Office of International Education

UC Santa Cruz

F-1 Student Employment

All employees must obtain a Social Security Number (SSN). Instructions on how to obtain a Social Security Card are available in the Student File and Document Library.

On-Campus Employment

International students can work on-campus up to 20 hours/week during the academic terms and full-time during the vacation or break periods. Special authorization from the USCIS is not required to work on-campus as long as you are in valid F-1 student status and pursuing a full course of study. Once you complete your study program you are no longer eligible to be employed on-campus without special authorization -- i.e., Optional Practical Training (see below). On-campus employment is employment engaged in at UCSC such as a teaching or research assistantship, employment in the University Center, library aide, etc. Generally speaking, this means that you will be receiving a paycheck from this university.

Off-Campus Employment

A summary of the options for off-campus employment for F-1 students is provided below. No matter which off-campus employment option you pursue, the following items apply for all applicants.

  • Off-campus employment requires some form of written or documented authorization issued by the International Advisor and the USCIS.
  • You must be currently in legal status and have been enrolled as an F-1 student in the US for a minimum of one academic year (9 months).
  • Employment, both on and off campus together, is limited to 20 hours per week or less while school is in session and can be full-time during the vacation or break periods.

Economic Hardship

Economic Hardship is intended to address situations where a financial need beyond the student’s control arises, which was unforeseen at the time the student applied to UCSC and after all other potential employment opportunities have proven to be insufficient. The student should provide justification why this employment is necessary due to severe economic hardship caused by circumstances beyond his or her control that arose after obtaining F-1 status.

Examples of Unforeseen Economic Hardship include the following:

  1. Loss of financial aid such as fellowships and other grants without fault on the part of the student.
  2. Loss of on-campus employment such as GSR, RA or TA without fault on the part of the student.
  3. Substantial fluctuations in the value of currency or exchange rate.
  4. Unexpected changes in the financial condition of the student’s source of support, medical bills, or other substantial and unexpected expense.

Employment authorization is granted in increments of one year at a time; authorization ends if the student transfers schools and/or completes his degree. Continuing students can reapply each year to renew this work authorization if they meet the eligibility requirements.

Continuing students who have maintained F-1 status for a full academic year (9 months) and can demonstrate severe economic need. Students must be able to provide documentation justifying the need for Economic Hardship.

You can find the following documents in the Student Document and Forms Library:

  1. Economic Hardship Application Instructions
  2. Economic Hardship Sample Budget - will help you prepare for the Economic Hardship Application. This is an overview of financial figures you need to present.
  3. Economic Hardship Sample Letter - can be used as a guideline when formulating your request for work permission due to economic hardship. Modify this sample to fit your circumstances.