guidelines 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

FEDERAL WORK-STUDY
GUIDELINES
WHAT IS FEDERAL WORK-STUDY?
1.
• Work-Study is a program funded by the U.S. government that offers financial assistance to students with a demonstrated
financial need. Eligible students may use these funds by obtaining a part-time Work-Study job at the University or in an approved
public/private non-profit organization during the academic year.
• A variety of technical and non-technical Work-Study jobs are available on-campus and in approved non-profit community
organizations. Students typically work as lab assistants, office assistants, library aids, tutors, and mentors.
HOW TO APPLY
2.
• New students must file a FAFSA financial aid application and returning students must complete their renewal
FAFSA by March 2nd.
• If you obtain Work-Study, you will receive a financial aid award notification that notes the gross earnings you can receive under
the Work-Study Program via GROWL at www.growl.ucr.edu.
ELIGIBILITY
3.
To be eligible for a Work-Study job, a student must meet the following criteria:
• Demonstrate a financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress (e.g., at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA) while working under the Work-Study program.
• Been offered and accept a Financial Aid Work-Study Award via GROWL.
• Be enrolled at UCR. If you withdraw for illness, etc. you will no longer qualify for Work-Study.
• You may use your Work-Study award during the academic year or elect not to use it. If you decide not to use your award, you
will likely not receive Work-Study in subsequent years, as funds are very limited.
SECURING A WORK-STUDY JOB
4.
• All qualified Work-Study students can search for positions on the online job and internship database, SCOTjobs, which
can be found on the Career Center website careers.ucr.edu.
• Apply for the position as directed in the job description. Employers will schedule interviews with the most qualified candidates.
• See attached “How to Search for a Work-Study Job” for step-by-step instructions.
PLACEMENT FORM
5.
• A Placement Form must be filled out prior to obtaining a Work-Study job. Print the Placement Form from SCOTjobs and sign
and date the student section only.
• One Placement Form must be completed and submitted to Financial Aid for each position you obtain.
• If you obtain Work-Study next year, a new Placement Form must be completed even if you are returning to the same position.
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ON-CAMPUS JOBS
6.
• If you are hired for an on-campus job, your employer must fill out the employer section of the Placement Form and
submit it with the job description to the Financial Aid Office.
OFF-CAMPUS JOBS
7.
If you obtain an off-campus Work-Study job, do not work until you have a Letter of Clearance (LOC). All off-campus jobs
require a Letter of Clearance. Please take your COMPLETED placement form, job description, picture ID and Social Security
card to the HOSS counter located in the Student Services Building to make an LOC appointment with the Financial Aid WorkStudy Unit PRIOR to your start date. You cannot start working until LOC is obtained for your off-campus position.
LETTER OF CLEARANCE
8.
The Letter of Clearance informs your off-campus employer that you have completed the necessary payroll documents to receive a
paycheck. This letter also indicates how many hours you are allowed to work under the program. Write this number down! Any
hours you work that exceed your allotted amount will not be paid by the university (see example below) and may be considered
volunteer hours.
PAY AND HOURS
9.
• You may not work more than an average of 19 hours while classes are in session and up to 39 hours per week during any full
week when classes are not in session, with employer approval, if your schedule permits.
• Work-Study employees, whether employed on campus or in the community, receive a university paycheck.
• Your Work-Study award is for the specific dollar amount listed on your Financial Aid award notification. If you exceed this
amount before the end of the year, you may continue working only if your employer is willing to pay 100% of your hourly rate.
• Keep in mind, you may work up to the end of the academic year or until the total amount of your Work-Study award has been
earned (see example below). It is your responsibility to keep track of the hours you have worked.
• You must report your hours accurately and submit your timesheets on time. Purposely giving false or misleading information is a
federal offense and you may be fined $10,000, sent to prison, or both. Below is an EXAMPLE of how to keep track of your WorkStudy hours to ensure you do not work over your allotted award amount. In the example, by April, the student has worked all 287.5
of his/her hours, and is not eligible to work under the Work-Study Program for the rest of the year.
EXAMPLE:
Award Amount: $2300 ÷ Rate of Pay: $8.00 = Hours eligible to work: 287.5
Sep/Oct: 57.50 hrs
Dec/Jan: 35.00 hrs
Mar/Apr: 36 hrs
Oct/Nov: 40.00 hrs
Jan/Feb: 40.75 hrs
Apr/May: 0 hrs
Nov/Dec: 36.25 hrs
Feb/Mar: 42.00 hrs
May/Jun: 0 hrs
RESPONSIBILITIES
10.
Once you have secured a job, use the following employer and Work-Study guidelines to maintain it: report to work promptly
when scheduled, dress appropriately, perform your work satisfactorily, and notify your supervisor ASAP when you will be late
or unable to work. If you plan to terminate your job, give your employer at least a two-week notice.
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FEDERAL WORK-STUDY
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. DO I CLAIM MY WORK-STUDY EARNINGS ON MY INCOME TAX?
Yes, Work-Study earnings need to be reported on your income tax; however, your Work-Study earnings are deducted for financial aid
purposes when you fill out your financial aid application (FAFSA).
2. HOW MUCH MONEY DO I HAVE LEFT IN MY WORK-STUDY AWARD?
You should keep track of your own hours/money earned. Contact your employer if you still have questions regarding the amount.
It is your responsibility along with your employer to keep track of your money.
3. HOW CAN I GET ACADEMIC CREDIT?
Academic credit is determined by your academic department. The job must be a meaningful learning experience and be related to
coursework. Attend an Internship Workshop; schedules are available at the Career Center and online.
4. DO I HAVE TO USE MY WORK-STUDY EARNINGS FOR TUITION?
No, your earnings will be paid in your name and may be used for any necessary school expenses. Work-Study funds are only gained by
working at an approved Work-Study job.
5. CAN I EXCEED THE AMOUNT AWARDED TO ME?
No, not unless approval is obtained from Financial Aid. NOTE: Hours worked after your Work-Study award has been depleted may be
considered volunteer hours. If you are close to depleting your award, you may check with the Financial Aid Office to see if additional
Work-Study funds are available.
6. WHERE DOES THE AWARD FUNDING COME FROM?
The Federal Government provides the funding to employers in order to provide jobs for Work-Study students.
7. WHEN DO I GET PAID?
You will be paid bi-weekly.
8. IF I DON’T USE MY WORK-STUDY THIS YEAR, CAN I USE IT NEXT YEAR?
Typically if students do not use their Work-Study that year, then they will not receive it in the future. They must earn at least a portion
of the award before the end of spring quarter. It is only for the academic year; funds do not carry over to the summer or another year.
9. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ON FINDING A WORK-STUDY POSITION?
Be aware that some Work-Study jobs can be competitive. Some tips are: 1. Attend a Work-Study Orientation. 2. Be sure you are
selecting “Work-Study” as the position type to narrow down your search. 3. For on-campus jobs, type "on campus" in the keyword
section. 4. Attend a resume workshop, prepare your resume with Resume Builder in SCOTLink, have it critiqued during drop-in at the
Career Center. 5. Attend an interview skills workshop, practice interviews with Interview Stream (available at careers.ucr.edu).
10. IF I DON’T USE MY WORK-STUDY AWARD WILL I BE PENALIZED?
No, it is not a loan and you do not have to pay it back. However, if you don’t use it, you lose it.
11. DO I NEED TO FIND A JOB RIGHT AWAY?
No, in fact, if it is financially possible, we encourage students to get adjusted to college life before searching for a job. Jobs are
posted throughout the year and they should check SCOTjobs regularly.
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FEDERAL WORK-STUDY
HOW TO SEARCH FOR A JOB:
LOGIN INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Go to the Career Center’s homepage: careers.ucr.edu.
2. Click Student Login to access SCOTLink.
3. In the NetID line, enter the username for your student email account.
4. In the Password line, enter your UCR email password.
SEARCH FOR JOBS:
5. Select the Jobs tab.
6. Select SCOTjobs.
7. In Position Type, select Work-Study. Completing other fields and selecting keywords will substantially limit your results.
8. When you see a job that interests you, click on the Job Title to pull up the job description.
9. Carefully read the job description, paying attention to qualifications, hours, and location.
HOW TO APPLY:
10. Apply for the position as directed by the job description. Employers will schedule interviews with the most qualified
candidates.
11. Print your Federal Work-Study Placement Form from SCOTjobs. The form can be found in the “How to Apply” box within
the job description.
12. Print the job description and attach it to the Placement Form PRIOR to the interview.
Note: When you are fiished be sure to log out and quit the browser.
INTERVIEW:
13. Take your Placement Form, job description and schedule of hours you are available to work to your scheduled interview. BE
PREPARED! Be sure to have a good understanding of the job duties, qualifications, hours and location before your interview. Be
well-dressed and on-time to make a great impression.
GETTING HIRED:
14. If you are hired on-campus, sign and date the student section and have your employer fill out the employer section of
the Placement Form. Your employer MUST return the original Placement Form and job description to Financial Aid.
15. If you are hired off-campus, you must obtain a Letter of Clearance(LOC) prior to your start date. Sign and date the
student section and have your employer fill out the employer section of the Placement Form. Take the COMPLETED
placement form, job description, picture ID and Social Security card to the HOSS counter located in the Student
Services Building to make an LOC appointment.
HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS?
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*Wednesday
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