How Can I Access Work Study Money and Maintain Eligibility?

You must earn Work Study money by working a Work Study job. Some jobs are on campus, and some are off campus, but they must be designated Work Study jobs.

Work Study funds are not the same as scholarship grants.

Work Study money will NEVER be given to you in full at the beginning of the semester and added to your bill. You must work to earn it as paycheck installments through your job. To learn more, check out this FAQ from the federal financial aid website: https://studentaid.gov/articles/8-things-federal-work-study/ ****

How Do I Apply for Work Study?

Most colleges have a portal where you can apply for on-campus jobs, such as Handshake. Please google "College Name + Work Study" to see if it's easily identifiable online. If not, email your financial aid office and your Career center. Either one of them will know.

You apply to a Work Study job like any other – you need to have a resume and maybe a cover letter as well. Make sure those are polished and ready to go before you begin applying.

Should I Wait to Apply Until I Am Ready to Work?

You can, but please know that Work Study jobs can fill up quickly. We recommend you apply to Work Study jobs as soon as possible so that you have your pick. Some jobs might also pay more hourly than others, so you'd be able to earn your Work Study money faster.

What Work Study Job Should I Apply to?

We encourage you to apply to positions that interest you! If you think you'd like an easy job where you can study, apply for positions like library receptionist. If you're interested in research, perhaps your college has Work Study doing research assistant work. If you're interested in computer engineering, perhaps you can work in the college's IT department.

Do I Need to File Taxes for My Work Study Job?

Yes. We encourage you to file taxes every year so you can receive all the income taxes you paid from your checks throughout the year. Since most of you will likely be making less than the federally required minimum to pay income tax ($15,750 per year), you should receive all that income tax money back.

This is true even if your parents still claim you as a dependent on their own taxes. This doesn't affect your own filing.

How Do I Fill Out a W-4?

Here is a helpful YouTube video that applies to most of your situations: IRS Form W4 2021 Single One Job No Dependents

If you do have dependents or more than one job, this same creator has many different examples on his channel.

What If I'm Not Eligible For Work Study?

If you are eligible to work in the US, reach out to your Career Center to see if they have any non-Work Study student jobs available.