02.17.10 | Federal Work Study, in Plain English
Well, it’s that time of the year again; time to file your taxes, FAFSA, and other paperwork goodies to your respective school(s). I have received a lot of questions about how different student programs work, and decided to start this “… in Plain English” blog series to address them and simplify the entire experience for you, our readers.
Today, we are going to explore how the Federal Work Study program works, and why it probably is a great way for you to make some pocket money without getting in the way of your studies or classes.
First, what is it? Work study is a federal program that was established in 1964 as part of the Economic Opportunity Act. Basically, it was introduced so that college students have more part-time jobs available to them to offset poverty and afford basic necessities (and potentially repay some of their debt) during their time at school. In the years since, work study has become an excellent tool for getting job experience while in school and serves as one of the primary ways colleges fill what normally would be intern spots in their various departments.
How does it work? Work study eligibility is determined based on the information in your FAFSA. Depending on your level of financial need, you typically can receive anywhere up to roughly $2,000 for the academic year in available earnings. The way you then receive these funds is through working in one of the campus jobs offered by your school — the money is actually kept in an account in your name at your school, and disbursed to you through payroll as you work the hours.
So essentially, the government grants you X amount of dollars for the year, and you pick a position at your school to work to earn that money. It’s just like a normal part time job, except for the fact that there is a total limit on how much you can earn during the year. As far as the pay rate for each job, your financial aid department has a sliding scale that they use to figure out how many hours per week and dollars per hour you can earn based on your award.
Why should I do it? Simply put, it’s a guaranteed job (and money, as long as you work). You get to pick a position that you find interesting — check with your financial aid office for a list of open ones — and this gives you valuable experience, as well as a regular paycheck. One other cool thing is a lot of the work study jobs are somewhat low key, so you may be able to get some homework done in between tasks. Also, every work study job has different hours, and usually are flexible… so you can work as little or as much as you need to (within the guidelines of your award.)
Important Note: If you don’t use your work study grant, it is possible that you will not be awarded another one the following year. Work study is considered a need-based privilege, and if you do not claim it and work at least one semester per academic year, the government may not offer it to you again. This doesn’t always happen, but it is just something to be aware of.
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awesome
June 19th, 2010 | #
it's one of the best ideas!
April 19th, 2010 | #
Im intrested in a work study. It will be fun I think. But to Levi… yeS most likely because all colleges want the students involved, So just give them a call and they should i dont see why not.
April 18th, 2010 | #
I am offered work study once again.
April 16th, 2010 | #
works for me XD
April 13th, 2010 | #
I am waiting until I can submit My work study application to financial aid, to be eligible to get a job on campus. I was accepted to the college after the winter term started. Now I have to wait until may before they will accept my application.
April 13th, 2010 | #
Thank you for introducing me to Work Study. As a student, I have to work retail and such. With this, at least I can shorten the hours I have to waste at a department store. Work Study provides RELEVANT work in the field of my choice.
April 13th, 2010 | #
does every college offer it??
April 12th, 2010 | #
If the college is Title IV certified and can accept federal aid for its students, then yes they should have some sort of work-study program in effect.
April 12th, 2010 | #
And if you turn it down, you can make yourself ineligible for grants. Because if you think you have enough money, so will they!
April 9th, 2010 | #
Give your financial aid office a call and ask for a packet of open positions. I definitely think Cal State would participate in the work-study program.
April 2nd, 2010 | #
Hi Levi,
You would definitely be offered the opportunity if the school you are attending is Title IV certified and can receive federal funds for its students. The tricky part is finding an open position on campus to work in… they tend to fill up quickly unless you go to a large school.
April 2nd, 2010 | #
It's possible if there are openings in your school's appropriate apartment. The department heads of each program make the choice of if they want work-study employees or not.
April 2nd, 2010 | #
Hello Katherine,
Work-study is granted by the government, so if you don't receive it from filing your FAFSA, you won't get it from the school. That being said, your school might offer their own version of work-study or perhaps even have small student jobs on campus that pay comparable amounts to a work-study award.
Usually your financial aid office will have a list of on-campus jobs for students, I would ask them.
Thanks for the great question!
April 2nd, 2010 | #
What if i wasn't given a work study grant with FASFA…Can i still get one once in the college of my choice?
April 2nd, 2010 | #
Im trying for work study now
April 1st, 2010 | #
Would I be able to get a work study job within my choice of study ie. sports medicine/kinesiology?
April 1st, 2010 | #
It sounds like a great experience that will allow me to complete my educataion
April 1st, 2010 | #
I've been getting acceptances from the colleges that I'm interested in. One offered me a work study job in my initial financial aid package. But, the others haven't even mentioned it as a possibility. If it's available at one school, would I be able to get the same kind of work study at the other schools, since it's a federal program. Anybody know?
March 30th, 2010 | #
i hope to get a work study job this upcoming school year !
March 30th, 2010 | #
Thanks
March 28th, 2010 | #
I like how this works. You meet new people and can use this in your resume. I have work study right now and its great! I think the only thing is that they give you a certain amount which I wish was more
March 25th, 2010 | #
It seems like work study is a good choice. I just wonder if Cal State Long Beach also lets student have work study. Sorry, i'm gonna be their freshman this autumn so i don't know how it works…
March 21st, 2010 | #
I've heard about work study, and hope I am offered it when I start school this fall. It's a wonderful way to earn money, without having to travel far, and while going to school
March 20th, 2010 | #
Work study was a great way to get experience in my field. I really enjoyed it!
March 16th, 2010 | #
I'm a student worker and I'm truly enjoying the experience. I wasn't able to find employment and until I do this is an idea situation for me. It's close to home and it's given me the opportunity to interact with facility, staff members and my peers on a professional level. It's a great concept.
March 16th, 2010 | #
Great question Misty
It actually is part of your need-based financial aid package. It doesn't detract from what you would receive otherwise. Hope this answers your question!
March 16th, 2010 | #
I am unsure of how it works in combination of financial aid.Do you get less grants if you do work study?
March 16th, 2010 | #
I don't understand why I have never been able to do work study. everytime i put it down on my FAFSA nothing ever comes of it. is it because my mom makes too much money? I think that is a very asinine way to determine a student's payability if you will to school. I mean, for example the FAFSA askes my mom how much she makes but does not ask how much she has to pay for mortgage etc. which by the way is more than half her income per paycheck wich means she makes the poverty line… but yeah sure whatever, I guess making under 30,000 a year really is too much.
March 15th, 2010 | #
I qualify for work study at my school and plan to apply there. However, i didnt know that there's a possibility FWS could expire if you do not take it. Thanks for clearing that up.
March 14th, 2010 | #
Which work study programs earn the most money?
March 14th, 2010 | #
how to get MORE work study funds?
March 14th, 2010 | #
I did work study and it really helps, but the only thing was that i was unexpectedly known that my grant was met and that i couldn't be there anymore, that caught me by surprise but i had fun.!!
March 11th, 2010 | #
I've been considering work study because I heard good things about it, but really I was unsure of how the processed worked & whatnot. This article really aided me with the information for me to really make up my mind
March 11th, 2010 | #
Good information I was not aware of
March 11th, 2010 | #
This is great. I'm applying for work study at my art school and I was happy to find an article dealing with work study.
March 8th, 2010 | #
This is great information most students are not aware of. Thanks for this information.
March 5th, 2010 | #
thanks for the information
March 3rd, 2010 | #
Thank you for this information! I'm going to look into this some more to see what I have to do to qualify.
March 3rd, 2010 | #
Thanks for the great information! I hope to participate in work study in college.
March 3rd, 2010 | #
How do I get an ONLINE work study job
March 2nd, 2010 | #
At this point of the economy, or actually in any given situation, a college student can benefit from work study, as it not only enhances their work experience, working around their schedule, but provides as well a good opportunity to repay the system for the resources the student gets to complete his higher education.
February 26th, 2010 | #
While I was filling out the fafsa for my daughter I was getting confused in regards of where to put her earnings for the semester she worked which was $350.00 I put it under adjusted gross income from IRS form and students cooperative education earnings. Should I have put this down in both places?
February 26th, 2010 | #
I was offered a work study at my school but they offered so more than they had available. I was an out of state student and by the time I was at school all the positions available were taken by in state students who chose their work study in the summer. If it had worked out though I would have loved to have that experience and the money.
February 26th, 2010 | #
This info answers my questions in easy to understand language. Thanks!
February 26th, 2010 | #
i really neeeded this info thanks
February 25th, 2010 | #
Is very interesting this information. Thank you for all!
February 23rd, 2010 | #
You should ask the office you work for if there is any money in the budget to extend your position beyond your award amount. In some cases, depending on the finances of your school/department, your federal award can be enhanced by school funds if they feel you are doing a great job and want to keep you onboard after your work-study funds are used up.
At that point, you would be considered a part-time employee of the college/university, which would look great on your resume.
February 22nd, 2010 | #
Hi David. I did a little research on this, and could not find any information that says you are ineligible for work-study based on a past criminal record. However, if you fail to disclose that information on your paperwork, you can be penalized for it under the law.
Your state may have some sort of unique statute about this that isn't a federal rule, but it would be discrimination to deny you federally-granted work-study aid based on that.
February 22nd, 2010 | #
I hear that. The reason for it is so you don't work up the whole award too quickly – they want to balance out the money over the whole semester so the department you are working for suddenly doesn't lose your help because you run out of award money to work for.
February 22nd, 2010 | #
Basically, they have a formula that they plug your award amount into and it calculates the hours/week and hourly rate you get paid at. It never is below minimum wage, and I personally have seen it go up to a max of about $12/hr depending on the difficulty and skill requirements of the work.
February 22nd, 2010 | #
How do they determine the amount of hours and wages per hours that you work?
February 21st, 2010 | #
I just dont like that your only allowed to do a certain amount of hours
February 21st, 2010 | #
I apply for work study and my school said if you have felony record you can not recieved work study. Is this true
February 20th, 2010 | #
Once you fill out your FAFSA and submit it, your student aid report (SAR) will list if you qualified for the work-study program. Also, your school should list it when you receive your financial aid package from them in the mail.
February 19th, 2010 | #
I hope that I will be able to get this.. How do you know if you qualify?
February 19th, 2010 | #
I like how this works. You meet new people and can use this in your resume. I have work study right now and its great! I think the only thing is that they give you a certain amount which I wish was more
February 19th, 2010 | #
I hope I'll be able to do work study. I think my parents might make too much for me to be eligible:/ Good information though.
February 18th, 2010 | #
I actually applied two weeks ago and now Im working! It's a great job!
Ask for info!
February 18th, 2010 | #
Work study has to be earned through an on-campus job. Unless your financial aid office isn’t following the rules, or you are thinking of a different type of aid, that is the federal guideline for receiving the award amount.
February 18th, 2010 | #
you don't have to, I recieved the money and I am not working anywhere.
February 18th, 2010 | #
I wish my school allowed me to do this like my last did
February 18th, 2010 | #
this sounds helpful i'll have to check into it!
February 18th, 2010 | #
really helpful and thanks for every single bit of help that you give us
February 18th, 2010 | #
wow i had no idea that you have to work on campus to receive the fasfa money! thank you soooo much for this article. It was really informative!
February 17th, 2010 | #
Thanks for the info! But, I don't think it is fair to say that being granted a work study as aid means that you have a guaranteed job. I can't say how the program works at all schools, but I do know that at my school, you still have to apply for available jobs on campus. AVAILABLE is the key word here. It is very possible that the number of students who are looking for a work study job exceed the number of jobs available at your school. And, even if a job is available, you may not be qualified to do it … or the required hours/times needed for the job may not work based on you class schedule. So – a job is far from guaranteed as I learned this year! I was offered $2500 in work study aid, which I have not been able to use because the only jobs available were ones that required a niche skill that I didn't happen to possess. The "anyone can do" type jobs get filled very quickly. Just my experience … again, not sure if it is done this way at all schools.
February 17th, 2010 | #