Программа работы со стипендией в Iowa State помогает студентам оплачивать учебные материалы и сохранять баланс между учебой и работой

Iowa State offers several types of financial aid, including grants, scholarships, loans and student employment. One of these, the work-study program, is a need-based form of financial aid offered to eligible students through federally and institutionally funded student jobs. Employers pay 40% of a student’s wages, while work-study funding covers the remaining 60%. Students participating in work-study can credit their earnings as financial aid, reducing their student contribution on future FAFSAs. Tage Bowers, a sophomore fashion design and merchandising major, is the student lead at the bookstore in the Memorial Union. Bowers said participating in work-study has been financially beneficial, allowing more money to go toward school supplies. “Since I am a fashion major, I do have to spend a lot of money on supplies. The money I would be spending on my tuition is going into the supplies instead, so I can get better supplies for my major,” Bowers said. Students can indicate their interest in work-study by selecting “yes” when asked about it on the FAFSA. Students should file the FAFSA by Iowa State’s priority deadline. Students can check their financial aid offer to see whether they have been awarded work-study. Eligibility may change as financial aid packages change. According to Iowa State’s hourly student employment guidance, students who begin as eligible may lose eligibility, while students who are initially ineligible may later become eligible. Beyond the financial benefits, Jax Martin, a sophomore architecture major who works at Union Drive Marketplace through the work-study program, said he enjoys the program’s flexibility compared with other jobs. “A work-study job, they understand that you are studying; they will help to make sure you can maintain that balance between working and school,” Martin said. Student employees are limited to 20 hours or less per week while classes are in session. Students who are not awarded work-study can contact the Student Employment Center to determine whether they may still be eligible. For more information about the program, students can visit the Office of Student Financial Aid’s website or the Student Employment Center in Room 0640 of Beardshear Hall.