A student can earn money to help pay educational expenses and gain valuable work experience with a work-study position. While most positions are on-campus, opportunities may involve community service work, and when possible, work is related to a student's course of study. Positions range from tutoring young children to clerical positions to data entry.
Types
Two types of work-study are
- Federal Work-Study Program (FWS) is a federally funded program that pays 75% of the student’s pay while the hiring department pays 25%. If the student is employed in an off-campus tutoring CWS job the federal government funds 100% of the student’s pay.
- The state funded Work-Study Program pays 75 percent of your earnings, while the employing department pays is responsible for only 25 percent.
Eligibility
It's recommended the FAFSA be completed as soon as possible after January 1, but no later than January 15th in order to make the priority deadline. In order to qualify for work-study, the FAFSA must indicate sufficient financial need as determined by government guidelines.
Applying
To apply for work-study, a student marks "yes" to the question on the FAFSA that asks if the student is interested in student employment and completes the FAFSA.
Getting a Work-Study Job
Once you are awarded Work-Study you may begin applying for open positions on the Jobs4Hawks webpage. If you have any questions before you begin applying, please contact Financial Aid at uhcl_fao@uhcl.edu.
Postings for Fall will begin in August.
Work-Study Pay and Maximum Number of Hours
Work-Study positions are hourly wage jobs in which a student works for an employer according to a mutually agreed-upon schedule and is paid by direct deposit on a bi-weekly basis for the hours worked. The maximum number of hours a student may work per week is 20.
Work-study awards are not automatically applied towards a student’s tuition bill, nor is the amount of the award guaranteed. An award simply authorizes a student to participate in the program and sets a limit as to the amount of income a student can earn during the academic year. It is the responsibility of the student to work enough hours to reach the earnings limit and to budget the money wisely throughout the year to meet necessary college costs.