Student Employment

Funded by either Grinnell or the federal government, you have the opportunity to earn money during the academic year with a campus job. The standard student employment/work-study amount is $3,000 for new students and $3,150 for returning students. New students can earn $3,000 by working less than eight hours per week during the academic year, and returning students can earn $3,150 by working about eight hours per week during the academic year.

Incoming first-year students who have student employment or federal work-study as part of their financial aid will receive an email prior to their arrival on campus that includes instructions on searching and applying for positions, required payroll forms, and other important details. Any student, regardless of financial aid status, can work on campus. Open positions are posted on the Student Employment website (login required).

All students planning to work on campus should complete payroll forms during New Student Orientation or any time at the Office of Student Accounts.

Contact Student Employment (login required) with questions about student employment policies, payroll, or how to apply for a campus job. For questions related to your financial aid, contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Student employees are paid $13.50 per hour for the 2024-25 academic year and $13.77 for the 2025-26 academic year.

The only exception is room grant-eligible positions, including community advisors (CAs). Students working in these positions choose to receive a room grant that covers the cost of basic on-campus housing or a stipend of equal value.

Work-study is not applied as a credit on the bill like grants, scholarships, and loans. Instead, students are paid every other week for hours worked. Students choose whether to apply their earnings to their student account, have them direct deposited to a bank account, or a combination of the two. The wages you earn from a campus job can help you pay your student accounts balance and/or you can use them to cover indirect expenses like transportation or personal expenses. 

If you have work-study/student employment as a part of your financial aid notice and you plan to work during the semester, you can start the semester owing a balance up to the work-study/student employment amount and pay it off throughout the semester. 

Important! To use this option, you need to verify your intent to work. You must submit the Student Intent to Work form to confirm your intent to participate in this program. 

You are responsible for: 

• making regular payments throughout the semester and 
• making sure the balance is paid in full by the last day of semester. 

We encourage you to set up payroll deduction (student login required) with the Payroll Office to ensure you make regular payments toward the remaining balance you are paying from your earnings.