Are you hoping to graduate from college with as little debt as possible? If so, you may be planning to work during college to cover some of your tuition expenses. While there are many part-time jobs out there that are suited to college students, the Federal Work-Study Program is often the best deal for students who qualify. While you'll still have to work for your money, you'll know you are receiving fair, dependable compensation that won't count against you in your application for financial aid.
What are the financial benefits of participating in the Work-Study program? The biggest benefit is that your earnings won't count when your financial aid eligibility is being calculated. If you earn over $3,000 in a year from a job that is not part of the program, your earnings will decrease the amount of your federal financial aid package. The earnings from your job, however, will not be used in calculating your Expected Family Contribution for college.
There are many additional benefits to a Work-Study job, as well. For one, though it is mandated that Work-Study salaries meet the minimum wage, many of these jobs pay more than this. You will likely earn more from your Work-Study job than you would earn working in retail or doing a similar student-friendly job. In addition, you'll probably be given the option to have your wages applied directly to your college tuition, so you won't have the temptation to spend your money on other things.
In most cases, your employer will be your college itself. Colleges have a certain amount of funding each year to hire Work-Study employees. The jobs you could do are varied and will depend on the openings at your college. You may do clerical work for your department or another office within the college. You could serve as a tutor, librarian's assistant, or even a cafeteria worker.
You may be interested to know that a minimum percentage of an institution's work-study funding must be used to support community service jobs. This means that you may be able to find a Work-Study position doing something you love that helps the community. Serving as a literacy tutor for young students in the community or working on an emergency response team are some examples.
You can even get a Work-Study job with a private for-profit organization, a non-profit organization, or a federal, state, or local public organization. Even though in most cases, your school will be your employer, there are many related employment opportunities out there if you know where to look.
But how do you know if you are eligible for this type of program? Not every student meets federal requirements. Basically, you must have unmet financial need as determined by your FAFSA report. Your Expected Family Contribution must be under seven thousand dollars for you to officially qualify.
Work-Study is a great opportunity for college students to take a more proactive role in reducing their college debts and limiting financial aid. Qualified students will be glad that they worked hard to pay off some of their tuition while they were still attending online school.
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