Limitations on Federal Work-Study Positions

Hours

Work-study participants may never work more than 8 hours/day and 20 hours/week when classes are in session. Should you hold more than one work-study position, the sum of all positions may not exceed these limits.

Offered Amounts

Typical Federal Work Study per academic year is $3500 for undergraduate students and $4000 for graduate students.
To ensure optimal use through the semester, plan your work schedule before you begin earning funds.
Utilize simple math to best plan: (your salary) x (the number of hours you will work/week) x (the number of weeks you will work/semester) … if that total is less than or equal to your semester offer – you are set!... if that total is above your semester allotment – reconsider!)
For example, an undergraduate work-study student earning $12.00/hour, planning to work 12 hours/week, wanted to work 14 weeks of the semester. That totaled $2016. Their work-study was $1,750/semester. The student adjusted their weekly schedule to 10 hours/week, and they were able to work for 14 weeks as planned.
Increases to Federal Work-Study may be available. Determinations on increases depend on available funding, continued eligibility, and your remaining federal financial need. Requests for increases to work-study may be made by contacting the Office of Student Aid.

Monitor your funds

You are responsible for monitoring your balance and communicating with your manager as your funds near exhaustion.
You will receive a warning email regarding the balance when you have earned 50% or more of your total funds for the academic year.
You will receive a warning email when you are close to exhausting your funds.
Over-earning can have negative impacts on your financial aid.
At this time, supervisors are not informed directly by the Office of Student Aid.

Changes in eligibility

Federal Work-Study eligibility must be maintained at all times. Should you lose your eligibility it is your responsibility to communicate with your supervisor/manager.