How It Works

If you have a Work-Study award listed on MyFinAid, you are eligible to find a job listed in the Work-Study job listings page (requires CalNet log in).

Work-study is a federally subsidized hourly-wage job program. For example, if a department pays you $10 per hour, it costs their budget a net of $5 per hour because of the subsidy from the federal government. This is why Work-Study is considered an "award."

Like any job, the wage can range anywhere from minimum wage to upwards of $20+ per hour (those are usually graduate student positions). The employer sets the rate and the jobs that have greater responsibility or that require highly skilled people tend to pay more.

You can start working as early as June 1 but you must stop working by either the last day of the spring semester or the last day of your enrollment. Although the Award Details by Term page in MyFinAid shows that you are being offered half of your eligibility in the sall semester and half in the spring semester, you are not limited to earning your Work-Study that way. For example, some students don't begin working until November, so they earn a smaller portion in the fall and more in the spring. When you earn your Work-Study earnings is up to you and your employer.

Your Work-Study earnings are not applied to your Campus Accounts Receivable System (CARS) account. You are paid directly by your employer. Although your earnings go directly to you, you still are responsible for paying any outstanding bills in your CARS account.

The number of hours you work each week are based on how many hours you feel you can fit into your schedule, how many hours you are eligible for, and what your employer's needs are.

See the Frequently Asked Questions page for more details.