Work-study is not as accessible as it seems
In the United States, over 600,000 undergraduate and graduate students are eligible for federal work-study benefits, a program that was developed in 1964 with the goal of helping low-income college students earn money to contribute toward their tuition and ease the burden of school-related expenses. However, Sandy Baum writes in an Urban Institute article that recent numbers have shown that the program is becoming less successful in targeting low-income students and thus is failing to provide aid for those who need it most.
A research study at Columbia University found that in the last decade, low-income students at private schools have a 50% chance of receiving federal work-study, while students at public schools or community colleges have only a 5% chance of receiving work-study. To put this into perspective, high-income students at private schools have a better chance of receiving work-study funds than low-income students attending public universities. This is a prime example of how the Federal Work-Study program is failing to serve low-income students and how oftentimes, work-study proves to be far less accessible than promised.
A major problem with the current federal work-study program is the fact that jobs are not guaranteed. Instead, universities require students to personally seek out and apply for the positions with little to no guidance. Although these students are eligible for the funds, they cannot receive them until they are employed. Even when students do acquire work-study jobs, they are often overwhelmed due to being overworked and underpaid, as work-study jobs are only required to pay students minimum wage.
On the other hand, there is a large majority of students who will never get their work-study funds. This is due to the lack of available jobs, their busy school schedules and the competitiveness of obtaining a desirable work-study job, leaving them with the eligibility for work-study funds and yet no means of earning them. While universities and the government advertise the promise of work-study to those who need it, it is actually not guaranteed at all; despite there being over 600,000 undergraduate and graduate college students eligible for work-study in the U.S., only about half of them actually become employed through their school and earn their allotted funds.
In addition to the lack of certainty surrounding work-study, there is a lack of prioritization for low-income students. While the goal of the program was originally to aid students who demonstrated the most financial need, students from middle and relatively high-income families have become eligible for work-study benefits over the last few years. In the 2016-2017 school year, one-fifth of federal work-study funds went to students from families who earned at least $80,000 — therefore taking away from the funds allocated to low-income students. The government and universities alike need to focus on distributing work-study funds to those who need them most. Instead of giving benefits to those with stable family incomes, they should be giving more benefits to struggling students.
With that being said, it is clear that work-study is not nearly as straightforward as it is advertised by the Federal Work-Study program and participating universities. There are many unpredictable factors that accompany the process of acquiring a work-study job: the main factor being that work-study is not guaranteed and must be sought out by the student, a process that does not come without its obstacles.
As a low-income, first-generation college student attending a prestigious private university like USC, I was thrilled when I was offered work-study. I felt relieved that there was a way for me to contribute to the cost of my tuition while also being a full-time student. With absolutely no idea what I was doing and little guidance from the University, I applied to many positions and came back empty-handed. I was very disappointed, but I was already extremely overwhelmed with the pressure of getting good grades, joining extracurriculars, as well as maintaining a healthy social life.
I found the obstacles of applying for and securing a work-study job unnecessarily complicated and because of this, I did not secure a work-study job until this year, as a sophomore — which still did not come without its challenges. Talking amongst my peers, I have found that my situation is actually relatively common with other students eligible for work-study, and while the perks of work-study look terrific on paper, the process has proven to be much easier said than done.
Universities such as USC, where the cost of tuition is constantly rising, must do more to make these jobs readily accessible to their most disenfranchised students. Students with the most financial insecurity should be prioritized when it comes to student employment and a student awarded work-study benefits should be guaranteed a job — or at least adequate guidance from their university — to seek out and apply for jobs. The Federal Work-Study program was formed to help low-income students, so let’s make sure it actually happens.