FAQ’s

The Work Study program is a financial aid program funded by Carleton University. Through this program, you can earn extra money through valuable work experience while in school. If you do not have sufficient student loan funds to pay all your education-related costs, you may be eligible to participate in Work Study.

Don’t forget that while you’re in school, your first priority is your school work. If you’re wondering if you can balance your academic and work life, consider attending one of the skill development workshops that focus on note-taking, time management or balancing work, school and life offered by the Centre for Student Academic Support .

Jobs include working in the library, academic departments, and various areas within student services. You may even work in an area related to your field of study.

Work Study students can work up to a maximum of 15 hours per week and earn a maximum of $3,100 for the Fall/Winter Session. You’ll earn at least $15.50/hr. Some jobs will pay more.

Work study applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Must be applying and receiving government student assistance such as OSAP or student aid/loans from another province (excluding visa students who are not eligible to apply for government assistance)
• Must demonstrate financial need as determined by the Awards Office.
• Must be in an undergraduate degree program and registered in 60% of a full course load (1.5 credits per term) or 40% of a full course load (1.0 credit per term) for students with disabilities registered with the Paul Menton Centre.

The Work Study application form is available on Carleton Central (Awards & Financial Assistance, Undergraduate Online Application Forms, Other Financial Aid Applications:  Work Study) in late August/early September. Space in the program is limited and applications are assessed on a first-come-first-served basis. It is important for you to complete and submit the application as soon as possible. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Note: The Work Study program is done on a first-come-first-served basis. We will close the program early if we have allocated all the available funding before the application deadline.

Although the Awards Office will not be able to fund you working for the university through the Work Study Program, Carleton University offers many different areas for students to seek part-time employment opportunities. Check Career Services’ online job boards on mySuccess (login via Carleton Central) to view and apply for internships and seasonal, part-time, and other job opportunities. As well, some departments will post jobs on their office door/bulletin board. If there is a department/service area where you are interested in working, inquire directly to them to see if they are hiring.

This is not an unusual situation. Every year, there are more people who want to hire Work Study students than there are students who are approved for the program. We have a limited amount of money for Work Study and unfortunately, we cannot fund everyone. You must be approved for the program before you can work in a Work Study job. In this case, your best course of action would be to visit Career Services and explore other part-time employment opportunities.

No. All of the approved Work Study positions are with Carleton University employers.  Part of the advantage of a Work Study position is not having to leave campus and commute to an off-campus location. This can help you make the most of the time you spend on campus.

Yes, but you must do the following:

1. Inform your current employer that you will be leaving and starting work within another unit.
2. Get a summary of the number of hours you have already worked.
3. Bring this summary to the Awards Office. We will need to adjust your profile and have you fill out some additional paperwork before you can be paid at your new job.
4. Start working with your new unit.

If you applied in August, you will be advised if you have been approved or not by email (check your Carleton email account) by the beginning of September.  You may monitor the status of your application on Carleton Central and contact the Awards Office to discuss the status of your application if necessary.

Yes. Applications are based on your current situation and your current state of financial need. You must submit a new application each year in order to be considered for the program.