Conditions for Student Employment

• Making satisfactory progress toward a graduate degree without existing conditional admission requirements; and
• Remaining registered for at least nine semester hours of coursework in long semesters (Fall / Spring), or at least three semester hours of coursework in at least one of the summer terms (first six weeks, second six weeks, nine weeks, twelve weeks); and
• Maintaining at least a 3.0 grade-point average; and
• Not having more than two grades of X, I, NC, D, or F in any combination.
• Enrollment in UT Extension does not count toward hours required for student employment eligibility.
• ESL courses may not be used to fill the required three hours of registration in summer.
• Students can be registered for any summer session to be eligible for a work appointment during the entire summer semester. Student’s registration session and work appointment do not need to be concurrent.
• Be authorized to work in the United States and complete all required employment verification (e.g., Form I-9)
• Meet any additional eligibility requirements set by the employing department or unit

Good Academic Standing Form

When making salary appointments, use the following dates for each semester:

• Fall Semester – Aug. 16 to Dec. 31
• Spring Semester – Jan. 1 to May 15
• Summer Semester – May 16 to Aug. 15

When making hourly appointments, they should be appointed within the beginning and ending dates for each semester:

• Fall Semester – Aug. 16 to Dec. 31
• Spring Semester – Jan. 1 to May 15
• Summer Semester – May 16 to Aug. 15

Long Semester (Fall/ Spring) Policy

• Appointments during the long semesters may not exceed 20 hours per week during the student’s first two long semesters of graduate study at UT Austin.
• Once the student completes the first two long semesters, the scheduled weekly hours may not exceed 30 hours per week during the long semesters.

Summer Semester Policy

• Graduate students must be enrolled in at least one summer term to qualify for student employment at any time during the whole summer semester (twelve weeks).
• Appointments may not exceed 30 hours per week during the summer term (first six weeks, second six weeks, nine weeks, twelve weeks) in which the graduate student is concurrently enrolled.
• Appointments may not exceed 40 hours per week during the non-enrolled summer term.

Academic Calendar Semester Breaks

Appointments during the academic break periods in the University’s academic calendar may not exceed 40 hours per week. These defined break periods are as follows:

• Fall Break: Starts on the Saturday before the week of Thanksgiving break and ends on the Sunday before classes resume.
• Winter Break : Starts on the first day after the official graduation date in December, and ends on the day before the first day of classes in the Spring semester.
• Spring Break: Starts on the Saturday before the week of spring break and ends on the Sunday before classes resume.
• Summer Break I: Starts on the first day after the official graduation date in May and ends on the  day before summer classes start.
• Summer Break II: Starts on the first day after the official graduation date in August and ends on the day before the first day of classes in the Fall semester.

International Students

Work restrictions on maximum weekly hours based on visa requirements may be different than what is presented above. Please refer to International Student Employment for work hour guidelines.

• On a case-by-case basis, a department can petition for an exception to only one student employment condition when there is a reasonable and justifiable basis to do so. The petition is required to be submitted in memo format from the student’s program graduate advisor via email to gs-approvals@austin.utexas.edu. Final approval rests with the Graduate School Associate Dean for Funding and Policy.

9 hours per long semesters

• Only exceptions to lower the hours under 9 hours are made by the D&A office, by specific dual-degree program requirements, and by the MPA program where student is taking the CPA exam during the semester.

3 hours per summer semester

• There are limited exceptions for students who are not registered in the summer semester to be able to work as follows:
  • No registration required if:
    • Total compensation <= $2,500; and
    • Total hours worked <= 80 hours
      • Applicable only for these job profiles:
        • G0090 Graduate Research Assistant (GRA)
        • G0065 Academic Assistant (AA)
        • G0071 Graduate Assistant (GA)
        • G0064 Graduate Tutor (GT)