Financial aid also comes in the form of jobs on campus
One form of student aid often overlooked at the beginning of a student’s career at a college or university is working for the school. Student employment comes in two basic forms: federally funded workstudy, based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and departmental student employment, funded by the institution itself.
Simone Werth, student employment coordinator at Fort Hays State University, said each institution has its own policies, procedures and guidelines. FHSU students qualify for student employment when they enroll in at least six credit hours. Other universities may require a minimum of 12.
“Every school establishes its own criteria,” she said. “It may even have different names. Workstudy is what we call federally funded student employment. Student jobs funded by the university itself are called non-workstudy or departmental student employment at FHSU.”
Student employment also occupies a different place in the administrative structure of individual institutions. Werth said that in some, as at FHSU, student employment is located in the Financial Assistance Office. At others it can be in career services, human resources or a stand-alone office.
New freshmen should ask early in the application process about student employment and where to find it. Student employment, she said, has several potential advantages in addition to earning money to help defray the costs of an education and reduce debt load.
Students who work on campus can learn valuable skills and apply classroom knowledge in a work environment. They meet new people, enhance time management skills, establish professional relationships and cultivate references for future employment.
“Research also shows that they are more likely to succeed at their studies, as long as they work 20 hours or less,” said Werth.
She and Jessie Rice are the student employment coordinators at FHSU. For information on student employment at FHSU, go to www.fhsu.edu/finaid/student-employment.
