Guidelines for Hiring Newly Graduated Students

Every year questions arise as to who is eligible to work on campus and who is not. Here are our hiring guidelines as they pertain to the newly graduated:

Graduates officially lose their student status when they receive their diplomas. They are no longer classified as students for payroll purposes. If there is a graduate you want to hire, a Personnel Action Form (also found on the HR website) must be completed and submitted to the HR Department. This includes graduates who have been working with faculty members on grant-funded projects. This must be done well in advance of the day of graduation as former students cannot work until the position has received the required approvals. Please contact Human Resources at 207-786-6140 or hrdept@bates.edu for further information.

International graduates require additional steps. Once an international student graduates, they have 60 days to leave the country. In most cases, they may not work on campus while waiting to leave the United States. Students who continue on to graduate school could work at Bates over the summer if they have applied for and received a work authorization card (EAD) from the federal government. The work that the student does MUST be within their field of study; there are no exceptions to this rule. If you are considering hiring an international graduate, contact Shelley Palmer, Assistant Director of Global Education Services (spalmer@bates.edu) to discuss the student’s current status. Please do not make any arrangements with an international student before speaking with Shelley.