On-campus employment is a benefit available to F-1 and J-1 students who are lawfully maintaining their F-1 or J-1 visa status. Learn more about F-1 employment and J-1 employment (J-1 students require written permission from their DS-2019 sponsor before on-campus employment can begin).

On-campus employment is defined by federal regulations as:

• On the school premises (University of Wisconsin-Madison campus)
  • Work that takes place at your school location could be for an on-campus commercial business, like a bookstore or cafeteria, as long as the work directly provides services for students.
  • Employment located on-campus that does not directly involve services to students (such as construction work) does not qualify as on-campus employment.
• Educationally affiliated off-campus location
  • Work with an employer that is contractually affiliated with the school is on-campus employment even if the work site is not located on the campus (such as a research lab affiliated with your school).
• On-campus employment must not displace a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR).

On-campus employment during the fall and spring semester is limited to 20 hours per week, no exceptions. F-1 and J-1 students may work more than 20 hours per week during authorized vacation periods:

• Winter break – Winter 2023/2024 dates: Sunday, December 17, 2023 – Saturday, January 20, 2024
• Spring break – Spring 2024 dates: Sunday, March 24 – Saturday, March 30
• Summer break (if you have an I-20 or DS-2019 start or end date for summer, you are limited to 20 hours per week) – Summer 2023 dates: Sunday, May 7 – Saturday, September 2

On-campus locations and locations that are educationally affiliated with the university are listed in the drop-down menu that follows.

If your job offer is from a different location than those listed below, contact ISS for guidance. You must have approval from ISS before you begin any off-campus employment.