Student Employment Programs and Student Information

Background

The Purdue University Student Employment Services area in the Division of Financial Aid places a strong emphasis on self-help. We believe that students are the primary beneficiaries of a college education and should be willing to make an investment in themselves. This is done in the form of spending savings from past-year earnings (student assets), using present earnings (from part-time employment), and borrowing against their future earnings (through loans) in order to finance their college education.

The Purdue University Student Employment Services area offers two separate work programs:

The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program is a federally funded financial aid program designed to help students meet educational costs through the use of part-time employment. FWS is a form of financial aid that is awarded to students in their financial aid package based on demonstrated need and satisfactory academic progress.

The Job Location and Development (JLD) program locates employers and helps develop off-campus employment opportunities for students during and between periods of actual enrollment. Student eligibility is not based on the financial need or academic standing requirements of FWS. In short, the purpose of JLD is to provide a reasonable opportunity to find employment for every student who desires to work.

Student Advantages

Work can provide many long-term benefits in addition to the advantages of a regular paycheck:

Learning experiences Organizational skills New responsibilities Higher level of maturity

Establish work history Transferable job skills Networking opportunities Alleviates loan indebtedness

Student Disadvantages

It can be difficult for some students to balance academic, work, and free time activities. Student Employment Services recommends that students, who choose to work, limit their hours to no more than 20 hours per week (with 12-15 hours on average) during the academic year.