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Student Employment

Welcome to Student Employment!

Whether it's across continents or right across campus, banana slugs are changing the world. UC Santa Cruz students are known for their interdisciplinary interests, bold ideas, and commitment to social justice and environmental responsibility. Our student employment team is proud to support thousands of students every year on their journey to career success.

Search and apply for on-campus jobs

Handshake is the sole platform to search for on and off-campus opportunities, including work-study positions.
Handshake features many on and off-campus opportunities. Use the "on campus" filter to see all on-campus student employment opportunities. Use the "work-study" filter to only see work-study eligible postings. Contact ucscel@ucsc.edu if you have any questions about finding a student employment opportunity on Handshake.

Onboarding / Blue Card

Your employer must officially hire you and share that information with Career Success. Once you're hired, you must go through an onboarding process to get your Blue Card. The Blue Card shows your employer you have completed onboarding and are signed up for payroll. Your blue card will automatically be emailed to you and your employer once your onboarding is complete - once you receive it, you're all set to start working!
The onboarding process is currently being completed virtually. Once you've been officially hired by your employer, our team will reach out to you by email to begin the process.
Click here to learn more about the onboarding process.

Work-study jobs

Work-Study is a federal program that allows on-campus and select off-campus employers to hire students at a reduced cost. The program pays 75% of the student's wages through financial aid and the rest is paid by the employer.
Work-Study is a part of your financial aid package. If you receive a Work-Study option, you are awarded a set dollar amount for the academic year. Your wages may not exceed this set dollar amount - if they do, the on or off-campus organization must pay the full cost of the wages. You must accept your work-study award before applying for a work-study position.
Only students who qualify for Work-Study may apply for Work-Study positions, but employment is not guaranteed.
Handshake has a specific filter for work-study positions. Only positions listed as work-study in Handshake can be used for work-study. Work-Study positions are not posted during the summer. They will be available to apply for by the beginning of fall quarter.

Payment and Timesheets

CruzPay is the online timekeeping system that you will use to record your hours as a student employee.
- Launch CruzPay here.
- If you do not submit your timesheet on time, you will need to reach out to your Timekeeper to see what is needed in order to get paid on time. Please note that BYA positions do not require logging hours in CruzPay.
Direct Deposit & Paychecks
- By default, your paycheck will be sent as a paper check to the address that is currently on file at UCPath. We recommend that you sign up for a direct deposit—it's easy and convenient!