Work-Study 

Work-study is a federal or state-funded financial aid program that provides funds for part-time employment to students. Students earn their semester work-study award through hourly pay within on-campus or academic-related jobs. These awards are based on early FAFSA submission, financial need as determined by FAFSA, and funding availability, so students are encouraged to apply before the March 1st priority deadline. Work-study jobs are a great opportunity for students to earn income and work within a professional career-oriented position that supports student growth and success.

The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) generated by the FAFSA will determine your eligibility for these funds. Students must also be admitted as degree-seeking students and be meeting all aspects of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). To apply for federal or state work-study, you must submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Please review our FAFSA page for guides and helpful videos.

Please keep in mind, a work-study award does not guarantee employment. Students are responsible for applying for positions using the Handshake app. If students fail to obtain work-study employment within 45 days of the beginning of the semester, their work-study award will be canceled. Be advised, students cannot exceed their semester funding limits, and can only work 20 hours per week. Work-study students and employers can review the handbook for more information on policies and procedures.

Work-Study Eligibility

  • Complete a FAFSA and demonstrate financial need
  • Have a high school diploma or GED certificate
  • Be enrolled as a degree-seeking student or working toward a certificate in an eligible program
  • Be enrolled in 6 credit hours as an undergraduate student and 5 credit hours as a graduate student
  • Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen
  • Have a valid Social Security Number
  • Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
  • Students cannot be in default on a federal student loan or owe money on a federal student grant.

Work-Study Waiting List

If you are interested in work-study but did not receive funds in the initial awarding period, you can fill out a form on the Work-Study Waiting List that will be available right before the beginning of each semester.
Access Work-Study Waiting List

Applying for a Work-Study Position

If you are awarded work-study funds, please review how to retrieve your award letter below and be sure to apply for available job openings using the Handshake app. Students are encouraged to use Handshake app to locate on-campus student employment, internships, Cooperative Education, part-time and other types of employment on a regular basis. At the start of the fall semester, Office of Experiential Learning hosts the Student Employment Fair which is another opportunity to meet face-to-face with employers who are seeking to hire NMSU students.

Retrieving your Award Overview

  1. You will need to provide a copy of your Award Overview to your employer every semester.
  2. Log in to your myNMSU account
  3. Under Quick Links, select Financial Aid
  4. Click Award
  5. Select Aid Year
  6. Under Award Overview, your work-study award will be listed.
  7. You can print or copy the Financial Aid Awards by selecting the Print Screen button [PrtSrn] on your keyboard and copy [Ctrl V] the image of your award to a paint or word document.
  8. You may also save it as a PDF by selecting Print [Ctrl P] and under “Destination” select “Save as PDF”.

Assistance with Resume and Cover Letter

If you need assistance with creating a resume and cover letter you are encouraged to create a draft resume and schedule an appointment using the Handshake app located in MyNMSU. To schedule, an appointment with Handshake app go to the heading Career Center and in the drop-down menu click on Appointments to schedule a time to meet with an advisor.

Additional Employment Information

Attention Employers:

Departments must ensure the student provides a copy of their work-study award letter prior to processing an EPAH to hire the student. The Award Overview letter will show the type of work-study award, Federal or State, and the amount of their award. Click here to see a sample Award Overview letter. Departments are responsible for keeping track of their work-study earnings to ensure the student does not exceed their award. Any payroll hours submitted that exceed the student’s work-study award will be billed back to the department at 100%.

Each department is also responsible for terminating their work-study student(s) either at the point they depleted their award, stop working for your department or at the end of the semester or aid year, whichever is sooner. For example, students who work for your department for only the Fall term must be terminated no later than the last day of the Fall semester. Students who work for your department for Fall and Spring or Spring only must be terminated no later than the last day of the Spring term.

Departments interested in hiring or re-hiring a work-study student(s) during the summer term, must ensure the student provides you a copy of their award letter indicating a summer award. Students apply for a summer work-study award via the work-study waiting list before the application closes. The summer work-study waiting list opens when registration for the summer term begins. Departments are responsible for terminating their work-study student(s) for the summer either at the point the student depletes their award, stops working for your department, or at the end of the summer sessions, whichever is sooner.
 

 

  • For information about completing a timesheet for your work-study job, see Timesheet Instructions.
  • New Mexico State University contracts with non-profit (501(c)(3) agencies), non-religious and non-partisan organizations to provide additional job opportunities off-campus.
  • Crimson Scholars may inquire about Crimson work-study opportunities with the NMSU Honors College.
  • To review employment dates and deadlines, please visit our Employers page.