Work-Study Employers

About Work-Study

Work-study is a type of need-based financial aid that allows students to work on-campus to earn money to help pay for educational expenses. Only students who have work-study included in their financial aid offer can apply for a work-study position. Wages for these positions are primarily paid through funding from the U.S. Department of Education, with a small portion matched by the University.

To be eligible for a work-study position, a student must:

• Submit the FAFSA and meet general federal aid eligibility requirements
• Have it included in their financial aid offer and accept it in My4D
• Be enrolled at least half time (6 credits or more for undergraduates, 4 credits or more for graduate students)

Due to limited funding, not all students who would otherwise be eligible will be offered work-study. The amount a student is offered is the maximum amount they can earn for the academic year. Typical award amounts offered are:

• $2,500 for first-year undergraduates
• $3,000 for 2nd-, 3rd, and 4th-year undergraduates
• $5,000 for graduate students

Students who don't have work-study included in their financial aid offer may request to be added to the waitlist by sending an email to workstudy@du.edu.

Work-study employees are paid every two weeks for hours worked. Paychecks are not applied directly to the DU tuition bill—they are sent directly to the student via direct deposit.

Offices can hire as many students with work-study as they deem appropriate. However, many times there are more work-study positions available than there are students with work-study. 

Additional information about this program is available in the work-study policy guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

• I already have a student I want to hire and don't need to recruit. Do I have to post the job anyway?

  For work-study positions, there must be an approved job description in PCO. However, it doesn't need to be posted for students to see.

  For non-benefited positions, you don't need a job description listed in the job board.

• I'm hiring the same work-study employee as last year. Do I need to submit another background check?

  Probably not. If the student was previously employed at DU within the last 120 days, another background check is not required. However, you must still submit the hiring request through My4D in order to hire the student.

• How many hours per week can a student work?

  While there isn't a limit to the number of hours a student can work per week, we don't recommend that students enrolled full time work more than 20 hours per week. However, work-study funds cannot be used to pay for overtime hours. Wages for hours worked over 40 hours per week must be paid out of departmental funds.

• Can students work during University breaks?

  Yes. If the department is open and supervisors can approve time, students may work during breaks (this includes winter break, spring break, etc.). However, remember that work-study funds cannot be used to pay for overtime hours.

• Is there a limit to how long a student can work?

  Yes. Work-study earnings are limited to the student's work-study award. For example, if a student's work-study award is $3,000, that's the maximum amount he or she can earn during that academic year. Be sure to factor that in when putting together your student's work schedule. You can monitor earnings through the Banner form RZIWORK.

  Non-benefited students can only work up to 1,000 hours per year.

• Can students study while at work?

  No. While the name of the program is somewhat misleading, students should not be compensated for studying while at their work-study job. These positions are meant to enhance the academic and professional development of students while they're in college, and should be treated as such.

• Can students have more than one job?

  Students are not permitted to be employed in more than one work-study position at a time, and work-study may not be utilized in combination with a GTA/GRA within the same quarter or semester.

  However, students are permitted to hold a work-study position and another on-campus non-benefitted position at the same time.

Dates, Forms & Resources

Important Work-Study Dates:

• May 15, 2025 - Last day semester (law) students can work using their 2024-25 work-study
• June 12, 2025 - Last day all other students can work using their 2024-25 work-study
• July 7, 2025 - TENTATIVE - First day students with work-study for 2025-26 can begin working
• September 1, 2025 - TENTATIVE- Deadline for students to accept work-study in My4D 

Forms & Resources:

• Change of Supervisor Form
• Banner Access Forms
• Work-Study Policy Guide
• Using RZIWORK to Monitor Work-Study Earnings
• Student Employment Office