Overview of On-Campus Employment

F-1 students enrolled in degree-seeking programs and J-1 degree-seeking and exchange students at Northeastern University are eligible to work on-campus while attending classes. The work does not need to be related to the student’s field of study. Students must maintain lawful F-1 or J-1 status while engaging in on-campus employment.

On-campus employment includes:

  • Working for Northeastern University in the library, laboratories, residential buildings, administrative offices, or doing research on-campus
  • Employment with Northeastern based on a fellowship, assistantship, or grant (such as a teaching or research assistantship)
  • Employment with approved on-location commercial firms which provide services for students on campus, such as restaurants located in a University-owned building

If you have questions about if something counts as “on-campus” please review the list of eligible on-campus employers below or reach out to OGS directly.

NOTE: J-1 students whose J-1 program sponsor is Fulbright or another organization other than Northeastern will need to request on-campus work permission (and any necessary authorization letters to apply for an SSN) from their J-1 program sponsor. 

Policies

  • Students may work up to 20 hours/week during required academic terms and more than 20 hours/week during non-required academic terms and official school breaks as long as they are planning to enroll full-time the next academic term (this does not include recesses or days with no class)
    • If you are in your final academic term you may not work more than 20 hours/week
    • If full time enrollment is required for you during the summer term(s), you may not work more than 20 hours/week. To learn more about whether the summer term(s) is required for you, review OGS’ Summer Term webpage
  • Continuing students may work more than 20 hours/week on campus work after the final exam period (which may be later than when final exams take place) is over
  • Graduating students are allowed to work until the official last day of university finals. The dates of the finals period are posted in the Academic Calendar
  • Students may be eligible to work on-campus while also engaging in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or Pre-Completion Academic Training (AT) if allowed by their department
  • Remote on-campus employment:
    • F-1 students can participate in remote on-campus employment for a different Northeastern campus located in the U.S. that is not their home campus. F-1 students are not eligible to work remotely for a non-U.S. based Northeastern campus.
      • Example: An F-1 student at the Boston campus may be a Teaching Assistant for a course taking place at the Seattle campus. However, an F-1 student at the Silicon Valley campus cannot be a Teaching Assistant for a course taking place at the Toronto, Canada campus or other non-U.S. campus.
    • J-1 students may only participate in on-campus employment at the campus where they are attending classes and is listed as the site of activity on their DS-2019.

Students holding a Stipended Graduate Assistantship (SGA) should review this page for additional information about eligibility/requirements and submit the appropriate request for that type of on-campus employment. Students engaging in an SGA may not work in additional on-campus jobs

Applying for On-Campus Employment

On-Campus Employment at Northeastern is managed by The Office of Student Employment, Graduate Assistantships, & Fellowships (SEGAF). Students should begin job-seeking by reviewing information on the SEGAF website. Once you have an offer of employment, you will need to complete the onboarding process with SEGAF. In order to complete this process, you will need a Social Security Number (SSN).

  • F-1 students do not require employment authorization to accept an on-campus position. However, once you have received an offer of employment for on-campus employment, you must apply for a Social Security Number (SSN).
  • If you have been offered an on-campus job for the first time and do not have a SSN, you will need to obtain an on-campus employment SSN letter from OGS. This letter can be presented to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in order to apply for a SSN. Please follow the steps below if you have a job offer and need to obtain a SSN. Once you’ve received the receipt from the SSA, you can work directly with SEGAF to accept on-campus employment opportunities.
  • If you already have a Social Security Number, you do not need to request an on-campus employment SSN letter from OGS. In this case, you can work directly with SEGAF to accept on-campus employment opportunities.
  • J-1 students must receive employment authorization from OGS BEFORE they begin and for each position, regardless of whether they already have a social security number. Each on-campus employment position must be entered into your SEVIS record prior to you engaging in the opportunity.
  • Authorizations are granted for up to one year at a time or until the end of your J-1 program, whichever comes first. If you continue in on-campus employment for more than 1 year, you must submit another on-campus employment request to OGS so that your SEVIS record can be updated.
  • If the J-1 student’s program sponsor is not Northeastern University, but an outside organization (such as Fulbright), the student will need to obtain employment authorization from the sponsoring organization.
  • J-1 students should submit a J-1 On-Campus Employment Authorization request to OGS.  See below for details. OGS will issue a letter which can be presented to the Social Security Administration in order to apply for a Social Security Number.

Application Process

1 Apply for and accept an offer with an employer on-campus.

2 Log into myOGS and submit the e-form

3 A Designated School Official (DSO) or Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) from OGS will review and sign the letter, if eligible.

  • An email will be sent to your Northeastern email address with the letter attached, along with an updated I-20 if needed for F-1 students. An updated DS-2019 is not required to be issued for J-1 students.

4 Present the letter to the Social Security Administration (SSA) in order to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN).

5 Visit the Office of Student Employment, Graduate Assistantships, and Fellowships (SEGAF) to complete the hiring process.

Employment During Non-Required Academic Terms

F-1 and J-1 students may work more than 20 hours/week during non-required academic terms and vacation periods. This includes:

  • Between academic terms
    • This includes the day after the last day of the final exam period up until the day before the start of the next required academic term
  • Vacation/Break (i.e. Fall Break, Winter Break, Spring Break)
    • During Fall Break students may work more than 20 hours/week during the following dates:
      • CPS Graduate Students: 11/24/2025 – 11/30/2025
      • All Undergraduate and Non-CPS Graduate Students: 11/26/2025 – 11/30/2025
  • Summer Terms
    • If the summer term(s) is a vacation period during which you are not required to enroll in classes you may work more than 20 hours/week
      • Please consult OGS’ Summer Term webpage to determine if your summer term is considered a “vacation term”
        • Fully funded PhD students are not eligible to work more than 20 hours/week during the summer

The official start and end date of terms, exams, and university breaks are all posted in the Academic Calendar. Check the calendar to confirm the dates for your school.

Approved On-Campus Employers

The following non-Northeastern on-campus employers have been determined to be acceptable for on-campus employment for F-1 and J-1 students by OGS.

(Please pay attention to the specific location that is considered on-campus employment. For example, you would be allowed to work at Tatte Bakery and Cafe in Marino Center but not at any general Tatte Bakery and Cafe location).

Approved non-Northeastern on-campus employers:

  • Anna’s Taqueria (Marino Center)
  • Cafe 716
  • Cafe Crossing (International Village)
  • Chartwells (Churchill Hall, Curry Student Center, Stetson Hall)
  • DBA Fuel America (TD Food & Beverage LLC)
  • Dunkin Donuts (Shillman Hall)
  • Dunkin Donuts (Richards/Hayden Hall)
  • IST Management Services (Northeastern Mail Services)
  • Kaplan (Belvidere)
  • Northeastern Bookstore – Follett Higher Education
  • Northeastern Peer Tutoring by Knack
  • Rebecca’s (Churchill Hall)
  • Reprographics (Ell Hall)
  • Ryder Cafe (Ryder Hall)
  • Saxbys
  • Subway (Ryder Hall)
  • Tatte Bakery and Cafe (Northeastern)
  • Vanguard (Columbus Parking Garage)
  • Wollaston’s

Unapproved On-Campus Employers

The following non-Northeastern on-campus employers have been determined to be unacceptable for on-campus employment for F-1 and J-1 students by OGS.

Unapproved non-Northeastern employers near campus:

  • Amelia’s Taqueria
  • Boston Shawarma
  • Chatime NEU
  • Lightview
  • New England Conservatory
  • Qdoba
  • Ruggles MBTA Eateries
  • University House of Pizza
  • Wings Over Boston
  • YMCA

If the on-campus employer you would like to work at is not listed on either the acceptable or unacceptable list, please contact OGS for guidance. DO NOT START WORKING until you receive an approval from OGS.