College costs keep coming during the school year, and a job has to fit around classes. Federal Work-Study is the federal program built for that. It provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, so they can earn money to help pay education expenses. StudentAid.gov work-study page
This guide puts the official rules in one place, with a link to the source for each one. Next Scholar also keeps a Federal Work-Study listing you can save next to your scholarships. Federal Work-Study listing
Financial need. Your work-study award, together with your other aid, stays within your financial need.
General eligibility for federal student aid. Among the basic requirements: be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen, have a valid Social Security number (with listed exceptions), be enrolled or accepted as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program, and maintain satisfactory academic progress.
A participating school. Check with your school’s financial aid office to find out if your school takes part.
Off campus with a nonprofit or public agency: the employer is usually a private nonprofit organization or a federal, state, or local public agency, and the work must be in the public interest.
Off campus with a for-profit employer: some schools have agreements with private for-profit employers. These jobs must be relevant to your course of study to the maximum extent possible.
At a for-profit (proprietary) school, there may be further limits on the types of jobs you can be assigned.
Community service has a set share. A school must generally use at least 7% of its Federal Work-Study allocation to pay students in community service jobs, including at least one reading tutoring project or family literacy project. Community service jobs can be on campus or off campus.
Pay must be at least the current federal minimum wage. The handbook lists it as $7.25 per hour. When a state or local law sets a higher minimum wage, the student must be paid that higher wage.
You may earn more depending on the type of work and the skills it requires.
Undergraduates are paid by the hour. Graduate and professional students are paid by the hour or by salary, depending on the work.
Your school must pay you at least once a month. It pays you directly, or, if you ask, sends the money to your bank account or uses it for education-related charges such as tuition, fees, food, and housing.
Students are paid for all hours worked.
A work-study job can also earn academic credit, for example an internship, practicum, or research or teaching assistantship. When it does, the handbook sets three conditions. The pay must be at least what you would earn without the credit. The pay is for the work, and time spent receiving instruction in a classroom, laboratory, or other academic setting is unpaid. The employer must normally pay a person for the same job.
Your earnings are capped at your total Federal Work-Study award.
When assigning hours, your employer or your school’s financial aid office considers your class schedule and your academic progress.
In general, work-study hours fall outside scheduled class time. The handbook allows exceptions when a class is canceled, when the instructor excuses you for that day, or when you earn credit for an internship, externship, or community work-study experience.
You can also work during a break such as summer when you plan to enroll in the next term and have financial need for it.
File the FAFSA early. Federal Student Aid says to apply for aid early because funds are limited. What the FAFSA is
Watch for work-study in your aid offer. Your total award depends on when you apply, your level of financial need, and your school’s funding level. Your school tells you the total amount you are authorized to earn and how and when you will be paid.
Talk to your school’s financial aid office. It can tell you whether the school participates, how to accept work-study, and how to find an eligible job.
Keep it with your scholarships
Work-study, the FAFSA, and scholarship deadlines often land in the same season. In Next Scholar you can save the Federal Work-Study listing, track deadlines, and keep your essays and documents for each award in one place.
Undergraduate, graduate, and professional students with financial need, full-time or part-time, at a school that participates in the Federal Work-Study Program. Students must also meet the general eligibility criteria for federal student aid.
How much does a work-study job pay?
Pay must be at least the current federal minimum wage, or the higher state or local minimum wage where one applies. Your total award depends on when you apply, your level of financial need, and your school’s funding level.
How many hours can I work?
Your earnings are capped at your total Federal Work-Study award. Your employer or your school’s financial aid office sets your hours with your class schedule and academic progress in mind.
How do I apply for Federal Work-Study?
File the FAFSA. Federal Student Aid says to apply for aid early because funds are limited. Your school’s financial aid office can tell you whether the school participates and how to find a work-study job.
Checked October 24, 2026. The rules above come from these official pages. If a page changes, the official page wins. Your school’s financial aid office makes the final call on your award.