Work Study and Student Employment

If you get a work study job, you may work a maximum of 16 hours per week while classes are in session. You may work more (up to 40 hours per week) during quarter breaks if there is a need in the department.

After you are hired, you will work with your supervisor to set your weekly schedule. You can view the total amount of your award on your ctcLink account, under the Financial Aid tab. The total for the award is for the year, summer quarter to spring quarter. If you earn the amount of your award before the end of the year, you will have to stop working.

How you get paid

How you get paid depends on whether you work on- or off-campus. In most cases you will be paid at your work place. On-campus employees may elect to have their paychecks directly deposited to their bank accounts; some off-campus employers may offer the same service.

When you get paid

If you work on-campus you are paid twice a month, the 10th and 25th of each month. If these days fall on a weekend you are paid on either Friday or Monday. You will need to track and submit your hours worked via ctcLink in order to be paid.

If you work off-campus you are paid by your employer directly according to their payroll schedule.

Record your hours worked

On-Campus Work Study employment requires you to use HCM Self Services in ctcLink to report your hours worked.  Your employer is responsible for verifying and approving your hours worked each pay period. Once you have submitted your work hours, the supervisor will receive notification to approve. Late submission of hours will be processed the following pay period.

Off-campus employers pay their Work Study students directly, according to the same schedule used to pay their other employees (must be at least once each month). You should find out what this schedule is when you are hired. After you are paid, the off-campus employer contacts the Work Study Office for reimbursement of a portion of your wages. This reimbursement procedure requires that you sign an off-campus time sheet verifying your hours and the amount of pay you received.

At any time in the year, the Financial Aid office may withdraw your Work Study funds if it is determined that you are no longer eligible. If that happens, we will notify your employer that you must stop working as a Work Study employee.

The most common reasons are:

• If you don’t meet satisfactory academic progress, your Work Study and other aid will be canceled and your employer notified that you are no longer eligible. You may not work as a Work Study student until you have resumed satisfactory progress and your Work Study award has been reinstated. See information on Satisfactory Academic Progress here.
• If you withdraw from classes or if your registration is canceled during the academic year, you are no longer eligible for Work Study and must stop working.
• If your financial need changes, you may also lose your Work Study eligibility. You are expected to report any additional resources you may receive to the financial aid office. These may include scholarships, grants or loans not awarded or processed by Financial Aid. If you fail to report additional resources, your eligibility for future aid may be jeopardized.
• Earning your award too quickly: If you earn your Work Study award before the end of the award period, you must stop working. If you continue to work, your employer must pay 100% of your non-Work Study earnings.