<p>I have a couple of quick questions about financial aid, if you don't mind:</p>
<p>1) Let's say that I've been "given" $1,000 is work study in my aid package. I understand that this is money that I earn throughout the year, but do I then have to pay this money back to the university. My point is, I understand how the money is earned, but not how it is spent/gets back to the university.</p>
<p>2) Can "personal expenses" and "books/supplies" be put on my student loan if need be? Is it wise to do so?</p>
<p>Thank you very much.</p>
<p>Work study is part of your financial aid package because it's subsidized by the government. Employer pays half your pay, the government pays half. You'll get a paycheck and a W-2. Jobs are often on campus, or nearby, and flexible in terms of hours.</p>
<p>You use the money as you wish-- usually for miscellaneous expenses. Most college's Cost of Attendance estimates include a couple of categories for 'miscellaneous expenses' or 'travel' or 'books and supplies'. Your earnings can be used to defray some of those costs. Often, the work study earnings are the only part of the financial aid package that the student ever really has 'in-pocket'.</p>
<p>On the student loans-- different programs work differently. At UCLA, the loan proceeds go into our son's account quarterly, just before tuition, room & board are due, and then they get taken out to pay for those things.</p>
<p>So-- don't try to match up the components of your financial aid package directly with the components of the Cost of Attendance estimate. Doesn't really work that way. Instead, think of it as pouring the financial aid components into a big pot, adding the family contribution, and then taking what's needed out to pay for the various costs of college.</p>
<p>A lot of the $$ you'll never see-- except online.</p>