Work Study/Student Employment
Work Study/Student Employment
The work study component of a financial aid award package is the opportunity for students to work on campus to earn funds to help pay for their educational expenses. Students work an average of seven hours a week, for all work study positions combined. The current wage rate is $15 per hour for most jobs. Wages are paid directly to the student on a biweekly schedule. Students may authorize the College to have a portion of their pay applied to their student bill.
Domestic students must complete the FAFSA form every year to be considered for work study. International students must complete the Profile once at the time they apply for admission to be considered for work study. Students must be making satisfactory academic progress according to Hampshire's standards. Students must be receiving the need-based Hampshire Grant, Hampshire Opportunity Grant, or the International Tuition Grant to be eligible for work-study.
There are a variety of student positions available throughout the campus in different offices, schools, the library, dining commons, etc. Community service positions are designed to improve the quality of life for community members, particularly low-income individuals; solutions to particular problems related to their needs are also available. Students have also found placements as America Reads tutors in preschool, elementary, and after school programs. An effort is made to help students obtain positions that suit their interests, skills, and academic schedules, but it is each student's responsibility to secure a job. The student employment coordinator maintains a listing of positions on the Hampshire Intranet. The Intranet is available only to enrolled students.
Wages are paid from institutional funds as well as from the Federal Work Study Program. Off-campus placements in eligible non-profit and community service agencies are available to students who qualify for Federal Work Study (FWS) funds. Students must also secure these jobs, and the off-campus agency is required to pay a percentage of the students' wages.
Only students who have work study as part of their financial aid awards are allowed to work on campus or in one of the eligible off-campus agencies. We wish we could offer employment opportunities to any student who wished to work on campus. Student positions are limited, however, and must be reserved for those students who have demonstrated the need for employment to meet their educational expenses.
Students hired to do certain positions such as dorm resident advisors or mod resident advisors and are originally packaged with Federal Work Study (FWS) will have their FWS either reduced or eliminated depending on which position is taken.
Students planning to work in a work-study position must complete and submit various forms, including the federal I-9 form and the payroll tax forms (W-4 & M-4 forms). New students should NOT complete the required tax forms before they come to campus. These are date-sensitive forms and cannot be accepted if dated prior to their arrival to campus. New students will meet with student employment staff during the orientation period to complete the various forms.
Active students only may hold a student employment position at Hampshire College. Students who are on leave, exchange, or field study may not work for the College. Students who have graduated or withdrawn may also not hold any student employment position at Hampshire College. A student employment position includes those which are paid by a stipend.