Work-Study

What is Work-Study?

Work-Study provides part-time jobs for undergraduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. Work-study programs encourage community service work and work related to the student’s course of study. For eligible work-study students, research opportunities are available through the Learning-Aligned Employment (LAEP). The student will be paid directly for the hours they work and the amount they earn cannot exceed the total amount awarded by the school for the award year. 

Work-Study allows on-campus and select off-campus employers to hire students at a reduced cost. The program pays 75% of the student's wages through financial aid where the rest is paid by the employer.

Why apply for Work-Study?

• Access to job opportunities actively looking for undergraduate students like you, many of which are only open to work-study-eligible students
• Work on campus or near campus

How do I know if I’m eligible for Work-Study?

First step is to review your financial aid offer posted to your MyUCSC student portal. You can view your offer by logging into MyUCSC, clicking on the Financial Aid tile, then selecting "View Financial Aid". In order to apply to Work-Study jobs, you must accept your Work-Study award (view the video below on how to accept award offers). See the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office’s website for more information. 

If you do not see a Work-Study award in your MyUCSC portal and would like to be reconsidered for Work-Study,  fill out the Request Work-Study or LAEP eForm located in MyUCSC.

 To locate the eForm:

1. Log into myUCSC
2. Go to the Undergraduate Student eForms tile
3. Locate and submit the Request Work-Study or LAEP eForm (select work-study)
4. You will be notified on next steps as your eForm is evaluated and processed

If you have concerns about how requesting participation in Work-Study may affect your financial aid, consult with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

How to find Work-Study Opportunities?

UCSC has on and off-campus Work-Study opportunities, which are advertised on Handshake. 

To locate a list of current work-study jobs click here (it is best to have signed into Handshake before clicking this link). Alternatively, work-study jobs can be found in the jobs tab of Handshake using the work-study filter (see image below) or searching for jobs with “work-study” in the title.

Note: If you are unable to see work-study opportunities in Handshake, our system does not recognize you as work-study eligible. See "How to Know if you are Work-Study Eligible" section or our FAQ to learn more about eligibility.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about Work-Study

Contact the Work-Study Coordinator at ucscel@ucsc.edu for questions regarding work-study employment.