The Work/Study Program has three different types of Work/Study positions: General Work/Study; Leadership, Engagement, and Ambassadorship Program (LEAP); and Research at York (RAY). 

Click on one of the following roadmaps to learn more about the type.  

• General Work/Study  
• Leadership, Engagement and Ambassadorship Program (LEAP) 
• Research at York (RAY)  

To be considered for the Work/Study program, you need to meet eligibility criteria. It is recommended that you check your eligibility before submitting a Work/Study application and applying for jobs. York undergraduate students must meet the criteria indicated in the checklists:  

• Domestic Student, F/W – Full-Time
• Domestic Student, F/W – Part-Time  
• Domestic Student, SU – Full-Time  
• Domestic Student, SU – Part-Time  
• International Student, F/W – Full-Time  
• International Student, SU – Full-Time  

• Students can only hold one position per session. Students who are awarded a position cannot hold another campus employment position (Work/Study, LEAP or RAY) concurrently. 

• Non-degree students (i.e. visiting students, students on Letters of Permission, students on exchange, students completing certificates, School of Continuing Studies students) are NOT eligible for Work/Study. 

• Graduate students are NOT eligible for Work/Study.  

• Students are NOT eligible to hold a Work/Study position in the same term in which they are holding an NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Undergraduate Student Research Award, LA&PS Dean's Award for Research Excellence (DARE), or Lassonde Undergraduate Research Award (LURA). 

• Students who are on an academic exchange program are NOT eligible to participate in the Work/Study program.

Eligibility Requirements

Fall/Winter 

• Must have a valid study permit  

• Must be enrolled as a full-time student (9 credits per semester for students without a disability and 6 credits per semester for students with a disability) apart from the last semester 

• Study permit must include a condition stating authorization to work on and off campus  

Summer 

• Must have a valid study permit  

• Study permit must include a condition stating authorization to work on and off campus  

• Must have been a full-time student before the summer break and intend to return to full-time studies after the summer break OR must be enrolled in 9 credits  

• The summer term must be a “scheduled break” according to the program, meaning it is optional*  

• For most undergraduate programs, the summer term is optional. If unsure, students should consult their academic advisor to confirm whether their summer term is optional or mandatory. They should also verify with immigration advisors at York regarding work eligibility.  

Ensure your Social Insurance Number (SIN) remains valid for your entire employment period:

1.  Renew your SIN immediately if it bears an expiry date (relevant for study permit holders)
2. Understand that all earnings are subject to Canadian income tax deductions
3. Keep pay stubs for annual tax filing (required even if you leave Canada)
4. Consult the CRA website or this page on Taxes in Canada if you have tax questions 

Important notice for international students regarding academic status changes:

• International students should be aware that changing from full time to part-time status during Fall or Winter semesters (only exception is the final semester of their final year) may impact PGWP eligibility.
• Consultation with an International Student Advisor is recommended before making any changes to academic status (dropping out or reducing course load).

If you’re looking for more information regarding eligibility requirements and work authorization limitations, please visit the Working in Canada as International Students page. York International offers international students and immigration advising if you would like to speak with a license immigration advisor.

If you are a student who requires an eligibility exception, you will need to submit a Work/Study petition.  

The two petition types that Work/Study Administration will consider are:  

• Students on Co-op Work Terms  
• Students in their Last Semester  

Students in their last semester and do not meet minimum course load

A form request by a student who is in or will be in their last semester and would like to have their course load requirement waived for that last semester.  

Required Documents:  

• Work/Study Petition Form – Students  
• Supporting Documents  

How to Submit a Petition 

1. Fill out the Work/Study Petition Form and Select “Course Load Requirements Waiver for Last Semester.” 
2. Submit a supporting document to confirm that you are graduating at the end of the last semester. 

Students on co-op work terms

A form request by a student who is on a co-op work term and would like to be considered for Work/Study. 

Required Documents:  

• Work/Study Petition Form – Students  
• Plan for Success  
• Co-operative Education and Work/Study Agreement Signature Form 

How to Submit a Petition 

1. Fill out the Work/Study Petition Form and Select “Co-op Consideration.” 
2. Obtain the approval of the Work/Study hiring manager and the respective Faculty’s Co-operative Education Office (e.g., Co-op Program Coordinator, Manager, Director within the Faculty). 
3. Submit a Plan for Success and explain how you will manage both the Work/Study position and Co-op position. 

Course Enrolment Information for Students with Disabilities

If you declared your disability on the Work/Study application, you will be required to meet the following minimum course enrolment requirements:

Fall/Winter

• Domestic – Full-Time: at least 6 credits per term
• Domestic – Part-Time: at least 3 credits per term
• International – Full-Time: at least 6 credits per term

Summer

• Domestic – Full-Time: at least 6 credits during the SU session or at least 3 credits in the previous Winter term and will be returning to undergraduate studies in the following Fall/Winter session
• Domestic – Part-Time: at least 3 credits during the SU session or at least 3 credits in the previous Winter term and will be returning to undergraduate studies in the following Fall/Winter session
• International – Full-Time: at least 6 credits during the SU session or at least 6 credits in the previous Winter term and will be returning to undergraduate studies in the following Fall/Winter session

Additional Resources

• #Ableto is a website curated with resources to support post-secondary students with visible and non-visible disabilities and their career journeys.  
• Home - ableto 
• Career Opportunities for Students with Disability | Rise 360 

Undergraduate students who wish to be considered for the RAY, LEAP, or Work/Study, programs must complete the Work/Study Eligibility Application. Once received, Work/Study Administration will assess the student within 48 hours to determine their eligibility for the programs. 

If you’re an international student, you are required to submit to Work/Study Administration (wspost@yorku.ca) a valid study permit that authorizes you to work on campus. Once Work/Study Administration receives your study permit, a manual assessment will be conducted, and your eligibility decision will be communicated via email.   

If you’re a domestic student, you will not receive a formal confirmation from Work/Study Administration as hiring units and Recruitment and Onboarding Services are able to view your eligibility through the Student Information System. However, if you would like to receive a confirmation from Work/Study Administration, please send us an email at wspost@yorku.ca.   

Career Educators are available for 30-minute appointments to help you: 

• answer specific questions regarding your Resumé or Cover Letter (due to time limitations, it is not possible to provide a complete Resumé or Cover Letter feedback session. If you would like more assistance with your Resumé or Cover Letter, please attend the Resumé & Cover Letter Writing workshop.) 
• prepare for an upcoming interview and develop strategies to improve your interview performance; 
• discover job search resources; 
• learn effective job search strategies; 
• gain ideas on how to expand your LinkedIn network; and 
• get support with determining your next steps. 

Login to Book an Appointment

The Career Centre has curated a series of resources to help you create powerful resumes and cover letters that will impress the employers!

Write a resumé that highlights your accomplishments | Career Centre | York University 

Write an engaging cover letter | Career Centre | York University 

Online Learning Modules | Career Centre | York University

Visit York’s Career Lounge to connect with peer educators for supportive, peer-to-peer help with any career-related questions. 

Ask questions about: 

• writing and editing resumés and cover letters; 
• job searching and networking; 
• interview skills and preparation; 
• navigating the Career Centre website; 
• how to build a LinkedIn profile and search for jobs; 

To apply for General Work/Study or LEAP positions, you will need to submit job applications through YU Hire portal. Important: Do not use Student PY credentials to access the portals. 

Current Employees or Rehires: 

Log into the YU Hire Employee Career Portal using your Employee PY username and password. Note: If your last employment with York ended more than five months ago, your Employee PY credentials may have been archived and will no longer grant access to YU Hire. In this case, follow the instructions below for External Applicants. 

New Job Applicant or External Applicants: 

If you are new to YU Hire or your YU Hire Employee account has been archived due to inactivity: 

1. Create a new external applicant account using either your student or personal email address in the YU Hire External Career Portal. 
2. Refer to the step-by-step instructions in the guide: A Students Guide to Creating an Applicant Profile 
3. Once your account is created, make sure to remember your username and password for future access. 

Login Tip for Applicants: 

When logging in, enter only your username (e.g., jdoe123). Do not include the full email address. 

Need Help? Access the Full YU Hire Navigation Guides: 

• YU Hire Employee Career Portal (Employee PY credentials required): Using YU Hire: York University's Employee Career Portal 
• YU Hire External Career Portal: Using York University's External Career Portal - How to use this Toolkit Module 

Searching for Positions:  

You can quickly narrow your search with the Affiliation field in the Search for a Job area of the tool: choose Work Study and/or Work Study - LEAP.
 

Additional Resources & Guides: 

Applying for a Job at York 

A Students Guide to Creating an Applicant Profile 

To apply for Research at York (RAY) positions, you will need to submit job applications through Experience York.  

You can find RAY positions on our Career Centre’s Experience York system. 

1. Log in to Experience York (your Passport York login is required). 
2. Click Search Postings. 
3. Click York University Career Centre Job Postings. 
4. Click Job Search. 
5. Choose RAY in the Position Type drop-down menu. 
6. Click Search Job Postings.

To assist you with your job applications, please download the Experience York RAY Job Posting Guide.

If you applied positions from the External Career Portal, you may monitor your application status by following the steps listed below,  

1. Use Google Chrome as your web browser (required for system compatibility).  
2. Go to York’s External Career Portal webpage.  
3. Enter your username and password to login.  
4. Click the “My Account” link in the grey menu bar.  
5. Select “Track My Application” from the menu.  
6. All jobs that you have applied for will be listed.   

For step-by-step instructions on how to track your application, please see the how to track my applications work instruction. 

If you applied position(s) using an employee Passport York credential on YU Hire. Please follow the steps below to check the status of your application.  

1. Use Google Chrome as your web browser (required for system compatibility).  
2. Go to York’s YU Hire webpage.  
3. Login to using your Employee Passport York credentials.   
4. Click the menu icon (three lines) in the top-left corner of the page.   
5. Click the “Career” menu.   
6. Click the “Track My Applications” link. You will be taken to the list of all of your applications.   

For step-by-step instruction on how to track your application, please see the instructions on how to Track My Application.  

Log in to Experience York to track your applications

Career Educators are available for 30-minute appointments to help you: 

• answer specific questions regarding your Resumé or Cover Letter (due to time limitations, it is not possible to provide a complete Resumé or Cover Letter feedback session. If you would like more assistance with your Resumé or Cover Letter, please attend the Resumé & Cover Letter Writing workshop.) 
• prepare for an upcoming interview and develop strategies to improve your interview performance; 
• discover job search resources; 
• learn effective job search strategies; 
• gain ideas on how to expand your LinkedIn network; and 
• get support with determining your next steps. 

The Career Centre has curated a series of resources to help you prepare for an interview that will impress your employer!

Develop your interview skills | Career Centre | York University 

Prepare for an interview | Career Centre | York University 

Dress for interview success | Career Centre | York University 

Follow up after an interview | Career Centre | York University 

Online Learning Modules | Career Centre | York University 

Visit York’s Career Lounge to connect with peer educators for supportive, peer-to-peer help with any career-related questions. 

Ask questions about: 

• writing and editing resumés and cover letters; 
• job searching and networking; 
• interview skills and preparation; 
• navigating the Career Centre website; 
• how to build a LinkedIn profile and search for jobs; 

For General Work/Study and LEAP positions, please review the following: 

If you are offered a job in YU Hire, you will receive a notification and there will be an Offer Letter link (to submit). Click on the link and you will be prompted to log into the respective YU Hire Portal. 

Current Employees or Rehires: 

Log into the YU Hire Employee Career Portal with your existing Employee PY username and password. 

New Job Applicant or External Applicants: 

Log into the YU Hire External Career Portal  with your external account username and password. 

To Review and Accept the Offer: 

Important Note: Please do not use your Student PY credentials to access the portals. When logging in, enter only your username (e.g., jdoe123) — do not include the full email address. 

1. Go to the “Track My Applications” section and locate the corresponding Job Title or Posting number. 

2. Click the link to download your offer letter. 

• Sign on the last two signature pages. 
• Upload the signed offer.  
• Save a copy of your signed offer letter for your records, as it will no longer be accessible once the offer process is complete. 

3. Once the upload is complete, click “Approve”. 

4. (Additional Step for New and External Applicants) You will also be asked to provide the following information: 

• Legal Name 
• Social Insurance Number (SIN) 
• SIN Expiry date (if applicable) 
• Date of Birth (DOB) 
• Click “Final Save” 

Need Help? Access the Full YU Hire Navigation Guides: 

• YU Hire Employee Career Portal (Employee PY credentials required): Using YU Hire: York University's Employee Career Portal 
• YU Hire External Career Portal: Using York University's External Career Portal - How to use this Toolkit Module 

For RAY or Work/Study positions for Faculty and Research Units, please review the following:

If you are offered a RAY or Work/Study position by a faculty member or research unit, the hiring faculty member or research unit will issue you a RAY or Work/Study offer letter for your review and signature. You will have to follow the instructions as outlined by the faculty member or research unit on how to complete the process. 

For General Work/Study and LEAP positions, please review the following: 

Current Employees or Rehires: 

Once your hire is complete, you will receive an email notification containing your Employee ID. This message will be sent to your Employee email inbox and indicates that your existing Employee Passport York (PY) account is active (or has been reactivated, if you are a rehire). You do not need to create another Employee PY, and you can log into HR Self Serve using your Employee PY credentials. In some cases, it may take 1–2 business days for the system to become fully active. 

New Job Applicant or External Applicants: 

As a new employee, your YU Hire External Portal account will become unavailable after you accept the offer. Your external account, along with your application history, will be transitioned to an Employee account once your hiring process is complete. 

Once your hire is complete, you will receive two email notifications sent to the personal email address associated with your YU Hire External account. Please monitor your inbox and spam/junk folder. 

1. Employee ID and setup instructions – Includes your Employee ID and steps to create your Employee PY account and set up Duo 2FA. Make sure to remember your username and password for future access. 
2. Temporary password – To help you complete the creation of your Employee PY account. 
3. Your Employee PY account will not be active immediately upon creation. It may take 1–2 business days for the account to become fully active and grant access to York systems, including: 

• Employee email 
• YU Hire Employee Portal 
• HR Self Serve  

Once your Employee PY account is fully active, you will be assigned a New Employee Onboarding Path in the coming days, and a notification will be sent to your Employee email. You’ll need to complete the required onboarding activities via YU Hire Employee Portal using your Employee PY credentials. 

Your Student PY account will remain active alongside your Employee PY account, as each provides access to different systems - one for your academic activities and the other for your employment-related functions. 

At this stage, your manager, supervisor, or coordinator should reach out to you to discuss: 

• Your first day of work 
• Work schedule 
• Department-specific onboarding 

If you have any questions, please contact your manager directly. Their contact information can be found in your offer letter (make sure to save a copy for your own records). 

For more detailed instructions or troubleshooting tips, the full Navigation Guides are available here (Employee PY credentials required):  

• YU Hire Employee Career Portal: Using YU Hire: York University's Employee Career Portal  
• HR Self Serve Portal: Navigation in Employee Self Service  
• HR Self Serve Portal: Adding/Viewing/Maintaining Direct Deposit Information  

For RAY or Work/Study positions for Faculty and Research Units, please review the following:

Once your hire is completed, the hiring faculty member or research unit will provide you with instructions regarding training and onboarding.

Students who are required to complete the Work/Study journals include:  

• First-time Work/Study students  
• Students who are changing roles and/or units and have not completed the journals for their new roles 
• Previous returning students who have not completed the Work/Study journals  

For students who are continuing with their current roles and have completed the Work/Study journals in their entirety in a previous term, they would be qualified for an exemption from the program. As a hiring manager, you will need to make a request on your Work/Study hiring tracking sheet in columns AK and AL for review and approval if you wish for your students to be exempted. If you did not enter a response in these cells at the time you initially entered the student in the W/S hiring tracking sheet, you must go back and fill in those cells now. Once it’s been reviewed and approved by the Work/Study Administration team, you will see the approval in column AL. 

 Please note: the Work/Study journals exemptions are not automatic and are granted at the discretion of the Work/Study Administration team. 

The following resources will help you navigate through the Experience York system, the system where students will be required to complete their journals.  

Work Study Journals Getting Started

To ensure students are meeting the requirements of the Work/Study program, Work/Study Administration have created a series of checklists to help students keep track of their progress. Find below the checklists for each step of the Work/Study journals. 

Start of the Term  

• Initial (English)  
• Initial (French) 

Mid-Way 

• Mid-way (English) 
• Mid-way (French)  

End of The Term  

• Final (English)  
• Final (French) 

As part of the Work/Study program, you are required to complete a series of check-ins with your coaches. Work/Study Administration have created guidelines for you as you do your check-ins with your coaches.  

• Check-In Gudelines for Students (English) 
• Check-in Guidelines for Students (French) 

To learn more about the Work/Study program, please review the Orientation slides.  

Through the Becoming YU framework, six competencies have been identified as important in positioning York University students for success. These competencies are sometimes referred to as “transferable skills." The Becoming YU Competency and Skills Dictionary helps you define each competency and the associated skills.  

Becoming YU Competency and Skills Dictionary (English)

Becoming YU Competency and Skills Dictionary (French) 

This resource playbook has been designed to provide participants of the Becoming YU program with guidance on how to develop their skills and competencies listed through a variety of resources provided by York University and beyond. 

 
Becoming YU Resources Playbook (English) 

Situation: A student was enrolled in 9 credits during the Winter 2025 term but dropped a course before the term ended. They plan to return to full-time studies in the Fall term.  
Can they work in the summer? No.  

• Dropping a course before the term ends changes their status to part-time, making them ineligible to continue working for the remainder of the Winter term.  

• They will also not be authorized to work in the Summer term unless they are enrolled full-time in the summer.  

Situation: A student was full-time in Winter 2025 but plans to take a leave of absence in Fall or enroll in less than 9 credits. Fall is not their final term, and they will not take any summer courses.  
Can they work in the summer? No.  

• To work in the summer, they must either be returning to full-time studies in the Fall or be enrolled full-time in the summer.  

Situation: A student was full-time in Winter 2025, will not take any courses in the summer, and plans to take part-time studies in Fall, which will be their final term.  
Can they work in the summer? Yes.  

• Since they were full-time before the summer and Fall is their final term, they are eligible to work during the summer.  

Situation: A student’s final term is the Summer term, and they are taking less than 9 credits.  
Can they work in the summer? Yes.  

• Since summer is their final term, they are allowed to work regardless of credit load.