Financial Aid Office

Federal Work-Study Program

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• Work-Study

If you are an employer, please visit the Work-Study Employers section.

• Was I Awarded Work-Study?
  Check your Financial Aid Award Letter on My Aid Status, Tab 4, to confirm your eligibility.
  
  Please note, Work-Study is not a requirement to be hired for an on-campus position. Students that have not been awarded Work-Study are still encouraged to look for available positions on GauchoLink.
• What is Work-Study?

  Federal Work-Study is a need-based form of Financial Aid. The intent of the Federal Work-Study Program is to encourage your part-time employment while you attend college. It does so by paying a portion of your salary, thus allowing you to become a "better financial deal" to your employer.

  Unlike other forms of Financial Aid that you may receive (e.g.: loans, grants, scholarships), your Work-Study award never credits to your BARC account. Your Work-Study award is paid directly to you, as it is earned, through a paycheck. Work-Study payroll cycles begin on the 11th of the month, ending on the following 10th of the month, and a payroll check is issued on or around the first of the following month (e.g. WSP pay period October 11th - November 10th; check date December 1st).

• What is a Work-Study Referral? How do I Get One?

  Your Work-Study Referral is the document that verifies you are a Work-Study recipient. You must present a Federal Work-Study Program Referral to your (prospective) employer(s). Your Referral authorizes your employer to hire and pay you on Work-Study funds. Work-Study Referrals are available 10 days before the first day of class in Fall quarter. At that time, you will be able to print your on-campus or off-campus Referral from Tab 4 of My Aid Status or visit our office to receive a Referral.
  
  

• How do I Qualify?

  To qualify for a Work-Study award, a student must file a FAFSA prior to March 2nd and have sufficient financial need. Our office determines your Financial Aid eligibility and notifies you of your aid in a Financial Aid Award Letter, which may include a Work-Study award.

• How do I Find a Job?

  Both on-campus and off-campus employers advertise their available Work-Study positions on Gaucholink. If you find a job posting that interests you, just apply by whatever means is indicated on the post. Make sure to print your Work-Study Program Referral and take it with you to your job interview! If an interview is scheduled prior to the availablity of the Work-Study Program Referral, you may consider printing your Financial Aid Award Letter as temprory proof that you have been awarded Work-Study. If and when you are hired, you must provide a Work-Study Program Referral to your employer for completion. Please note that the official first working day on Work-Study is 10 days prior the first day of Fall instruction.

• I Found a Job. How do I Get Hired?

  If you are hired for an on-campus position, your employer will:

  • Accept your Referral
  • Prepare and submit employment paperwork to our office
  • Provide you with a time sheet
  • Release you to begin working
  • Provide you with a job description
  • Train and supervise you, evaluating your job performance.

  If you are hired for an off-campus position, you must meet with a Work-Study Program administrator at our office and bring:

  • An off-campus Referral signed by your employer
  • A completed Off-Campus Referral Packet
  • Identification. For a list of acceptable forms of identification, view the last page of the Form I-9 (PDF)
• Can I Have More than One Work-Study Job?

  Yes. If you want to split your Work-Study among multiple Work-Study employers, visit our office.

• Will My Work-Study Award Expire if I Don't Use It?

  Your Work-Study will eventually expire if you do not secure employment. However, you will have until the early part of Spring to find a job before unused Work-Study allocations are removed from Financial Aid Award Letters. Our prior “Use It or Lose It” deadline policy is no longer in effect. You are not required to defer your Work-Study award and it will automatically carry forward into the Winter and early Spring quarters. You may not carry forward your unearned Work-Study to Summer or the next academic year.
  
  You may wish to convert your unearned Work-Study eligibility to PLUS or Direct Loan eligibility. Please fill out the Work-Study Conversion form.