Access

Student employees are hired in PeopleSoft HCM. To gain access to hire students in PeopleSoft, you will need your supervisor's approval. Contact Jenni Zollinger at 803-641-3644 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and she will send you the HCM Request Form – Student Hires for you and your supervisor to sign. Once the form has been signed, a training video must be watched and a confirmation page must be submitted.  Jenni will then process your forms to Columbia requesting your access be granted. This can take anywhere from 1-2 weeks.

Hiring Resources

2023-2024 Student Hire Dates

New Student Hire Checklist

Student Employment Policy

Matrix of Student Job Codes

Student Hire Onboarding

Important Reminders

• I-9s must be completed PRIOR to a student being allowed to begin working.
  • Departments will have a designated person to complete I-9s in their area.
  • If there is not a designated person in your area, then HR will complete the I-9s for your department. You will need to send your student to HR with their required I-9 documents for verification. Please call HR @ 3644 or 3317 to ensure someone is available to meet with your student.
• Student hires should be hired as hourly employees. For exceptions to this rule, please contact Human Resources for prior approval before submitting the hire.
• Students cannot have an hourly position and a salaried position at the same time.
• The information in the offer letter must match the information on the ePAF IDENTICALLY. Pay special attention to dates, hours per week, pay rates, names, etc.
• LATE MEMO - If an ePAF is submitted late to HR, a late memo explaining why the action is late and what steps are being taken to prevent future occurrences will be required. This may result in further delays, overpayments and/or underpayments to the student. An ePAF is considered late if the start date is the same day you are submitting or before.
• If you are hiring a UofSC Columbia Graduate Student, please contact Jenni at 803-641-3644 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the required documents.

For more information on the student hiring process, you can contact HR:

Background Checks

Background checks for student employees must be completed when their position responsibilities include handling money, working with minors who are not enrolled or accepted for enrollment at the university, and those involved with direct patient care, or key access.

View more about background checks

Federal Work Study

For Federal Work Study Employment questions, call the Office of Financial Aid, at 803-641-3476 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

View more information about FWS

International Students

The International Tax Information Form will be required for international student hires at the time of submission. Any questions about the International Tax Information Form or international student employment should be directed to Liz Dille of International Programs by phone at 803-641-3671, or by email, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

View the International Tax Information Form

Changes to Student Employment

Changes may need to be made to your initial hire. This is done in the system via ePAF.

• Student Job Change – change to job codes, dates, supervisor, pay rate, etc.
• Student Status Change – to separate or end employment early

Supporting documentation will be required for either form used above. You can explain in the comments or upload documentation as appropriate.

Payment

HCM PeopleSoft

Hours must be entered/approved in HCM PeopleSoft, the university's payroll management system, for an hourly employee to receive payment. Timecards should be submitted each week by the end of the day on Friday. Supervisors should approve timecards no later than the following Monday at noon to ensure the student employee is paid when scheduled. 

Direct Deposit

All employees are required to have direct deposit. 

View the direct deposit reference guide

Please give all new student employees a copy of the  Hourly and Overtime Pay Schedule so they will know when they should expect payment for time worked.

Student employees should check with their supervisors if they did not receive payment for hours worked. Supervisors will need to check the pay schedule to see what weeks are being paid and then check to make sure the timecards were submitted and approved in a timely manner.

If timecards were submitted on time, but the student employee did not receive payment, the supervisor will need to contact Bonnie Cook in Human Resources to see why the payment was not received. She can be reached at 803-641-3455 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..