FAQ
What is Work-Study?
Work-Study is a federal program that subsidizes wages for eligible student workers in qualifying jobs. The employer benefits because the majority of the students’ wages are covered by federal funds.
How do students qualify for Work-Study?
Work-Study is a need-based financial aid program. Students must complete a FAFSA, meet the eligibility criteria and have been awarded Work-Study by the Financial Aid Office.
Are all jobs eligible for Work-Study?
Most part-time campus positions where the employer is the State of South Dakota qualify for Work-Study. Students cannot receive Work-Study to cover employment as graduate assistants or interns. Off-campus jobs may qualify if the employer is a non-profit or governmental agency.
Can Work-Study students work over the summer?
Yes. Students need to submit a FAFSA for the upcoming school year and complete a summer aid application which can be found on our Financial Aid Forms page. Students must have a job lined up before they will be awarded summer work-study funding.
How do I hire a Work-Study student?
When you post your position, be sure to indicate that you prefer or require students who are eligible for Work-Study. Students can check their Financial Aid Self Service to verify that they have a Work-Study award. Students that qualify and have accepted Work Study, will receive a Work-Study Eligibility Verification email they should present to you, with information and instructions on how to proceed.
What information does SDSU Payroll need from Work-Study students?
Before beginning work. Students who have a new Work-Study position must provide proof of employment eligibility and direct deposit information. Students should contact the Payroll Office at 605-688-5781 to set up a time to complete this process. Students will need
- United States passport
- Or your driver's license and either a Social Security Card, certified copy of Certificate of Birth or Native American Tribal document.
- Bank account routing number and account number.
- Your Work-Study form, if it has not already been forwarded to payroll.
What are the employer’s responsibilities with the work-study program?
Supervisors of work-study students have a couple of important responsibilities on top of their normal supervisory roles
- Employers are expected to track the hours of their employees and ensure that they are not going over their work-study earning limit. The earning limit includes both the federal portion AND the employers share, the limit is not just the 75% federal share. When students are getting close to their earning limit, please have them contact us to see if they can get an increase. If they cannot get an increase and you would like them to continue working, you will need to get them switched to a non-Work-Study hourly position.
- Work-study students should work a maximum of 20 hours per week. Please also check with your work-study students to find out if they have two work-study jobs as that can use up their work-study funds more quickly. We do not suggest that students have two work-study jobs.
- Work-Study students cannot work during scheduled class time. The supervisor is responsible for ensuring the student does not work during a time period when the student has a scheduled class.
How can I find students that have work-study for my open job?
- You can post your advertisements to specifically say “work-study eligible students."
- You can submit your job posting to ensure it is specifically sent out to our work-study student mailing list.
- If you already have a list of candidates or employees, you can email the financial aid office and we can check to see if any of these students are work-study eligible.
Please contact Ashley Doran with questions.
