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Student Employee of the Year Process Info

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What is SEOTY?

Each spring, NSEA coordinates a selection process and chooses the National Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY) to recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements of students who work while attending college.

SEOTY 2026

NSEA will hold a Student Employee of the Year process for both undergraduate and graduate students. The undergraduate process will celebrate a Student Employee of the Year for each category (see below) and the Overall Student Employee of the Year. The graduate process will celebrate one Graduate Student Employee of the Year.

Thank you to the 2025 SEOTY Committee! Watch for more information to participate in 2026!
 

2026 Timeline

  • January 12, 2026:  Accepting nominations through online form (to NSEA)
  • February 13, 2026:  Nominations due to NSEA
  • February 18, 2026:  The SEOTY Committee disseminates nominations to sub-group
  • March 5, 2026:  Scoring rubric due back to SEOTY Committee
  • March 6, 2026:  The SEOTY Committee meets for any tie breakers & determines the winner.
  • March 13, 2026:  Notify winning institutions no later than
  • April 17, 2026: Announce Winners (on social media)

As we continuously improve our involvement and support for our members in celebrating National Student Employment Week, we are excited to announce the opportunity in funding your celebrations! Two (2) institutions will be randomly selected to receive the chance in having NSEA purchase your Amazon wishlist of up to $250!

If you are interested in participating in this raffle, please sign up using the Amazon Wish List From (coming soon). We are incredibly excited to see how everyone will be celebrating!

Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year

Qualifications

  • Nominating institutions must be current members of NSEA
  • Students must currently be enrolled at the nominating institution
  • Students must be in an undergraduate program
  • Institutions may submit a different student for each category

*TA's are student employees too, please feel free to submit in any category!

Process

  • NSEA member runs the Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year process at their institutions
  • NSEA member submits their SEOTY (s) for one of the categories listed below
  • SEOTY task force members will lead a committee of volunteers to choose a winner in each category
  • NSEA Board Members will choose the overall SEOTY from the five winners of each category
  • Each winner will receive $300, with the overall SEOTY receiving an additional $300
  • Each runner-up in the five (5) categories will receive $100

Categories

Graduate Student Employee of the Year

Qualifications

  • Nominating institutions must be current members of NSEA
  • Students must currently be enrolled at the nominating institution
  • Students must be in a graduate program; teaching assistants are not eligible for this award

Process

  • NSEA member runs the graduate Student Employee of the Year process at their institutions
  • NSEA member submits their SEOTY nomination
  • SEOTY task force members will lead a committee of volunteers to choose the Graduate Student Employee of the Year using the criteria rubric.
  • The Graduate Student Employee of the Year will receive $300

Criteria

Nomination letters are limited to two pages. When submitting a nomination for Graduate Student Employee of the Year, please make sure to speak to the following areas:

Social Impact & Belonging:  Details coming soon.

Impact: Student Employee suggests and helps implement an idea that has a positive, tangible impact on the department or brings positive recognition to the department.

Professionalism, Effective Communication & Interpersonal Skills: Student Employee collaborates well with peers, manager, department leadership and unit stakeholders; Employs appropriate methods of persuasion when soliciting agreement; addresses problems constructively.

Leadership: Student Employee is passionate about mentorship, training fellow student employees, and acts as an agent of change to support the implementation of new ideas

Please see the SEOTY FAQ for More Information

Submit Nominations(s)

The 2026 Student Employee of the Year awards are now live for submission! This is an incredibly exciting time for us to come together and celebrate the many achievements and milestones student employees have accomplished across the nation.
 

The deadline to submit a nomination is February 13, 2026. 

 

Submit Your Nomination Here! - Starting January 12

 
 
We are also looking for members to be a part of the Nomination Review Committee! The committee will be in charge of scoring and selecting the best nominations that are submitted to NSEA. If you are interested in being a part of this process, please sign up using the link below.
 
Sign Up To Be A Part Of The Review Committee! - Coming Soon

 

Suggestions

  • Call for nominations - publicize the competition widely, put it in your campus newspaper, send flyers to all departments, and announce it on your campus homepage and any departmental listserv.
  • Selection committee - be certain it's more than just faculty and administrators. Include clerical staff and one or two students (undergrad or grad). The committee should total an odd number to avoid ties when voting (five, seven, or nine members are recommended).
  • Promote the nomination process -by posting pictures of nominees around campus as they are received, put articles in the campus paper, on the homepage, and listserv.
  • Selection criteria - have some mechanism to consider all students equally and not give too much consideration to complex job descriptions or longevity of service.
  • Award presentation - Be creative in holding virtual celebrations. Invite your campus president and additional senior leadership to speak with students, play videos of supervisors speaking about their nominees, and create a picture collage of all nominees. Have the state government issue a proclamation.
  • Prizes - arrange for cash scholarship, tuition waiver, or bookstore certificate for the winner. Have trophies, plaques, or certificates for all nominees.
  • Hold your recognition event during National Student Employment Week.