<p>I am a freshman at UC Berkeley and was offered a work study grant. I was unsure at the time if I wanted to do work study, because I wanted to get a feel of my first semester. So, I did not accept. My second semester has started, and I want to take up a job - but the job requires that I have a work study grant.</p>
<p>I am confused. If I didn't accept, does that mean I technically don't have the grant even though I was offered it? Can I just apply for the job (and assume I could get paid with work study)? Or must I have to appeal for something? I also know there is a way to transfer loans (which I do have) to work study ... though I am unsure how that process works.</p>
<p>What should I do? Any tips on this matter will help a lot!</p>
<p>You probably won’t be able to get it back for this year, although it’s worth going into the financial aid office and asking. Public universities usually don’t have enough work study to go around to all the students who need it, so if you declined yours it was probably then offered to someone else. Go in and ask though.</p>
<p>Actually if a job is funded with work study funds and NOT university funds, the job will NOT be available to non-work study students. DS did not receive work study. He applied for a job for which he had unique qualifications. Unfortunately it was funded with work study money. He was not able to be hired. Sadly they NEVER found anyone that year for the position…it didn’t matter that he was qualified and no work study students applied for it…he was UNABLE to be hired. The job was funded with work study money…and he was not eligible for that.</p>
<p>If you don’t currently have a work study award, you will not be able to get a work study job. Some college campuses do have employment for students that is university funded. See if your school has any of those types of jobs. And look off campus too.</p>
Not at the schools (admittedly very limited) that we have experience with. Work study wages are heavily subsidized by the govt (I think 66% or 75% is funded by the govt) so some departments can only afford certain jobs if they are WS jobs and will not offer them as non WS jobs. At my daughter’s school you can not even apply for a WS job if you do not have a WS award (and if you turn down WS you do not have a WS award). </p>
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Check with your school. At my daughter’s school there is a time limit for accepting a WS offer. If you do not accept the WS is awarded to someone else. WS funding is very limited and there are usually more eligible students than WS $$$s, so schools will re award the money if a student does not accept it. If that is the case at your school you can ask if there are funds still available, but it is likely at this point in the year that there is no WS money left to award. If you do not have a WS award you can not get a WS award.</p>
<p>You can check but at my sons’ colleges work study is highly coveted and they simply distribute until they are out of funds. You can ask, but in the future years don’t EVER turn down work/study!! You don’t have to secure a job but if you change your mind the work/study has been granted. So yes, technically you didn’t accept work/study so you technically don’t have work/study right now I believe. Work/study is not really a grant. You need to work to receive.</p>
<p>You’re best best is to look in your college town or look around campus for any non-work/study jobs and hope that they put it in your finaid package for next year.</p>
<p>Ask your financial aid office!!! Where I work, if the award is still on your account as offered, and if we have not yet canceled it, you can do the work study.</p>
<p>Always ask YOUR school … only they know their policies! :)</p>
<p>Yes, as your school’s FA office, this came up with daughter this semester, she declined her work study award since she had to do an internship to prepare for her student teaching and now for the spring semester, she was interested in a work study job. She went and asked about putting it back on and they told her to find a work study job, bring them the paperwork and they would add it back, so it can be done. At daughter’s school, I think not everyone uses their award so there is always some that can be awarded. She has skills and a work ethic that make her a desired employee, and some of her jobs have added a mixture of work study and student assistant allowing her more hours during holidays and such. Never hurts to ask.</p>
<p>Just curious if anyone has information/experience about whether work study jobs on campus might pay at a higher wage rate than non-WS jobs, due to the fact that the WS jobs are subsidized 75% by the federal govt (and the school only pays 25%). I would think that a professor might be able to attract better applicants for a research job if the position was a WS funded position by offering a higher wage, vs. maybe a cafeteria job for which the campus only pays minimum wage.</p>
<p>My son’s work study job pays him $7.25/hour if that helps you.</p>
<p>OP - my son did not do his work study job first semester freshman year - but he contacted the appropriate person in the FA office as soon as he returned to campus second semester freshman year and said he did want a work study job now and they were able to help him out. The fact that he declined it for the first semester was not a problem at his particular university.</p>