The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program provides a maximum of $2500/academic year per student to help fund their part-time employment. Employers will distribute these funds to the student on an hourly wage basis (checks come out every 2 weeks).
In mid-August, some students are placed by the university for particular jobs through the FWS. If you are not placed, you must apply and secure your own employment before or once you arrive on-campus.
Whenever applying for jobs make sure to mention that you are Federal Work-Study eligible. This puts you at an advantage because it makes you eligible for more jobs than non-FWS students and is a more affordable option for employers.
Types of work-study jobs include assisting in laboratory research, staffing library desks, building sets.
Non-Work Study
There are on-campus offices that also offer non-work study employment.
List of on-campus offices to call for non-work study employment.
You can still apply to these jobs even if you are on work-study.
When you call, include: ask if there are any available positions + details (pay, time commitment), name, year, if you are work-study eligible or not
How to Find & Secure an On-Campus Job
Find jobs using the open job search link under Student Employment on the SFS website (FWS only)
Some of these listings are out-of-date
Contact research PIs to inquire about joining their lab and negotiate for pay
If you are on FWS, it is easier to negotiate for pay by mentioning you are on FWS in the initial email outreach
For more information on how to find a lab, please contact your SPCs.
Contact employers or offices directly for job openings (see Non-Work Study)
When you contact the employer, include: ask if there are any available positions + details (pay, time commitment), name, year, if you are work-study eligible or not
On-Campus Job Suggestions
Jobs with more flexibility and where you can potentially work on homework:
Call Center – “This is one of the higher paying jobs on-campus ($10.25/hour), however, requires nine hours per week. In addition, one can do homework but electronics are not allowed, and it can often get loud with many people talking on the phone at the same time. The call center is ALWAYS hiring too. Reason being a lot of people quit, myself included”- Nakia Dean
Offices: there are many departments and administrative (i.e. admissions, AMCS, Alumni & Development, etc.) offices that seek student assistants. These jobs will vary in workload and often require availability between 9am – 6pm.
DUCSA (Danforth University Center Student Assistant)
SUPER flexible hours; you pick when you want to work
1 semester training course with other training tutors who love writing!
Jobs that help gain experience related to your area of study or in research (some above also fit under this category):
Medical School: there are many labs and clinical research that search for student assistants which are frequently listed on the SFS website. These positions require an approximately 25-30 minute commute via the Metrolink from the 40. However, these experiences can be very valuable if interested in attending medical or graduate school, as they allow you to potentially get published and gain recommendation from your employers. Some require prior lab experience but most will train you and specifically seek work-study eligible students.
Other research opportunities: The biology, chemistry, psychology, anthropology, African American Studies, economics and many other departments offer paid positions to assist in graduate students’ and professors’ research. These positions usually involve data entry, literature reviews, cleaning lab equipment and running experiments depending on the department . These jobs will allow you to form relationships with WashU faculty.
Team WashU (Employment at Sumers Recreation Center and South 40 Gym)
If you ever just need a few quick dollars, you can sign up for psychology experiments that vary for payment depending on how long the experiment lasts (generally $5 for each half hour of participation)
The WashU Center for Career Engagement also offers a one-time Travel Stipend for juniors, seniors, and alumni who have graduated in the past 6 months to offset travel costs to an interview that can lead to a post-graduation job.
“If you find that work is taking up so much time that it is affecting your studies and wellbeing, sit down with your financial aid advisor and explain your dilemma. It is possible that if you are your only source of income, but your work study job is affecting your studies, that your scholarship could be increased.” – Nakia Dean, 2019
