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U.S. News & World Report
What Work-Study Looks Like During the Coronavirus
Work-study jobs may be remote, in-person or rescinded entirely this fall depending on colleges' policies.
By Emma Kerr
July 29, 2020
STUDENTS WHO RELY ON part-time jobs funded by the federal work-study
program to pay for college may see their financial aid options limited
or rescinded this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic. Whether
students can access work-study funding, which is a form of aid that
requires them to work for wages paid in part by the U.S. Department of
Education, will depend on the policy in place at the college they
attend.
Work-study typically only accounts for a small piece of the pie when it
comes to paying for college: In 2019-2020, 18% of families relied on
work-study to pay for college, and the average aid amount among those
families was $1,847, according to Sallie Mae's How America Pays for
College 2020 study.
Still, even in a typical year, every dollar counts. As millions of
Americans remain unemployed or working with reduced wages due to the
economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, families may find it
particularly difficult to afford the cost of college this year. Income
from work-study is an essential part of the financial aid that makes
college possible for many students, like Alex Fuselier, a junior at
Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts who says it may be challenging
to take advantage of the program this fall because of the pandemic.
"It scares me to think that if I were to get a (work-study) job off
campus that risks me being exposed to the coronavirus, then I could
bring the virus back to campus and risk all of my peers as well as the
faculty and staff being exposed," Fuselier, a low-income,
first-generation college student, wrote in a direct message to U.S.
News. "So it's kind of an unfortunate position where I need a job to
cover my tuition, but I also worry that it's too high of a risk."
Colleges planning to hold in-person classes this fall may still include
federal work-study in students' financial aid packages, often with an
emphasis on options to work safely such as remote or in-person jobs
that allows for safety measures like social distancing. But even those
students may find themselves competing to get one of the limited
on-campus jobs available this year and weighing the health risks that
follow.
Meanwhile, colleges like Mount Holyoke and Dickinson College in
Pennsylvania, for example, will provide grants to replace work-study
aid for some students in cases where they are learning online and
cannot work remotely. Other schools are issuing revised financial aid
packages that rescind work-study aid entirely and replace it with
larger student loans, says Ann Garcia, a certified financial planner
and principal owner of Independent Progressive Advisors in Oregon who
works with students and their families.
"It would be very unusual for a school to offer a financial aid award
under normal circumstances and then change it to the detriment of the
student after the fact," Garcia says, "but this year the vast majority
of acceptances were sent out before the pandemic hit and before we had
any idea fall would look like it does now," which may result in more
limited aid options.
For example, the California State University system, one of the first
major universities to announce an entirely online fall semester, will
offer limited work-study to some students on a case-by-case basis,
according to Dean Kulju, director of student financial aid services and
programs at Cal State.
"It will depend on the nature of work/job. Is it something that the
student can do remotely, versus in person?" Kulju wrote in an email.
"It is also far more likely that a student who had work-study the prior
year may get an award, as compared to a new student," he wrote, adding,
"Given the limited work-study funds campuses have, it is not likely
that students would be funded equal to their prior year in work-study."
The jobs available to students awarded work-study could be remote or
in-person, like at the University of Houston, where Briget Jans,
executive director of the office of scholarships and financial aid, is
planning for students to continue taking advantage of the program in
some form this fall.
"Anticipated positions include data entry clerks, research assistants,
tutors, 'classroom' assistants, receptionists, campus recreation
workers, office assistants, and marketing assistants. Positions are
also available with our various community service partners across the
city of Houston," Jans wrote in an email, adding that the university
may consider turning work-study funds into grants if it's not feasible
for students to work for the money.
While work-study policies and the availability of grants to replace
those funds will vary by college, Garcia says students who can't use
work-study financial aid for whatever reason should remember they have
other options.
Students can borrow larger student loans, for example, and Garcia notes
that they will benefit from lower-than-normal interest rates this year
for new federal student loans. Other options include requesting an
emergency relief grant from their institution or finding other forms of
employment.
"The biggest thing for students to remember, and this is hard because
they say, 'Oh my gosh, I lost aid,' is that there are many
non-work-study jobs that will pay the same as a work-study job," Garcia
says, noting they may vary by region. Families can also appeal for more
financial aid if their financial circumstances have changed, she says.
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