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On-campus employment refers to employment where a student is hired by a unit or department of the University of Colorado Boulder campus and paid by CU Boulder. If the employer is a private company that is physically located on the Boulder campus but provides direct services for students (e.g., Subway in the UMC), such employment would qualify as on-campus employment as well.

International students 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 hours worked for all jobs cannot exceed 20 hours a week while school is in session.
• It is the student’s responsibility to track their hours to make sure not to exceed 20 hours a week.

International students can work on campus full-time (more than 20 hours) during official school breaks (fall break, winter break, spring break, summer term)

Note: During fall break, winter break, and spring break, if a student’s employing department would like the international student in F-1 or 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.

• A new F-1 or J-1 student can start working as early as 30 days prior to the start date on their F-1/J-1 immigration document, the form I-20/DS-2019.
• Students who are transferring their F-1 or J-1 records to the University of Colorado can start working once their F-1 or J-1 transfer has been accepted by the University of Colorado.
• An F-1 or J-1 student can begin working and accruing hours prior to receiving their Social Security Number (SSN). For information regarding this issue, please see the section on the SSN process.

F-1/J-1 on-campus employment is based on enrollment:

1. If an F-1/J-1 international student withdraws from the University of Colorado, their on-campus work authorization ends and they must be taken off of payroll, unless they have obtained some other sort of work authorization.
2. If an F-1/J-1 international student completes their course of study, then F-1/J-1 on-campus employment must end on the last day of enrollment.
3. Graduate Students: Graduate students who do not plan to register in the next term no longer have on-campus work authorization as of the last day of the term for which they are formally enrolled or on the day of their defense, whichever is later. For a research assistant this means their RA must end on the last day of the term or on the day of their defense. They can receive their paycheck at the end of the month but must not continue to work after the last day of formal enrollment, or day of defense, if they do not intend to enroll in future terms. F-1/J-1 students can continue working using OPT/AT, if authorized.

• F-1/J-1 students are not eligible for work-study positions.
• F-1/J-1 students may have multiple jobs but must be very careful not to accrue more than 20 hours a week between all of their jobs combined while school is in session.

1. Contact ISSS
   If you have any questions about what it means to hire an F-1/J-1 international student or the processes involved, then please do not hesitate to contact ISSS. You can also find helpful information at:
2. Offer Letter 
   ISSS has an F-1-J-1 Offer Letter Template that on-campus employers may want to use when hiring an F1/J1 international student. This template is based on expectations of the Social Security Administration (SSA). The F-1/J-1 student will need to submit an original offer letter, signed in blue ink, to the SSA, in order to get an SSN.
3. SSN
   • Most international students in F-1/J-1 status will not have an SSN when they arrive in the U.S. With the assistance of ISSS and their on-campus prospective employer, an international student in F-1/J-1 status can apply for an SSN.
   • In order to obtain an SSN, an international student in F-1/J-1 status needs a letter from ISSS verifying their eligibility, which ISSS issues when a student submits an appropriate request form, located in their MyISSS portal. There are two types of request forms:
     • Request for SSN Letter for On-Campus Employment (available in MyISSS portal)
     • Request for SSN Letter for Students with Fellowships & Assistantships (available in MyISSS portal)
   • The request forms above require a job offer letter to be uploaded. An international student in F-1/J-1 status must have a legitimate job offer in order to apply for an SSN, as well as the letter from ISSS.
   • An international student in F-1/J-1 can start working prior to receiving the SSN! If you have any questions, please read the document for more information. (Federal regulation: Reference: 26 CFR 31.6011) or at
     • While it is possible to be paid initially without an SSN, all international students working on campus must receive an SSN as soon as possible in order to be properly reported in the CU Boulder employee system and to be able to properly file a tax return.
   • When the student receives the SSN, he or she should notify the departmental Payroll Liaison. Please note, ISSS does not keep records of SSNs. Students and departments do not need to report a student’s SSN to ISSS.

F1/J1 international students must complete the Form I-9 within 3 days of starting employment. Please direct your F-1/J-1 international students to the I-9 office at 3100 Marine Street. Please do not send the student to ISSS with the I-9 form. ISSS does not assist with the I-9 process.

Virtually ALL F-1/J-1 international students and scholars and their dependents must file an income tax form every year to be in compliance with the  regulations. This is true regardless of whether they earned income while in the United States. Income tax issues for foreigners are complex and confusing. ISSS cannot assist student with tax questions.

All new international CU employees and students that receive a taxable stipend or scholarship 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, please contact intltax@cu.edu. 

After your initial profile has been completed, please keep your Sprintax profile up to date as your circumstances change.

Please visit the International Tax website for additional information: