hourly student employees for 2025-2026.
- Student Assistant-General $16.50/hr – $21.00/hr
- Student Assistant-Specialized $17.50/hr – $24.00/hr
(Specialized ex: research assistant, advanced computer, technical work)
If you are working within a Duke Department, student employees are paid on the Duke University bi-weekly payroll system, with the exception of PhD graduate students employed as teaching assistants who are paid on a monthly basis. The departmental payroll/HR rep will contact you to obtain all information needed to place you on payroll (please make sure to respond to their requests in a timely manner as there are deadlines that must be followed). Earnings are not paid into a student’s bursar account, it is paid directly to the student. Direct deposit is required for all work study students and must be setup through Duke@Work.
If you are working with a non-profit agency off-campus, the agency will hire you using their payroll system. You will need to provide them with all information needed to place you on their payroll. The agency’s payroll calendar may be different from Duke’s, but they are required to pay you at least once a month.
Please note that students who are employed in a work study position within Duke or America Reads are paid on a biweekly basis based on the timecard they submit via Duke@Work. Students who are employed by an off-campus non-profit agency are paid directly by that agency using their payroll dates (it should at least be monthly but may be more frequent).
The goal of work-study programs is to promote student employment opportunities for students who desire job experience and to assist those students who need earnings to help meet educational expenses. There are two work-study programs:
- Federal Work-Study Program (FWS) – The Federal Work-Study Program provides to employers a federal subsidy of 75% for all eligible earnings, the remaining 25% of student wages is borne by hiring departments.
- Duke Work-Study Program (DWS) – The Duke-Work Study Program, for undergraduate students only, provides a 50% subsidy from financial aid sources for all eligible students, with the remaining 50% to come from the hiring department’s funds.
Undergraduate Students
All students who demonstrate a financial need will be offered work study. To apply for work study, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Once Duke receives the student’s FAFSA & CSS Profile information, the financial aid office will determine whether or not the student is eligible for work-study.
Depending on the student’s financial need, they will be offered either Federal work study or Duke work study. The only difference between the programs is the amount of subsidy the employer receives.
Graduate Students
As a graduate student, you’ll need to contact your program’s financial aid office to determine if you are eligible for work study. If you’ve already been offered work study, you may apply for positions. The amount of work study awarded for a school year varies based on the program & student.
Did you know that you can use your Work-Study Awards to do research?
- And that you can apply for a URS Assistantship Grant to cover the gap in wages for your employer not covered by the work-study award itself?
- Visit Resources for Work Study – Undergraduate Research Support Office for more information on how to get started in using your work study awards to conduct research.
Doing research in any department of interest is possible here at Duke, including Arts & Humanities, STEM, and Social Sciences. Research as an undergraduate will look different depending on the discipline, and mentorship structures in different fields will vary. In STEM departments, research groups are often larger, with undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty working together in a lab-type setting. In contrast, Arts, Humanities, and Social Science, research groups are smaller.
Check out MUSER for both unpaid and paid research opportunities and JobX for all paid research opportunities.
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