F-1 On-Campus Employment
F-1 students are allowed to work on-campus but should familiarize themselves with the F-1 On-Campus Employment Policy below.
F-1 On-Campus Employment Policies
F-1 students are allowed to work on-campus up to 20 hours per week while school is in session. Continuing students (who were registered in spring and will enroll during the following fall semester) may work on campus up to 40 hours/week during the summer
Steps for Initial On-Campus Employment
- Obtain an employment letter from the hiring department. Visit the Social Security information for additional information about Steps 1-4.
- Request a Social Security letter in iStart. You must upload the employer letter.
- When the letter is prepared by ISSA, you will be notified by email. If you are at another Penn State campus besides University Park, you can have the letter delivered to you.
- Take all necessary documents to the Social Security Administration office in your area.
- You will get a receipt from the Social Security office indicating that you have applied for a Social Security Number (SSN).
- New employment: Review welcome email from HR Onboarding and follow instructions to complete the background check and section 1 of the form I-9. Continuing employment after extending I-20 or DS-2019: If you have been working and your I-20 or DS-2019 has been extended, you will not have an email about onboarding so schedule a session at the link below and select ‘other’ in the appointment detail field and add ‘reverification’ to the comment.
- Schedule an onboarding session with Penn State Human Resources (HR)
- Bring original identification documents to your onboarding session to complete section 2 of the I-9. All employees must complete the Employment Eligibility Verification form known as the I-9.
Penn State Human Resources (HR) processes I-9s for most individuals. When you are hired for a position, including a graduate assistantship, you will receive an email regarding confirmation of the hire and onboarding. This email will contain information about processing the I-9. If you do not receive this email, contact HR Shared Services at 814-865-1473 or email dataonboarding@psu.edu to inquire about processing an I-9.
If you need to update your I-9 because you have received a new I-20 or DS-2019, be sure to contact Penn State Human Resources.
F-1 On-Campus Employment Policies
F-1 students are allowed to work on-campus up to 20 hours per week while school is in session. Continuing students (who were registered in spring and will enroll during the following fall semester) may work on campus up to 40 hours/week during the summer
Steps for Initial On-Campus Employment
- Obtain an employment letter from the hiring department. Visit the Social Security information for additional information about Steps 1-4.
- Request a Social Security letter in iStart. You must upload the employer letter.
- When the letter is prepared by ISSA, you will be notified by email. If you are at another Penn State campus besides University Park, you can have the letter delivered to you.
- Take all necessary documents to the Social Security Administration office in your area.
- You will get a receipt from the Social Security office indicating that you have applied for a Social Security Number (SSN).
- New employment: Review welcome email from HR Onboarding and follow instructions to complete the background check and section 1 of the form I-9. Continuing employment after extending I-20 or DS-2019: If you have been working and your I-20 or DS-2019 has been extended, you will not have an email about onboarding so schedule a session at the link below and select ‘other’ in the appointment detail field and add ‘reverification’ to the comment.
- Schedule an onboarding session with Penn State Human Resources (HR)
- Bring original identification documents to your onboarding session to complete section 2 of the I-9. All employees must complete the Employment Eligibility Verification form known as the I-9.
Penn State Human Resources (HR) processes I-9s for most individuals. When you are hired for a position, including a graduate assistantship, you will receive an email regarding confirmation of the hire and onboarding. This email will contain information about processing the I-9. If you do not receive this email, contact HR Shared Services at 814-865-1473 or email dataonboarding@psu.edu to inquire about processing an I-9.
If you need to update your I-9 because you have received a new I-20 or DS-2019, be sure to contact Penn State Human Resources.
