Pay Information for Student Employees

Student employees are paid semi-monthly. Timesheets are legal documents and must be retained in each department for five years. Hours recorded on the timesheets must reflect actual hours worked within a specific pay period. Falsification violates University, State and Federal law. Student employees who falsify their timesheets will be subject to student judiciary processes related to fraud and immediate removal from the student employment program.

Back in January 2023 employees transitioned to Workday. Student Employees have until midnight of the Timesheet Due Date found within the Semi-Monthly Payroll Schedule to submit their timesheet. Supervisors have until midnight the following business day to review and approve all timesheets.  Any timesheets not submitted and approved by the deadline will need to be processed as a Retro in Workday on the following payroll period. Please contact the Office of Human Resources ASAP if your supervisor is out of the office during the Timesheet Approval due date.

Manual checks will only be issued for emergency purposes. There is a limit of two manuals per fiscal year for all supervisors, with an option for a third manual which must be approved and signed by the VP of your branch.

1. A supervisor must approve all of your timesheets in Workday. It attests to their knowledge that the information reported is a true reflection of your attendance. If a supervisor needs to update the time sheet submitted by their student employee in Workday, the supervisor selects Menu>Team Time>Enter Time for Worker>Enter Employee’s Name>Select Day on Time Entry Calendar>Enter/Update Time.
2. MSU Denver takes timesheet fraud very seriously. Changing, altering, or revising a timesheet without a manager’s knowledge is a violation of MSU Denver and State policies. Also, reporting hours worked when you are not actually conducting University or State business is also a violation. These situations are all subject to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Employees may also be subject to felony charges such as larceny and forgery, one count for each timesheet.
3. Supervisors who know, or have reason to know, that an employee is committing fraud, may also be subject to arrest and/or disciplinary action. All employees who review timesheets or approve them in Workday for payment must remember to check them carefully. Your approval means you are verifying the accuracy of hours listed.

Work Hours:

On average, students work between 15 and 16 hours a week. However, students can work up to 30 hours a week while classes are in session and 40 hours a week during campus breaks.

International students can work up to 20 hours a week during the fall and spring semesters. If an international, non-resident, student is not enrolled in classes for the summer semester, they must follow the University hourly policy.

For work-study employees, please use this simple formula to determine how many hours a week you can work while remaining within your Maximum Earnings Level for the semester. Total amount awarded divided by number of weeks you intend to work divided by the hourly rate of pay equals the maximum hours per week you can work without exhausting your award. (The fall/spring schedule is usually 19 weeks and summer payroll schedule is usually a 12 week period.)

Example 5,000.00 award / 19 weeks / 18.29 an hour = 14.38 hours a week

Break Information:

A Rest Period of 10 minutes is allowed in a 4-hour block of time. A Meal Period of at least 30 minutes is required if the work shift exceeds five consecutive hours. Meal breaks must be reflected accurately on the timesheet.

Students who do not enroll in direct deposit can pick up their paychecks on payday in the Cashier’s Office in JSSB Room 140. Please remember that if the campus is closed you will have to wait until the campus reopens to pick up your check. For those who wish to enroll in direct deposit, please complete the Payment Elections Onboarding task in Workday. If you need to update your payment elections, this is completed by viewing your profile, selecting Pay>Payment Elections>Add/Edit. Your check will be direct deposited on payday.

To access and view your pay slips, you view your profile in Workday, select Pay>Payslips. To view individual pay slips, select View and, if you want to Print them, select Print. You can also print out multiple copies by selecting Print Multiple Pay slips at the top of the Payslip list.