Student Handbook
Work Study / Community Service Work Study
Work Study Eligibility General questions regarding Work-Study should be directed to the
Office of Financial Aid. The information below is specific to Student Employment.
- Student Eligibility for Work-Study
A student who can demonstrate financial need and has qualified through the Office of Financial Aid may be eligible for federal or state aid programs. Under the Work-Study Program, the student is granted a specific allotment of money to be earned in a job while attending the University. The federal government pays seventy percent of the student's wage. The remaining thirty percent is paid by the employing department. It is important to note that the program is designed to create additional employment opportunities for students. Displacement of either a non Work-Study student or full-time employee as a cost reducing tool is viewed as a violation of the law governing this program. Also, Work-Study students may not work more than 29 hours per week for Work-Study reimbursement during the academic year or summer semester. During periods between semesters and finals week, they may work up to 40 hours per week; however, departments will only be reimbursed for the first 29 hours worked per week.
- Work-Study Earnings Limit
The amount the student can earn on the Work-Study Program is limited to the amount of the Work-Study award for the academic year or summer semester period. The student can continue employment after exhausting the Work-Study award amount for the aid period provided the employer is willing to pay 100% of the student's earnings. These additional earnings will not jeopardize the student's current financial aid award.
- Due to federal regulations, work-study students can only be hired as hourly employees.
Community Service Work-Study
Community service jobs include positions that "are designed to improve the quality of life for community residents or to solve particular problems related to their needs".
Some examples of positions that are considered to be community service in nature are:
- Childcare services that are open to the public
- Research projects in which the student is assisting with the actual research and the research benefits the community
- Tutors who are tutoring those who are not students at MSU.
students who work for a department that provides a service to the community and have direct interaction with the clients (e.g.: museum, language lab, library, public broadcasting)
- Other jobs that meet the requirements if they are open to the public are health care, literacy training, welfare, social services, community improvement, crime prevention and control, transportation, recreation, rural development, public safety, youth corps, housing and neighborhood improvement, education, counseling (personal or career), support services for members of the community with disabilities or support for community recreation activities
Students are identified as Work Study when the department indicates Work Study via the Enterprise Business System (EBS).
Go Back to the Student Employment Manual Index