Make a Work-Study Job Pay Off

Amber Bunnell had always wanted to work in a library. So when the option of holding down a work-study job was offered as part of her financial aid package from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, she stated that preference "in all capital letters" on her application for a position.

Working about 10 hours per week at $7.25 an hour, the Savage, Minnesota, native started as a circulation aide, manning the front desk and sorting and shelving. The next year, she was promoted to help manage the staff of about 50 undergraduate employees, with a bump in pay.

She added skills "that I can transfer into any career I choose," says Bunnell, who graduated in May with a degree in English and international studies and landed a job at another academic library in St. Paul.

Hundreds of thousands of college students participate in the federal government's work-study program, part of its financial-aid superstructure for those who demonstrate need.

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The first step: Opt in when you're asked if you’d like to be considered for the program in question 31 of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. If you're eligible, and if you follow through by actually finding a position once you get to college, then you can expect to earn at least federal minimum wage – currently $7.25 an hour – or the state or local baseline, if higher.

Most jobs are on campus – in the dining hall, bookstore or athletic department, say – though some might be with local employers. The government awarded a yearly average of nearly $1,700 per student at about 3,300 colleges in 2012-13, according to the latest Department of Education data.

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Schools are required to kick in 25 percent of every student's funding, which means that annual awards often run around $2,000 or $2,500. You'll coordinate your own work schedule and may work as much as you like up to the ceiling imposed by the size of your award. An award of slightly more than $1,000 per 14-week semester would work out to 10 hours a week at $7.25 per hour, for example.

There are "a lot of different models out there" for actually securing a job, says Joe Weglarz, executive director of student financial services at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Marist holds a work-study job fair to introduce new students to prospective employers, and the student financial services office helps facilitate the job search.

At Iowa State University, students have access to a jobs portal of available positions, which they apply for on their own. Other schools, like Macalester, place students in positions based on their skills and academic interests.

Besides providing some tuition or spending money, work-study jobs can help you build a resume, establish a network of mentors and potential references and learn useful skills.

"If you want to be a physician or a pediatrician, it might not be a bad idea to work in a day care center," says Cynthia Meekins, manager for student employment at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey—New Brunswick.

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Research shows that students who work about 10 to 15 hours a week tend to perform better academically, adds Desiree Noah, who coordinates student employment at La Sierra University in Riverside, California, and is president-elect of the National Student Employment Association.

One great perk of a work-study job is that your employer will probably give you a break when you're swamped at exam time and pulling all-nighters.

This story is excerpted from the U.S. News "Best Colleges 2015" guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.