Do you want to get paid to sit at a desk and do your homework? How about giving tours on a campus that you love? If you answered “yes” to either of those questions, then work-study is for you!
In order to understand how work-study works, let’s first identify what work-study is. According to studentaid.ed.gov here is a quick overview of federal work-study:
- provides part-time employment while you are enrolled in school to help pay your educational expenses
- it’s available to undergraduate, graduate and professional students with financial need
- the program emphasizes employment related to your course of study whenever possible; however, students are typically responsible for getting their own work-study jobs
- it’s administered by schools participating in the Federal Work-Study Program, check with your schools financial aid office to see if your school participates
Sounds like a no brainer right, here’s how to apply:
When you fill out the FAFSA form select the box on the application that you are interested in being considered for the program; however, this does not guarantee that a work-study option will be included in your financial aid award nor do you have to accept work-study aid. Colleges award work-study funds based on the following so apply early:
- availability of funds
- other financial aid a student is eligible for
- student financial need
Money, money, money…
At this point, you might be wondering how you get paid or how much?
With a work-study job, you are typically at least guaranteed minimum wage that you can use towards your tuition, fees, room, and board or day-to-day living. If you’re still not sure, gaining work experience of any kind while in college is very important so take advantage of the work-study opportunities available at your college.
*information obtained from studentaid.ed.gov and nerdwallet.com