Work Study

You are awarded work study/duty based on the information provided to Financial Aid on your FAFSA report. The timeliness of your FAFSA application is important as the work program fills to capacity quickly each year.

The Financial Aid Office will send out an instructional email to all work program recipients in late July or early August. This email will include guidance on how to view and apply for work program jobs through our website.

The current pay rate is $7.25 per hour for most work study positions. There could be some work study jobs that pay a higher hourly wage. For more information on those job opportunities, please contact the Financial Aid office.

During fall & spring semesters, your work award is typically $1400 per semester. Please refer to your Financial Aid Award Letter for your individual Work Award.

For awards of $1400, you are expected to work 195 hours per semester.

Students are expected to work, on average, 13 hours per week to earn the full award by the end of the semester. However, some student work positions are more cyclical than others, requiring more hours worked during some weeks per semester, resulting in fewer hours worked other weeks. Students should discuss the work schedule with their supervisor to determine actual work requirements and schedules.

Students are expected to work the full work award. Student worker positions are available to assist departments on campus with daily needs of those departments. Some students use the full work award to apply to their account balance, while others use the award to help cover living expenses while attending college. Regardless of how you intend to use the work award, departments depend on student workers to assist with various tasks on campus. Students who do not show up for work or do not fulfill their work award may put an unexpected burden on the department they are working for. If you are unable to fulfill your work study position, you should discuss with your supervisor what options are available to you.

You will need to make a personal payment to pay your account balance in full immediately, or discuss other possible payment options with the Bursar’s Office. It is important to notify the Bursar’s Office as soon as you realize you are unable to earn the full work award to be able to take advantage of other payment options. The further into the semester, fewer options remain available.

UMHB uses an electronic timekeeping system. Students will either record their hours on a time clock or use a computer at their work site to record their hours. Your supervisor will provide instructions on how to record your hours in timekeeping. Hours must be reflected in the timekeeping system each week for you to be paid. Hours not recorded properly and timely in the official timekeeping system will not be processed.

Pay days are every other Friday. A work study pay day calendar is available on your My Campus / My Account page. Earnings are either automatically applied to your student account to help pay a balance due, directly deposited to your own bank account if you do not owe a balance, or mailed to you in the form of a paper check.

Yes, direct deposit is available to students whose balances are paid in full or settled by other means. Check with the Bursar’s Office for eligibility – cashier@umhb.edu or 254-295-4533.

If you are eligible to keep your earnings and you do not sign up for direct deposit, a paper check will be mailed to you each payday. We will mail the check to the address you provide on your iSolved account.

When you sign your work permit, you acknowledge that your earnings will automatically be applied to your account until it is paid in full. Some students choose to pay the full account balance up front so they are able to keep their earnings instead of having them applied to their student account. If you have an account balance and would like to still keep your work study earnings, you will need to discuss other settlement options for your account with a Bursar’s Office representative at cashier@umhb.edu or 254-295-4533.

On your preliminary statement, your work award showed as a lump sum total along with other preliminary aid. On the first day of the semester, however, all preliminary aid is removed, and only actual financial aid appears on your statement. The work award is only paid as it is earned, therefore, the credit to your student account will only appear every two weeks on payday. As long as the balance due on your account is less than or equal to the work award remaining, and you work the expected hours per week, your account will be considered cleared, and you will not incur any additional late fees. As you work, your earnings are applied to your account and you will see a declining balance due until your account is paid in full. If you have taxes deducted from your check or you are short on hours, you may owe money at the end of the semester which will be due in full before finals.

Yes, you may request to have your earnings applied to your account even if your account is paid in full. This will create a credit balance on your account. You may discuss this option with any Bursar’s Office representative at cashier@umhb.edu or 254-295-4533.

Student worker wages paid through the Financial Aid work program are automatically exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes. Federal income tax withholding, however, is based on the information you provide on your W4 form. You should refer to your personal income tax return, tax planner or your parents/legal guardians for assistance on completing your W4.