Work Study is a federal aid program that allows students to earn income through work while in college. This isn’t an automatic type of financial aid. Students have to have financial need and the schools will let students know if they qualify for Work Study and for how much.
College Raptor has put together a great information page on their website about common Work Study questions which you can access here: https://www.collegeraptor.com/paying-for-college/articles/questions-answers/common-questions-work-study-programs/
One student in the class had asked whether or not they should accept the work study award. They were leaning towards not working the first year at school and not accepting the award.
This is a decision that every individual will need to make and I know everyone’s circumstances are not the same, but I would encourage every student who is awarded work study to at least give it a chance. Accept the award and find a job at the college that intrigues them.
I have heard students/parents in the past who didn’t want the student to work the first in college because they wanted them to get acclimated to the school. A work study job can be one way to help get acclimated and meet other people. Also the students who have held a part-time job and done well in high school might benefit from keeping a similar schedule in college.
In fact, most studies show students who do work part-time in college (20 hours or less) have higher GPAs than ones that don’t work at all. Those students are doing well with their time management. There is an argument that students who don’t work part-time while going to school may have TOO much time on their hands throughout the semester and good time management decisions may not always be made.
One other benefit of money earned through work study, is that even though it can be taxed, the FAFSA form will ask how much a study earned in a given tax year so they can EXCLUDE that money from the calculation to determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number in future years.
If you would like to discuss work study or your award letter offers in general, please contact us at ICAN at 877-272-4692 or schedule an appointment on line at www.icansucceed.org.
Erick - ICAN Ankeny and Des Moines Centers
