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The Work Study Office have updated the hiring process since 2020. Eligible work study students are no longer receiving a Work Study Award Verification Form –  instead, they receive an email from the Work Study Office confirming their eligibility. Employers are required to complete the Work Study Hiring Form before a students starts working. Please see Hiring A Work Study Student for more details. 

Work study eligibility

To be eligible for Work Study, you must demonstrate financial need. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) must be received by the priority filing date. If you have financial need and haven’t been awarded Work Study you can talk to a financial aid counselor to see if you are eligible for Work Study.

Students that have been awarded Work Study as part of their financial aid award are notified by our office, and the email serves as an confirmation of their eligibility. We are no longer using the Work Study Award Verification. If you have not been awarded Work Study, and you wish to inquire about your eligibility, please send us an email at workstdy@uw.edu.

You must reapply for all financial aid programs, including Work Study, each year by completing the FAFSA.

Work schedule

If you get a Work Study job, you may work a maximum of 19.5 hours per week on Work Study during the time classes are in session. The employment period is listed on your Work Study Award Verification Form.

You may work more (maximum of 40 hours per week) during quarter breaks if you are employed on campus or for a non-profit agency.

After you have been hired, you should arrange your work schedule with your employer. During the school year, the number of hours you work each week depends on your hourly pay rate and the amount of your award.

Use the following formula:

$ Amount of award ÷ # of weeks = $ per week

$ Per week ÷ pay rate = # hours per week

NOTE: The figure used for the “# of weeks” depends on whether you plan to work during final exam week or whether there will be other times when you will not work.

Your award is divided equally over your quarters of enrollment, but if you earn only part of your Work Study during a quarter, you may earn the remainder in the following quarter(s) as long as you are still awarded and continue to be eligible.

Getting paid

How you get paid

How you get paid depends on whether you work on- or off-campus. In most cases you will be paid at your work place. On-campus employees may elect to have their paychecks directly deposited to their bank accounts; some off-campus employers may offer the same service.

When you get paid

If you work on-campus you are paid twice a month, the 10th and 25th of each month. If these days fall on a weekend you are paid on either Friday or Monday. You will need to track and submit your hours worked in order to be paid. The Workday payroll schedule gives you an idea of the timeline.

If you work off-campus you are paid by your employer directly according to their payroll schedule.

How much pay

The range for on-campus pay rates is set by the Employee Relations Office. Individual departments assign the pay rate for each job within the UW Student Employee Compensation Guidelines. Pay rates for graduate students who hold Work Study Graduate Assistant appointments are determined by the Graduate School.

Off-campus pay rates are determined by the employer but must be at least equal to the entry-level rate that the employer would pay a non-Work Study employee doing similar work.

Record your hours worked

On-Campus Work Study employment requires you to use Time Tracking in Workday.  Your employer is responsible to hire and enter you in the Workday system so that it will notify you each pay period to submit your work hours.  The Workday payroll schedule gives you an idea of the timeline. Once you have submitted your work hours, the supervisor will receive notification to approve in Workday. Late submission of hours will be processed the following pay period.  Please check with the Work Study Office if you are an America Reads/Counts employee for specific instructions on submitting work hours.

Off-campus employers pay their Work Study students directly, according to the same schedule used to pay their other employees (must be at least once each month). You should find out what this schedule is when you are hired. After you are paid, the off-campus employer contacts the Work Study Office for reimbursement of a portion of your wages. This reimbursement procedure requires that you sign an off-campus time sheet (pdf) verifying your hours and the amount of pay you received.

Taxes

Work Study earnings are taxable; appropriate taxes will be deducted from your paychecks by your employer. If you work on-campus, FICA will be deducted during periods of non-enrollment. Work Study earnings must be reported to the IRS for tax purposes, but will not be counted against your eligibility when reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. See FAFSA instructions or consult with a financial aid counselor.

Eligibility loss

At any time in the year, the Office of Student Financial Aid may withdraw your Work Study funds if it is determined that you are no longer eligible. If that happens, we will notify your employer that you must stop working as a Work Study employee.

The most common reasons are:

  • If you don’t meet satisfactory academic progress, your Work Study and other aid will be canceled and your employer notified that you are no longer eligible. You may not work as a Work Study student until you have resumed satisfactory progress and your Work Study award has been reinstated. See the Office of Student Financial Aid information on Satisfactory Academic Progress for more details.
  • If you withdraw from the university or if your registration is canceled during the academic year, you are no longer eligible for Work Study and must stop working.
  • If your financial need changes, you may also lose your Work Study eligibility. You are expected to report any additional resources you may receive to the financial aid office. These may include scholarships, grants or loans not awarded or processed by the Office of Student Financial Aid. If you fail to report additional resources, your eligibility for future aid may be jeopardized.
  • Earning your award too quickly: If you earn your Work Study award before the end of the award period, you must stop working. If you continue to work, your employer must pay 100% of your non-Work Study earnings. Non-Work Study earnings must be reported on your FAFSA when applying for financial aid for future years. If you feel you need to work more hours to meet your expenses, consult a financial aid counselor to discuss your options.

Your rights as a student employee

Your rights as an on-campus student employee are included in the Student Employment Policy published by the UW Employee Relations Office. (Paper copies of the policy are also available at the Work Study Office.)

University policy prohibits discrimination or harassment against a member of the University community because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability or veteran status. Should you need disability accommodations in the interview process or during your employment, contact either the Disability Services Office, or the Office of Disability Resources for Students.

University policy also prohibits all forms of sexual harassment. If you feel you have been a victim of sexual harassment at your on-campus work place or if you feel you have been discriminated against, you can file a complaint with the Title IX Coordinator. If you work off campus, your rights regarding discrimination and sexual harassment are determined by the appropriate city, county or state laws. You should notify the Work Study Office if you file a complaint.

“Hazard Communication (Right to Know)” is a Washington State Occupational Safety and Health standard, which requires that employees be informed about hazardous chemicals in the work place. Ask your employer if you have any questions.

All Work Study students, both on and off campus, must be paid for all hours worked. However, if you earn more than the amount of your award, or continue working when your eligibility has been canceled, your employer is responsible for paying you at your regular hourly rate without any funding from the Work Study program. You and your employer are responsible for monitoring your earnings so that you stop working when you have earned the amount of your award.

If you work on campus, your employer will usually give 15 days notice in the event you are laid off or fired, except in cases of gross misconduct. Off-campus employers should follow the same procedures used for their other employees.

If a problem develops between you and your on-campus employer, such as a personality conflict or a misunderstanding regarding job duties, you should attempt to resolve the dispute within the normal channels of the department. If this process is not successful, you may contact the Work Study Office for assistance. The final arbiters in employment disputes are the Office of the Ombud, and, if necessary, the Compliance and Risk Services.

Most Work Study employers have participated in the program before and understand the requirements. If you feel that your employer has failed to meet his or her responsibility, contact the Work Study Office.

Your responsibilities as a student employee

You have certain responsibilities in applying for and holding a Work Study position. Students who are not Washington state residents cannot accept other on-campus employment if such employment will result in a waiver of non-resident fees. Students who wish to work more than one Work Study job at a time must obtain approval to do so from the Work Study Office. If approved, the employers must be informed so that earnings can be monitored. Work Study students cannot accept another on-campus job if the combination of jobs will exceed 19.5 hours per week while classes are in session.

In addition to fulfilling the conditions of award, available on MyUW, you must also be honest with your employer or potential employer about your skills, abilities, and work experience. You may have to take a lower paying, less interesting job initially, but you can change jobs as you gain skills and experience.

If you decide to quit your job, for whatever reason, you should give your employer as much notice as possible. For on-campus employers it should be at least 15 days and for off-campus employers the appropriate notice is usually two weeks. If this is impossible, you should make reasonable arrangements with your employer. If you change jobs, you must get a new job referral form from the Work Study Office. Your new employer must complete and return it to the Work Study Office as soon as possible after hiring you.

All students are expected to follow the Student Conduct Code. Dress appropriately for the job, do your best work, and treat others with courtesy and respect. You should notify your employer if you are not able to work on your regular schedule (due to illness, finals, etc.). Remember that employers rely on their Work Study students to supplement full-time staff and your regular, punctual attendance at the job is important. Consider your employer as a possible reference for future jobs and act accordingly.

Occasionally, a student may fail to meet his or her responsibilities as a Work Study employee. If this occurs and the employer files a complaint with the Work Study Office against the student, the student will have the opportunity to explain the circumstances of the case, and if requested by the employer or student, the Work Study Office may assist in resolving the problem. In most cases, the Work Study Office can help the employee to resume work. However, the Work Study Office may limit or cancel a student’s participation in the program, especially where complaints have been filed by more than one employer or in cases of gross misconduct.