Loyola University Chicago

Student Employment & Work-Study

Career Services

Work-Study 101

This section is dedicated to answering questions related to managing students who work in Work-Study funded positions.  It applies to both On-Campus Managers as well as Community Partners who hire work-study recipients into the CBFWS Program.  If you are a manager with questions about the Federal Work-Study Program at Loyola, please contact the Assistant Director, Employer Relations (Student Employment) by calling 312-915-8844. 

Work-Study funds are:

  • Awarded to over 50% of all Loyola undergraduate students
  • Federal dollars 
  • Awarded within Financial Aid Packages
  • Determined based on NEED not on potential earning opportunities
  • A grant (the student does not have to pay them back)
  • Only earned through work performed like all other Student Employment positions
  • Should be earned by employing the student in a job with responsibilities and skill building
  • Not intended to fund positions where studying while working happens by design. The responsibilities of the job always take priority over studying (while at work)
  • Awarded once per year and are meant for that entire year (the amount is NOT per semester)

On-Campus:

  • August 28: Work-Study students may begin to work (this is the start of Financial Aid accessibility)
  • August - October: High volume of student's seeking work
  • May 4: Last day that any student is allowed to work, Human Resources will perform an auto-termination of all student employees and work-study students

Community Work-Study:

  • May 24, 2023: Manager Training, See Assistant Director, Employer Relations (Student Employment) for details.
  • August 28: Work-Study students may begin to work (this is the start of Financial Aid accessibility)
  • August - October: High volume of student's seeking work
  • May 4: Last day that a student is allowed to work

Students who work in work-study positions receive Federal funds in their wage. Because of the funding, they have some unique rights and work restrictions that do not apply to other part-time employees. According to the Federal Government, the following is a list of those rights and restrictions:

On-Campus:

  • Work-study students cannot be asked to maintain space that is used solely for religious worship.
  • Work-study students cannot work for a specific political party, politician, or candidate.
  • Work-study students cannot be asked to pay for work application-related procedures such as finger printing, KEYS testing, background checks, etc.
  • Work-study students cannot be asked to purchase uniform pieces beyond what all other staff are asked to purchase

Community-based Federal Work-Study:

  • Work-study students cannot be asked to maintain space that is used solely for religious worship.
  • Work-study students cannot work for a specific political party, politician, or candidate.
  • Work-study students cannot be asked to pay for work application-related procedures such as finger printing, KEYS testing, background checks, etc.
  • Work-study students cannot be asked to purchase uniform pieces beyond what all other staff are asked to purchase
  • Students working in development cannot be asked to perform direct fundraising solicitation (ask for donations). Activities such as donor research, database administration, etc. are allowable.
  • Work-study students must be a part-time employee of any organization they work for, not a contractor, sub-contractor, or consultant. All work must culminate in an annual W2.

PLEASE NOTE: NO STUDENT EMPLOYEE, WHETHER ON CAMPUS OR IN THE COMMUNITY PROGRAM, IS ALLOWED TO WORK NO MORE THAN 19.5 HOURS PER WEEK.

  • Average Award Amount = $2,000
  • Minimum Hourly Wage = $15.80
  • Work-study jobs are required to pay at least the current federal minimum wage.
  • A reduction of awarded FWS funds indicates a change made to a student's Financial Aid profile. Contact Financial Aid to inquire about a change of fund amount.