<p>I have a question about financial aid:</p>
<p>If a student receives financial aid in the forms of tuition grant + federal work study, does the student have to participate in the work study in order to get the grant (tuition reduction)? </p>
<p>Thanks for any information.</p>
<p>Work study is a separate form of aid and allows the student to be hired for a larger selection of jobs, often getting a higher wage and often ON CAMPUS! If the student chooses NOT to get a work study job, it does not affect the other portions of the FAid or merit package. There is generally a maximum that the student can earn under their work study award as well.</p>
<p>Just in case you’re worried about work study taking time away from class preparation, some studies have shown students who participate in WS have higher grades than those who don’t.</p>
<p>Work Study recipients have to look for their own jobs, often using the on-campus employment center. Their wages may or may not be higher than usual (my daughter’s wage was the same as any on-campus job). They get paid directly based on their hours worked, just as anyone would receive a pay check. That is, they don’t get the money and then work the hours. My daughter never earned the amount she was granted, because of her and the job’s available hours. But it was easy for her to get the jobs in each case.</p>
<p>Another work study question: my D is working part time this summer at her college as a TA for a summer class. It falls under work study, however we as a family do not qualify for FA. My understanding is jobs are offered to work study recipeints first but then opened to others if not filled. She’s paid minimum wage, so will not earn all that much. Come tax time, is there anything different she needs to do re: filing taxes, does she get a regular W2. The job will probably continue into the school year in some fashion. Thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks guys for the great information. I can see WS overall is very good for developing the maturity of a 17 year old, not to mention the benefit of a paycheck. I suppose there is some kind of WS job listing at most colleges, when would normally such list be available for incoming freshmen to search?</p>
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<p>Depends on the source of the funding. If it’s federal work study, it is money that is for need based aid recipients ONLY. If it’s a job that is ONLY funded with federal work study money, it cannot be given to the general student body unless the school picks up the tab.</p>
<p>When my son was a freshman, he applied for a job that he was very qualified to do…and the employer wanted to hire him. BUT the job was funded with federal work study money. DS had NO financial need so was not eligible for WS. NO ONE was hired for the job the whole year because NO ONE with WS awards applied who could do the job. They were unable to offer the position to my son because it was solely funded with federal work study monies that he was NOT eligible to receive.</p>
<p>NOW…DD worked at a couple of on campus jobs. In all cases, her jobs were funded both by WS AND by campus funds. SO when her WS award ran out, the school simply paid her anyway. In one of her jobs, if they didn’t get WS students, they were able to hire non WS students because the school also had money to fund these jobs.</p>
<p>There is actually no tuition reduction for work study. The part of the award letter that describes, say, “$3k” in work study means that the school considers that $3K as resources the student can contribute through working, to the cost of attendance. It also means the student is qualified to participate in work study jobs, which are specifically designated for that purpose, but the student can work in any job, or no job at all. It will not change financial aid, only the amount of money the student or family will pay outside of the financial aid grants, scholarships and loans listed.</p>
<p>Some schools (Brown, for one) don’t have this on the financial aid letter for first year, because they feel students on financial aid should have the same ability to transition and settle in as those who are not on financial aid, without the added pressures of working.</p>
<p>Also, that first year, often kids have outside scholarships, for local Rotary, PTO etc., that some schools will apply to the work study amount.</p>
<p>I personally encourage my kids NOT to work first semester, or even first year, as long as we can even barely afford it. However, my oldest got a job within a week of arriving on campus, which was not work study (though he qualified) but within his academic department.</p>
<p>My second child is doing internships that are not paid, for now. In the long term, doing an internship in her field feels like a better investment, financially and otherwise, than doing a work study on campus, and has the same effect of keeping her directed and organized.</p>
<p>Our youngest will probably do work-study on campus, but not first semester.</p>
<p>So I think it really varies.</p>
<p>I had work-study soph thru SR years in college & honestly enjoyed the different positions around campus I held. They allowed me to get to know some of the top administration of my U as well as many of the faculty in my department; the hours did not detract from my schoolwork or in any way lessen my grades. I still had time for many ECs & my BF & was able to graduate with honors–writing an honors thesis with profs I met in my W/S position as my advisors.</p>
<p>I did not want my kids to work their 1st years in college; S did not apply for any job until his JR year & it was in his department, doing research. D applied for & got a job her 2nd day on campus; she was the only non-w/s student they hired. It was in her intended field of study and she loved getting to know the co-workers and others who came to their office. Like many W/S jobs, it was very flexible with hours–she could come to work or not, as long as she gave them notice & didn’t exceed some agreed-upon maximum. She held that job until they ran out of non-w/s funds & had to let her go, only retaining W/S students (she doesn’t qualify as she has no FAid).</p>
<p>compmom, thanks for sharing.</p>
<p>My son is given 2.8k FWS for the upcoming freshman year. Financially, we are ok without the money. I am apprehensive about the possibility that the time and energy it takes to fulfill the WS duties may complicate his settling in academically and socially. A commitment of 10-12 hrs/week is not insignificant for anyone, certainly not for a freshman. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I see WS has the potential to be a good pathway for him to develop maturity, to be conscious about time management, and to built relationship/network with co-workers/mentors/employers–with additional spent money as a nice bonus.</p>
<p>HImom, your stories are encouraging :)</p>
<p>All work-study jobs are NOT created equal. I chose my jobs carefully & loved them. 1st semester, I worked in the cafe where I lived & checked in diners as they came to eat off a huge printout. It helped me get to know the names of the folks living in the dorms & was very convenient. I also worked for the associate provost and was allowed to reactivate honor societies as my job (I proposed & he was delighted for me to take it on as my project). I also worked in Center for the Sociology of Women & got to know all the female profs in my major, convincing them I should write an honors thesis with them as advisors & graduate with honors (we didn’t have an honors program). Since all jobs were on campus and scheduling was fairly flexible, I was able to schedule at times that worked for me.</p>
<p>D also loved her job & was sad when she had to leave because they ran out of funding. She learned some useful technical skills and made good relationships with faculty who were happy to write recommendations to help her get into the school she wanted to major in. They were flexible about her hours and able to let her call in to not come to work when she was ill or schoolwork demands were too great. She got a lot of studying done during slow times at work.</p>
<p>If your child MAY want to do W/S, I’d suggest he check out the offerings as soon as he gets to campus, since the most desirable jobs are taken quickly (but check back periodically as sometimes things open up as well). He may wish to look at things in the field he wishes to major in, so it can help him get to know the department & faculty better, or to use skills he has. Most campus jobs do allow students to put studies first and are understanding about illness, exams, projects, etc., as long as sufficient notice is given for student & employer to work things out.</p>
<p>There are usually 3 types of “work study”, Federal work study, employment and non-work study.</p>
<p>The Federal Work-Study Program (FWSP) is a federally funded program and was established by Congress through the Higher Education Act of 1965 to assist needy students earn money to meet educational costs. Participation in the program is determined by the student’s financial need and is awarded as part of the financial aid package. Earnings are not applied directly to the tuition bill, but are used by the student to cover costs such as books, personal items, and transportation. FWSP funds may only be used on campus with on-campus employers or with approved off-campus community service employers.</p>
<p>Employment is an alternative form of funding for student who do not qualify for work-study funds, usually for citizenship reasons. Regulation of the Employment program mirrors the FWSP in that a student must show a financial need to be eligible for such funding. Employment funds are usually not permissible for off-campus use.</p>
<p>non work study postions are for students who are not FWS or employment eligible. These types of jobs are usually available on campus through food services , bookstore, etc.</p>
<p>I understand that some parents may not want their children to work their first year on campus. However, because it is so competitive to even get a non-paid internship,for a student who does not have extensive work experience, work study can be a way to build a resume and a network, which may be important when it comes to applying for internships, doing research and getting recommendations.</p>
<p>FWIW, I did not have Finaid, so was not able to snag a job 'til sophomore year. Working 10 - 12 hr/wk was a piece of cake. It just reduced hanging out time by a small fraction. Working 16 hr/wk involved time management, and I would not recommend 20 hr/wk because that much definitely cuts into study time.</p>
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<p>My son had a w/s job as a freshman. He enjoyed it and enjoyed the pocket money! He gave the school a schedule of when he could work and that is when he was scheduled. It was rather relaxed so if he had something else that he had to do for classes his schedule could be changed. His grades were very good. I think that w/s was a very good thing for him. He was awarded less than your son (he was allowed to earn $1700). If you don’t work the job then you just don’t earn the money. I don’t think it is a problem if your son decides he would like to request less hours, or tells the school that he no longer wants a w/s job. It would not have been an issue for my son to reduce his hours or stop his w/s job if that is what he wanted to do.</p>
<p>Thanks NEmom. </p>
<p>Now, a question about tax: do the students normally file a tax return on their own, separate from the parents’ ?</p>
<p>Can internship or research under a professor count as work study?</p>
<p>For S, some of what he thought were earnings were reported by his employers as a SCHOLARSHIP & reported to IRS as such, so not taxable. He & we were surprised. We asked our tax preparer the pros & cons of S & D filing separately or with us & let him guide us.</p>
<p>An internship or research under a professor can count as Work Study depending on how the school classifies the job.</p>
<p>Assuming the student had income taxes withheld or earned enough to be required to file a state and/or Federal tax return, they file their own taxes either as independent or as an individual who is claimed as a dependent on someone else’s tax return. You DO NOT include their earnings on your income taxes. </p>
<p>One benefit of Work Study is that while ones’ earnings are taxable at the state and local levels, they do not count against financial aid in future years and are not subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare taxes). Earnings vary depending on the school and the position. At my school, all on-campus Work Study students are paid the Federal minimum, whereas at my local community college (different state) Work Study students are paid $10.83 per hour.</p>
<p>Some states also have Work Study programs for their residents. These programs may have different requirements and restrictions than Federal Work Study.</p>
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Assuming they made enough to have to file a return, they would file their own. Earned income of a child cannot be claimed on the parent’s return. Of course, if they had withholding, they may want to file even if not required in order to get it back.</p>
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If reported as a scholarship it COULD be taxable if it exceeds the amount of qualified tuition and fees. Just because it’s a scholarship, doesn’t mean it won’s be taxable. I think your second question pertains to whether your kids should claim themselves on their own returns or have you claim them, but it does not refer to whether you can claim their income on your return.</p>