Work-Study for Students
UTRGV offers multiple opportunities for students to earn wages through the Work-Study Program, either in on-campus positions or with approved off-campus employers.
Why choose a Work-Study job over a non-Work-Study job?
Not only does a Work-Study job provide the convenience of working on campus. It helps you market showcase your skills to On-Campus employers because Work-Study eligible students are highly sought after!
How does the Work-Study Program Work?
Eligible students are offered a generic Work-Study award, and amounts may vary per student. The generic award helps students apply for Work-Study positions and indicates to hiring departments that a student is eligible for a Work-Study award.
Work-study does not pay for students’ tuition and fees, nor does it get disbursed with other financial aid awards (view all Cost of Attendance components). Students earn their work-study award through part-time student employment during the semester.
If the student is hired under a work-study position, the student will be awarded a work-study award that indicates employment under their ASSIST account. It is important to know that your work-study awards may change or be prorated from the time you are awarded to the time you are hired for a position.
Your student ASSIST account will indicate the amount of work-study award you are eligible for once the hiring department submits a request.
Types of Work-Study Employment
On-campus Work-study Employment
Eligible students can be hired by an on-campus department. Students that are interested to work on-campus can apply by searching for “On-Campus Work-study Jobs” on JobX
Off-Campus Work-study Employment
Through the Off-Campus Work-Study Program, students can work with is open to non-profit organizations and local municipalities to gain meaningful experience. Jobs range from web design, social media, community outreach, or general office support.
In addition, students can participate in America Reads or America Counts, two national initiatives that focus on improving literacy and math skills among children under the Off-Campus Work-Study Program.
If you want to make a difference in the RGV community, search JobX for “Off-Campus Work-Study Jobs” and apply—available to students eligible for Federal Work-Study.
Eligibility
- Submit a FAFSA or TASFA application. Complete any Financial Aid Verification items.
- Be a U.S. Citizen, a Permanent Resident, or a Texas Resident with valid Employment Authorization
- Be in a degree seeking program.
- Be enrolled in degree seeking courses for the duration of employment or, if receiving a Texas College Work-study, be enrolled for a minimum of six credit hours.
- Meet UTRGV’s Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Demonstrate financial need.
To check if you have been awarded a work-study award visit your ASSIST account, under Financial Aid Awards, for the current academic year.
If you do not have a work-study award offered to you, you can submit an Additional Aid Request online to request Work-study funds. Funding is limited and
If you have questions about your eligibility, please visit your nearest U Central or email workstudy@utrgv.edu.
The Career Center offers services to students and alumni to help you reach your career goals! Services include resume reviews, mock interviews, job search strategies, career planning, self-assessment, and more! Watch our Career Center welcome video!
Email: careercenter@utrgv.edu
Phone: (956) 665-2243 Edinburg/ (956) 882-5627 Brownsville.
Office Hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Additional resources from Career Center:
- YouTube Channel at UTRGV Career Center.
Student Employment Office offers a wide range of guides and resources for the student employment process. Resources include Job Search guide, FAQs, JobX guides, and more.
Need help?
Contact the Office of Human Resources
Student Employment Office
Phone: (E) 956-665-2451
Phone: (B) 956-882-8205
Email: studentemployment@utrgv.edu
After applying on JobX, if selected, employers will submit a hiring request for review through JobX. Once the request is received, the work-study team will review the student’s eligibility. If the student is eligible, the work-study team will award work-study award that indicates employment. This is a multistep process that requires Student Employment, Financial Aid, and Human Resources to review student eligibility.
At this point, the department may begin to coordinate a work schedule and give you an expected date to begin working. New hires will be required to complete a Criminal Background Check and I9 employment authorization form, as well as additional onboarding documents. Be sure to monitor your UTRGV emails and have two valid forms of ID (Birth certificate, Passport, Social Security Card, State ID, or Driver’s License) ready to turn in at Human Resources. Please keep in mind before commencing work that your hire request must be fully approved by Human Resources.
For the Human Resources On-Boarding links, visit our Work-Study Resources and complete the On-Boarding items needed for your employment.
UTRGV begins at a minimum wage of $12.00 per hour, which is more than some retail stores! However, some jobs will pay more based on experience, qualifications, and/or job duties. The JobX job posting will have the starting pay for the jobs for which you are applying.
Please note that the work-study awards are not disbursed to your student account and do not reduce your tuition bills. A work-study award is earned in the form of a paycheck after you find a work-study job.
Student employees are paid on a bi-weekly basis via direct deposit or a check by submitting their timecard through PeopleSoft before 5 p.m. on the due date. Timecards must be approved by your supervisor by 3 p.m. of the scheduled due date. Timecards not approved on the due date can cause students not to be paid on time. If your timecard was not submitted and/or approved by the due date, Payroll will process it in the next pay period.
For additional payroll questions and payroll schedule, please visit the Payroll & Tax Compliance website.
Will I ever have to pay my Work-study award back?
No. Work-study are wages earned through employment. Similarly, if you do not have a work-study job, then you are not able to earn work-study wages.
When is the last day I can find a Work-study job?
Work-study is available until funding has been exhausted and if you are meeting eligibility. The Financial Aid Office recommends looking for jobs a few weeks before the semester starts, since that is a time when employers are looking to fill any vacant positions.
Just like a real job, sometimes there are simply a few work-study positions available. On campus direct wage employment is another great option. Career Center may also have other student employment positions available, like internships or employment outside of the university.
Having a work-study award DOES NOT guarantee that you will find a job- it just means the student is eligible to receive the funding.
If you are unable to obtain employment or if funds have been exhausted, the work-study award will be cancelled. However, you may always refer to the Additional Aid Request online to request work-study funds again, if work-study funding is available.
What happens if I decide to quit or transfer to another department?
If you decide to quit or transfer, it is customary to provide a “2 weeks’ notice” to your supervisor. This will help make sure that your resignation or transfer is processed with ample time.
Additionally, if you transfer, the remaining award amount will be available to earn with the new hiring department.
For Example:
If you were awarded $3,000 in your work-study award for the Fall semester and you have earned $1,436 in Department A, you will have $1,564 available to earn in Department B.
$3,000 − $1,436 = $1,564
What happens if I earn more than my award?
Earning more than the work-study award may negatively impact your other financial aid awards and cause a student to be over-awarded. An over-award means that the student has more financial aid than their student budget allows for. If there is an over-award, other financial aid may be reduced to accommodate the work-study earnings, creating a balance. Therefore, both the student and the Supervisor must monitor the assignment.
How many hours can I work?
All hourly student employees can work no more than 19 hours per week per UTRGV regulations.
It is prohibited to work during your scheduled class time. You and your employer will discuss your schedule to plan accordingly around your class time. The number of hours you can work during your employment depends on your work-study award and your pay rate.
For example:
If your work-study award is $6,000 for the Fall and Spring semesters combined and you are getting paid at $12.00 per hour, then you will have 500 hours to work between the Fall (250 hours) and Spring (250 hours) semesters.
$6,000 ÷ $12.00 𝑝𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑟 = 500 ℎ𝑟𝑠
How can I monitor my hours so I do not go over my award?
Supervisors are responsible for monitoring the students' schedules and remaining hours. Due to the number of students employed as work-studies, the Financial Aid Office does not monitor each student’s hours.
You can use the Work-Study Balance Sheet to keep track of your hours or follow the formulas below.
Why did my work-study award decrease?
Work-study awards can decrease because financial aid in another area increased, your enrollment changed from when the work-study aid was awarded, or for other specific reasons. Similarly, the total sum of your financial aid awards cannot exceed your financial need, meaning you cannot receive more financial aid than is eligible.
If you have questions regarding a reduction, visit your nearest UCentral.
Can I increase my work-study award?
Increases to your work-study award are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and contingent on funding availability. You can email workstudy@utrgv.edu to request an increase. However, work-study award increases are not guaranteed and depend on your financial aid eligibility at the time the review takes place.