<p>an out of state (public) school awarded me $500 a semester...will an in-state school (in CA) award me more?</p>
<p>Yes, they can. My work-study award is $3k/year. I’ve seen it as high as $6k. </p>
<p>With that said, it all depends on their available funds. They CAN award more, but they might not if you don’t qualify or if they’ve run out of WS.</p>
<p>Just as an FYI, work study is not awarded. It’s an amount you can “earn” during the school year by working where half of the wages are picked up by the government and the business or establishment paying the other half. You can usually work more than what is indicated (in this case the business is paying your entire wage) but when it comes to filling out your FAFSA in subsequent years only the amount up to what is listed on your fin aid summary is subtracted from your income. Anything over that is considered regular income. For example, my D earned close to $5K working on campus last year during the school year and summer but only $1275 was eligible work study earnings.</p>
<p>The amount of maximum work study you are eligible for is dependent on your EFC.</p>