Center for Community Engaged Learning

Community Work-Study

Do You Qualify for a Work-Study Student?

If your organization is an off-campus non-profit, it is possible for you to hire a part-time employee and pay only 25% of their hourly rate. The Federal Work-Study program was created for students who qualify for government aid. Students are granted a certain amount of money which they can earn over the course of the semester. Currently, most work-study positions are on campus; however, there are incentives for our students to get a work-study position off campus. We would like to help you create those opportunities.

To qualify for a work-study position (wherein you could hire a part-time employee- usually between 10 and 20 hours a week), contact Sherri Wilde in the Financial Aid office at sherriwilde@weber.edu or 801-626-7003. She will ask you to provide the following articles of information which can be either faxed or mailed to her attention:

  • A copy of your Articles of Incorporation.
  • A copy of your organization's Charter.
  • A copy of your organization’s By-Laws.
  • Certification that the work will be properly supervised and documented.
  • Certification that your organization or agency has professional direction and staff.

(Please contact her before sending this information.)

The Process

Once this information is provided to the Financial Aid office, they will initiate a contract with you. If you set up a successful contract, you will be asked to provide a job description for students so that when they look at available job listings your organization’s job will be listed. You are advised to offer at least minimum wage, but more often than not, students apply for work-study jobs that pay more than minimum wage. Your organization is responsible for providing a job description and responding to any subsequent inquiries by students. Your organization ultimately dictates who is interviewed and hired; however, you must be certain that the student is work-study qualified before hiring him or her.

The process can be lengthy; however, having a part-time employee that is only a 25% out-of-pocket expense is a fantastic opportunity for most non-profit organizations.

A fair warning: ideally you should get the position you create filled within the year and maintain the filled position, otherwise Financial Aid will want to initiate a new contract with you to ensure that you still qualify.