Work study is a form of financial aid, just like a Pell Grant, it is designed to help the student work and earn money while attending college.
A work study award does not automatically go toward tuition, it is paid directly to
the student in the form of a paycheck, just like any other job. The student determines
how to use the money. A work study student can work on, or in some cases off, campus.
Several on campus jobs allow the student to work before, between, and after class
to achieve the desired weekly hours.
Students who are eligible, but were not automatically awarded, can sign up on the
waitlist. It is a first-come, first-served list for work study funds as they become
available. To sign up for the list, sign into your MyMissouriState, under the Student tab, in the Financial Aid section, choose "Work Study Waitlist". This will be available at 7:00 a.m. on August 1st.
Even if the award letter from Financial Aid does not specifically mention work study,
a student can still be eligible. The following may help determine if you are eligible:
A FAFSA must have been filed for the current academic year, so we can look at your current
financial need. There must be remaining need that has been unmet.
The student must be enrolled for at least six (6) credit hours per semester in the
fall and spring, and a minimum of three (3) credit hours in the summer.
The student must maintain a minimum of a 2.0 GPA
Work study funds must be available, if they are unavailable at the time, you can sign
up for our yearly waiting list. (See below)
Graduate students and International students are not eligible for work study.
The students hours are limited by the amount of the work study award and cannot exceed
1,000 hours in any given 12 month pay period. Missouri State would like to remind
students that academics should be the priority and any hours worked should not interfere
with the student's studies.
No. The student must claim the income received from the work study position just like
any other job when filing income taxes. However, on the FAFSA application, the work
study income is deducted from other income because it is a need-based work program.
Federal Work Study Calculator
Description
The Work Study Calculator allows students to calculate the number of hours they can
work per week in order to utilize all of their work study funds. An example is given
below:
Take your award amount, divided by the number of weeks planning to work throughout the academic year, divided by your rate of pay, which equals your allowable hours per week.
Example
$3,000 / 33 weeks / $11.15 = 8 hours available per week
Disclaimer
The work study calculator is only an estimate of allowable hours to work. Any changes
made throughout the year to your award total, hourly rate, overtime rate, or other
changes will affect your overall allowable hours to work.
After determining the number of allowable hours per week, a work schedule can be established
between the supervisor and the student. The department and the student share the responsibility
in monitoring the work study earnings. Once earnings are depleted to 25% and below,
we will notify the supervisor and the student. When the student has reached their
award limit, they will be terminated from the work study position. The department
can choose to hire the student through their departmental funds., if available.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact the Student Employment
Office.
