Federal Work-Study: Frequently Asked Questions

Unlike student loans or grants, the federal work-study program is a form of financial aid that requires students to work for money to pay for college or graduate school. The program is comparatively small, and has been criticized for failing to adequately serve community college students who are more likely to be low-income – a concern outlined by the bipartisan nonprofit Higher Learning Advocates.

Changes may be ahead for the work-study program, which was one of the topics tackled in the College Affordability Act introduced by Democrats in Congress in October as a proposed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The College Affordability Act would set work-study funding at $1.5 billion for 2021, increasing in subsequent years to $2.5 billion in 2025. It would also change which institutions receive work-study funds and aim to better align a student's work-study job with his or her career interests.

Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions about the federal work-study program.

What Is Federal Work-Study?

The work-study program subsidizes the paychecks of college and graduate students who work qualifying part-time, typically on-campus jobs. Participants can use funds earned through work-study to pay for educational expenses.

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How Do Students Qualify for Work-Study?

Students must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, called the FAFSA, to become eligible for work-study. Participants must demonstrate financial need, and those who file the FAFSA early often have a better shot at qualifying. Schools may award aid on a first-come, first-served basis.

On the FAFSA, students will be asked whether they are interested in work-study, and they must choose to answer "yes," "no" or "I don't know." Answering "yes" to this question does not guarantee a student will be offered a work-study job, and students are not required to accept it if it is offered.

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Does Everyone Qualify for Work-Study?

Not all students qualify for federal work-study. Students who don't qualify based on need, don't file the FAFSA or don't attend a participating school may not receive federal work-study.

Students who don't qualify for federal work-study may be able to secure institutional work-study, when a department or academic office hires students using university funds. Failing to qualify for federal work-study does not prevent a student from pursuing other forms of part-time employment while in college.

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How Can I Determine Whether I'll Qualify for Work-Study?

Students can plug their family incomes and other information into the federal FAFSA4caster tool in order to get an estimate, based on the national average, of how much work-study they could receive and how it will stack up against other federal loans and grants.

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What Kinds of Work-Study Jobs are Available to Students?

Students can work both on and off campus, putting in hours at anything from slinging burgers at the cafeteria to crunching numbers as a lab assistant. They may hold off-campus jobs with approved private nonprofit or public organizations. Jobs at for-profit companies may be available if they're relevant to a student's studies.

Some of the most popular jobs, like working at a library or with a professor, tend to fill up quickly, so students should obtain work as soon as possible, advises Mark Kantrowitz, publisher and vice president of research for Savingforcollege.com.

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How Much Can I Earn?

Students earn the federal minimum wage – $7.25 per hour – at the very least, and may earn more. While undergraduates are paid by the hour, graduate students can earn either hourly wages or a salary depending on the work.

"The earnings are paid periodically, often on a biweekly basis (some colleges pay the wages on a weekly or monthly basis)," Kantrowitz wrote in an email. "Many students use the work-study pay as walking around money, as opposed to paying for tuition, since they don't get the money up front when it is time to pay the tuition bill. Work-study funds are paid as they are earned, not in advance."

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How Can I Apply Work-Study Earnings to My Tuition Bill?

A school will pay its students directly unless they request a direct deposit into a bank account or automatic payment toward educational expenses, such as tuition and fees.

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Must I Accept a Work-Study Offer?

Students who choose not to work during the academic year can opt to decline federal work-study. They can choose instead to make up that amount through loans, savings or a nonwork-study job, among other options. Students who are already working another part-time job, for example, may prefer to decline aid so as not to become overburdened with work outside of classes.

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What Are the Benefits of Participating in Work-Study?

In addition to earning extra cash for college, work-study participants may pick up professional skills and make on-campus contacts. Students may get a chance to work in a field related to their college major and with a boss who understands that studying is a priority. A good boss can help schedule work around classes and serve as a future job reference.

Work experience can also help students learn time management skills and improve academic performance, in some cases.

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What Are the Drawbacks to Participating in Work-Study?

Students already struggling to get through class may want to ease up on their work schedules. Overdoing the college job may cause them to fall behind, delay graduation and ultimately pay more for college. In the end, it's up to students to determine whether they can balance part-time employment with a busy class schedule.

A 2018 report by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce found that the labor market offers few high-quality jobs with career-building work experience to students, and that it's nearly impossible to work through school and pay for its cost due to rising college tuition prices.

According to the report, which did not focus solely on the federal work-study program, low-income students who work in college are generally more likely to work in food service, sales and administrative support roles that don't advance their careers when compared with the employment opportunities available to higher-income students.

"Low-income working learners are more likely to work full time while in college and are more vulnerable to experiencing declining grades when the average number of hours they work approaches or exceeds 40 hours per week," the report found.

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