Student Employment Services
Centennial Hall
Fort Collins, CO 80523
970-491-5714
seserv@colostate.edu
What is Work-Study?
 It is a part-time job opportunity
 Wages can be used to help pay for college expenses
 Award amount is the total amount you can earn during
the academic year
 Usually $3,000 per year, but you can request an increase, if
funds are available and you are eligible
 You are not paid to study; rather, you use your
earnings to pay for your studies
 Work-Study is paid every other week by direct deposit
to a personal bank account
What is Work-Study? (cont’d)
 Work-Study wages are subsidized
 70% of your wages are paid from work-study funds
 30% of your wages are paid from employer funds
 You can work around your class schedule
 You will usually have time off during school breaks
 Two types of Work-Study:
 Need-Based Work-Study
 Merit-Based Work-Study
What is Need-Based Work-Study?
 Need-based work-study is awarded based on financial
need, as determined by the FAFSA, and the availability
of funds
 File the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
early!
 Advantages:
 If you worked work-study in a prior year, you are awarded
renewal work-study each subsequent year, if eligible
 Earnings can be excluded from income when filing FAFSA
 Can be used to work in either on or off-campus jobs
 Can also be used to work in Federal Community Service
positions
 Community Service: Jobs that benefit local community –
Library, Centers for Disease Control, Literacy/Math Tutors in
Elementary Schools
What is Merit-Based Work-Study?
 Not based on financial need. No FAFSA required
 Application is available on RAMweb in early February
for the following academic year
 Jobs must be located before applying
 The award is based primarily upon the applicant finding a
job in their major or a job which strengthens career goals
 Awards are made on a first-come, first-served basis
 Funds are limited, so apply immediately
 Colorado merit – For undergraduate Colorado
residents only
 Nonresident merit – For undergraduate and graduate
nonresident students
Where Can I Work?
 Most common employment location is on-campus
 Many academic and administrative departments hire workstudy students
 Selected off-campus agencies also have contracted
with the University to hire work-study students
 Federal Community Service Work-Study jobs are
available to any interested student with a work-study
award
 Community Service Jobs could be working for select
elementary schools as Literacy/Math Tutors or other
approved jobs for the public good
How Do I Find a Job?
 RAMweb job postings - JobX
 Ramweb.colostate.edu
 Click on “Student Job Listing” under “Financial Information” and login
 Read Disclaimers, run multiple searches, and view jobs
 When viewing the job list, click on the magnifying glass more job details
 You may also sign up for JobMail
 JobMail is a system that notifies you automatically by email when jobs of
interest to YOU are posted.
 You must complete a JobMail subscription to enable
 Go to “My Dashboard”
 “Add New Subscription”
 View the JobX Student User Guide for more assistance
 Still having trouble? Call and set up a time to meet with Student
Employment Services, 970-491-5714
Interview Tips
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Follow directions on job posting on how to apply
Take it seriously
Dress appropriately
Be on time for the interview
Be prepared to talk about yourself and your work
experience
Email a copy of your work-study award from RAMweb
to employer, or bring a copy to the interview
Bring/send a resume, or job history
Ask questions—duties, hours, pay rate, expectations?
Thank the employer
What Kind of Jobs Are Available?
 We have over one hundred different student job
classifications
 A majority of jobs available involve administrative
work, lab work, tutoring children, computer
programming, working with animals and working
in the residence halls.
What Are the Pay Rates?
 The type of job you find determines the pay rate—each
job classification has a pay rate range attached
 The lowest student pay rate:
 $8.00/hour (current minimum wage)
 The average pay rate -- $9.61/hour
 The employer may choose to give merit raises
 10 steps of pay for each job classification
 Automatic cost of living raises may be applied if the
economy is good
Examples of Student Pay Rates/Hour
 Job Title
Admin Assistant I
Campus Rec Worker
Classroom Assistant
Computer Lab Asst I
Lab Assistant Intern
Literacy/Math Tutor
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
$10.05
$8.21
$8.21
$8.67
$8.45
$10.00
$10.30
$8.42
$8.42
$8.89
$8.66
$10.25
$10.55
$8.62
$8.62
$9.10
$8.87
$10.50
How Many Hours Do I Need to Work?
 Hourly pay rate and work-study award amount
determine the number of hours/week you will work.
 Example:
 $3,000 work-study award
 $9.00/hour pay rate
 32 weeks of work per academic year
 $3,000 award / $9.00 per hour / 32 weeks
 => 10 hours/week
 For more examples, view the Work-Study Allocation Table
How Do I Get Paid?
 You will be asked to fill out the I-9
 The I-9 is used to prove identity & eligibility to work
in the United States
 You will need to show evidence of identity and
eligibility using original documents
 You can use, for example, a Passport, Driver License, CSU
ID, Social Security Card, Birth Certificate
How Do I Get Paid? (cont’d)
 You will be asked to fill out the Pay Disposition
Action form
 This document is used to set up direct deposit to your
bank account
 Must provide voided check or letter from bank with
your account number and routing number clearly
indicated
 You pay is deposited directly into a bank account of
your choice
How Do I Get Paid? (cont’d)
 You will be asked to fill out the W-4 form
 The W-4 is used to determine amount of tax
withholding:
 Have an idea for number of exemptions you will claim, or
if you will file “Exempt”
How Do I Get Paid? (cont’d)
 You will either submit a time sheet to document hours
worked, or clock-in hours worked using a time clock
 Important: submit correct time on time sheet and get
supervisor’s signature
 Ask your employer about deadline for submitting hours
worked
 Pay day is every other Friday
 Follow this link to view the Pay Period Schedule
Work-Study Rules I Should Know
 You may have only 1 work-study job at a time
 It is important to find a job early, as jobs get filled
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quickly
Try to earn all of your award amount
You can earn up to 50% of your total award amount
during the fall term. The remaining 50% (plus any
remaining amount from the fall term) can be earned
during the spring term
You must not work during scheduled class times
You must not work more than an average of 20
hours/week
Online Resources & Contact Info
Good luck with your job search! Don’t
hesitate to contact us if you have any
questions!
Online Resources:
 www.ses.colostate.edu
 RAMweb.colostate.edu
Contact Info:
Student Employment Services
Centennial Hall
Email: seserv@colostate.edu
Phone: 970-491-5714