Federal Work-Study

Federal Work-Study provides undergraduate and graduate students with part-time employment during the school year. The U.S. government pays some of the student's salary, which helps departments and businesses hire students.

Federal Work-Study employment is based on financial need. Need is determined from the information reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you are eligible for Federal Work-Study, it will be offered in your award notification. In order to utilize any funds offered, you will need to accept the award at http://my.bsu.edu.

Part-time work-study employment is available both on and off campus during the academic year, and awards are made for one academic year only.

An important note

Just because work-study is included in your financial aid award does not mean that you are required to work.

For instance, if you have a particularly heavy academic schedule, you may decide that you do not wish to take advantage of this aid. It is up to you.

In addition, qualifying for work-study does not guarantee you will get a job. You will need to apply and be hired for work-study jobs. Ball State’s Career Center can help get you started with this process.

Qualifications

Students who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents are eligible for this program. You must be admitted to Ball State as at least a half-time student (6 or more credit hours undergraduate or 5 or more credit hours graduate each semester).

The advantages of qualifying for Federal Work-Study are that employers seek work-study students because the cost to their employment budget is less than for a regular employee. Plus, your work-study earnings are deducted from your income when applying for aid for the next academic year.

Work-study employees are paid the same hourly rates as other student employees.

If you are unable to find employment after a reasonable attempt, or cannot work because of schedule conflicts or class loads, you should contact our office for a review of your financial aid award.

Employment Limits

If your financial aid award includes Federal Work Study, there will be a limit on the amount that you can earn from the Federal Work-Study program. The limit is indicated on your financial aid award notification, and your employer will be notified of the limit.

Once you have reached your Federal Work-Study limit, your employer may allow you to continue working, with all additional earnings being charged through the regular employment program.

Under certain circumstances, your Work-Study limit may be increased by contacting our office for a possible award adjustment.