Review this article to prepare before you start earning work-study this school year.

Work-study is a financial aid program that allows students to work on-campus or with a contracted off-campus employer to earn money. That money doesn't pay your bill directly, but it's deposited into your bank account as you earn to help you pay for college expenses. 

Work-study is not a grant; you must work to earn it. It’s not a loan; you don't have to repay it. Work-study is a federal or state-funded program that is matched with funds from CU Boulder. 

Enrollment requirement

Undergraduate students must enroll in at least 6 credit hours to maintain eligibility. If you withdraw or drop below 6 credits, you must let your employer know you’re no longer eligible to earn work-study.

 Need a work-studyjob?

We don't assign you a job; you get to choose where you want to work. Some employers post jobs that are exclusively work-study, and having it can open you to new opportunities. 

1. You can apply for any on-campus student jobs. Once you're hired, let us know and we can typically transition it to earn work-study. 
2. If you want to earn work-study off campus, search for jobs posted by one of our approved off-campus work-study employers on our work-study webpage. 

How you get paid

Once hired, you’re entered into the university payroll system.

Set up direct deposit 

Direct deposit is required to get your earnings and is different from the direct deposit you may already have set up for student billing through the Bursar’s Office.

• Paid every other Friday
• View/print paychecks in MyCUInfo

 View Payroll Calendar

How much you’ll make: Campus minimum wage starts at $16.82 and goes up to $38.70 for skilled, graduate positions. Student jobs outside of this range are not eligible to earn work-study. 

Payroll records: We recommend that you confirm that your Social Security Number (SSN) is on your student record with the Office of the Registrar once you start working. Your payroll records are separate and only linked by your SSN. It's also required to help prevent you from paying into student retirement based on enrollment. 

Taxes: Work-study is taxable income like a regular job and you’ll get a W-2 each spring for their previous year’s earnings.

Track earnings & remaining amount

If you and your employer would like you to work more hours than your work-study will cover, either of you may submit a work-study increase request.

 Max hours you can work

• Fall & spring: 25 hours per week, or 50 hours each pay period
• Summer Sessions: Up to 40 hours per week, or 80 hours each pay period
• Graduate & international students are always capped at 20 hours per week.
• For more information, view the campus policy for the max you can work 

Overtime: 

• Must have employer’s permission 
• 40+ hours per week is considered overtime 
• Pay rate: time and a half
• Not subtracted from work-study

When to earn your work-study

• Fall semester: Aug. 15, 2026 to Dec. 19, 2026
• Spring semester: Dec. 20, 2026 to May 8, 2027

Use it or lose it:  Let us know if you plan to start earning your work-study after the deadlines below, and we'll do what we can to help you keep your work-study. If work-study is cancelled, it will be cancelled for the full academic year and not just the fall semester. If you begin working before the fall deadline, any work-study you don’t earn will roll over to spring.

• Fall semester: October 1
• Spring semester: February 1

View All Work-Study Deadlines