Over 2,600 students are employed at LMU and work on and off-campus in a variety of jobs. In most cases, students must apply for financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) in order to receive an award to allow them to work on campus. This work award is considered a form of financial aid. The following information is a summary of the different work awards and their requirements.
What is Work-Study?
All work-study is a work-to-earn program. The amount of work-study awarded to you is the maximum amount you are eligible to earn in wages through your work-study position. Work-study amounts are awarded each year after students complete the FAFSA. Work-study awards, unlike other types of financial aid, are not automatically applied to your student account. For this reason, it will not reduce your balance from the Student Accounts Department. However, any wages you earn can certainly be used to pay for tuition, books, supplies, and other items. You can request your paycheck from your work-study position to be applied directly to your student account by contacting Payroll Services. Be aware that different universities may offer different amounts and types of work-study. Students will not be penalized if they do not earn the full amount of their work-study award. It is simply the means to work on campus to assist students with expenses.
What happens once I have earned my Work-Study allocation?
Students are responsible for ensuring that they do not earn over their work-study allocation. A collaborative effort should be made by both the student and the employer to track earnings. Students may not work beyond their work-study allocation. When a student finds they are getting close to earning their total work-study allocation, they should contact their supervisor to ensure they are aware. However, once the full work-study allocation is earned, the student must stop working unless arrangements can be made directly through the supervisor. Students should sign into their PROWL account regularly to check how much they have been “paid” from their work-study allocation. Students who are close to running out of their work-study allocation may submit a “Financial Aid Revision Form” to request if their allocation can be increased.
Note: As graduate students are not eligible for most subsidized federal financial aid, they are therefore not required to complete federal verification if selected. However, if a graduate student is selected for federal verification and requests federal work-study, the student must submit the required documents to complete verification.
Federal Work-Study (FWS)
FWS is a need-based federal funded work award that allows recipients to work on-campus during the academic year and earn up to the amount of their award. Federal work-study is offered up to $3,200 for the academic year. Pay rates vary depending on the skill level required for the position. It is the student's responsibility to locate a position on campus. On average, students work 6-8 hours per week but are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week. Students must be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible to receive federal work-study funds. FWS is not available at LMU during the summer sessions. During the summer, student may complete a Summer Financial Aid application to apply for "Summer work" (LMU Non-Need Based Work).
LMU Non-Need Based Work (LMU Work)
LMU Work is an LMU funded award that allows recipients to work on-campus during the academic year and earn the amount of their award. To be considered students must have completed the FAFSA and not qualify for Federal Work-Study. Awards are offered for up to $2,000 per year, as funding permits.
How to find a Work-Study Job?
Recipients can find a job using a resource called "Workday" through Student Employment Services. Their website can also give you more information about working at LMU as a student.
Benefits of Working on Campus
- Working on campus allows you to earn money to assist with educational expenses.
- Working reduces the need for student loans.
- Working on campus provides flexible hours, as employers understand that school comes first and will work around your class and study schedules.
- Many jobs are office positions that will provide you with work experience which you can include on your resume.
Responsibilities of Working on Campus
- Notify LMU Financial Aid of enrollment changes that may affect your eligibility for a work award.
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
- Keep track of your hours so that you do not earn more than your work award. Your employer will be responsible for 100% of any wages earned in excess of your work award.
- Notify your supervisor of changes to your work award.
- Report ready to work at the scheduled time.
- Dress appropriately for the workplace.
- Complete duties and not conduct personal business while at work.
- Work with a cooperative and positive attitude.
- Notify the supervisor as soon as possible of any changes in your work schedule and of projects and exams which may interfere with the work schedule.
- Submit the completed time-card/time-sheet and/or complete and submit an electronic time-sheet to the supervisor on time.
- Adhere to any confidentiality/security agreements set forth by the employer.
- Notify each supervisor if employed in more than one position on campus.
- Notify supervisor of any job-related accident.
Tax and FAFSA Implications
Earnings from work are considered taxable income. You will need to determine whether you are required to file a federal or state tax return based on your total earnings from all sources in the prior year. For more information regarding federal taxes, visit www.irs.gov/individuals/students. For California state tax information, visit www.ftb.ca.gov/individuals or the Web site for your state of residency.