Everything You Need to Know About Work Study

Federal work study is a program that helps college students with demonstrated financial need get part-time jobs to pay for their college education and related expenses.

Work study is funded by the Federal government and specific states. Generally, the part-time jobs that students receive from work study are for on-campus jobs. In certain situations, students might work off-campus.

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How do you apply for Federal work-study?

Work-study is a federally and sometimes state-funded program, so to qualify, students must submit the FAFSA and qualify for need-based financial aid.

Once accepted to the college, you will receive a financial aid award letter. Your letter will include specifics about your financial aid. Work study is one of the funding types included in your letter if you qualify.

In the financial aid award letter below, you will see Federal Work Study as item F:

Source: Whitman College

Note that the formatting of financial aid award letters will vary from college to college.

Accepting Federal Work Study

Just receiving a work study offer in your aid letter does not guarantee that you will simply receive the funds. Next, you will need to actually find a job! While some colleges may match students to specific jobs, it is usually up to students to find, apply, and accept a job opportunity.

We recommend that you get in touch with your college’s financial aid office for more details about how the work study process works!

Similar to other forms like financial aid like student loans, students do not have to automatically accept their work study. However, as students will be gaining valuable work experience and earning some money, work study is preferable to student loans.

Another benefit of federal work study is that your earnings will not count against you when you apply for financial aid through the FAFSA for the following year (as long as they are used to pay for educational expenses like tuition, room, or board). If a student deposits their work study earnings into their bank account, that is factored into the financial aid office’s review for aid the following year.

How much does work study pay?

According to a 2025 report from Sallie Mae, the average Federal Work Study recipient earned $1,821. As far as hourly rate, your work study job must pay the federal minimum wage. Of course, you might be attending school in a state or city where the minimum wage is higher.

It is also important to note that some work study jobs may pay more or less than others depending on the specific responsibilities of the position.

Related: Is work study worth it?

Is there a maximum amount of money I can earn?

Your annual federal work study wages can’t exceed the amount listed on the award letter. However, in practice, it is up to the individual colleges or work study employers to determine what happens if a student wants to keep working after they have reached their limit. So if you are a student who wants to work more, you should contact your financial aid office and work study employer for more information.

Expert Perspective

When it comes to work study, financial aid offers can be a little misleading, because work study is never credited to the student account. So if you have a financial aid package and it says, ‘You qualify for $2,000 in work study for your freshman year, $1,000 for the fall, $1,000 for the spring,’ well, you do not get to subtract work study awards from your bill. It is simply an indicator of what you might earn if you choose to work

Lynell Engelmyer | College admissions and financial aid advisor, Alexander Hamilton Scholars

What if you don’t qualify for work study?

If you don’t qualify for or receive work study, you can still apply for on-campus and off-campus jobs! We recommend that you still get in touch with the financial aid office, because that’s where student employment is usually managed.

Other places to look for jobs include the office of residential life, tutoring or academic services, and specific academic departments. Of course, you are able to find and apply for other jobs and internships that are off-campus!

Related: What to do if financial aid is not enough

Tips from a work study student

My experience with work-study was unique as I found a math tutoring job for middle school kids 10 minutes away from my college through an email sent to me by a school organization. Through this experience, I learned how to teach others and boosted my communication skills by collaborating with my coworkers, my college, and the school I tutored at.

For students interested in work study, I would say to check any resources your college or university may have as there are a lot of work-study jobs available in different interests. There are many mediums to find work-study opportunities, so be sure to go through organizations or professors you have an interest in in order to find the perfect position for you!

Work-study taught me a lot about time management, as I completed homework in between my classes and my work-study job. Additionally, I learned to be organized in order to ensure I showed up to any meetings or other activities I needed to attend for school and my job on time. I recommend using a calendar platform such as Google Calendar in order to keep track of all of the events you have during the day. Doing so allowed me to keep track of when my classes and work-study shifts were.

Overall, work-study was a very beneficial experience. I was able to obtain an on-campus job that had flexible hours and allowed me to build important skills and relationships at my college.

Carrie Gilmore | Student, Manhattan College

Additional resources for students seeking financial aid

As you’re considering work-study, make sure that you’re also aware of all your other financial aid options. Students eligible for work-study also typically qualify for Pell Grants and Stafford Loans. You can also consult our free scholarship search tool to find custom-matched, vetted scholarship opportunities to suit your situation and interests.

Sometimes, even with all of these resources, the financial aid package a school offers you is just not affordable. In cases such as these, it’s a good idea to consider writing a financial aid appeal letter. If the financial aid officers overlooked something or your finances have changed since submitting the FAFSA, you may manage to adjust your aid.

Also see: Are work study earnings taxed?

Next Steps

• Complete and submit the FAFSA by the FAFSA deadline
• If awarded federal work study in your financial aid package, you are responsible for securing a job through your college or university
• If not awarded work study, you can still look for jobs on your own on-campus and off-campus

Frequently asked questions about work study