Work Study Program

Who is eligible to apply for Work Study approval?

• Domestic undergraduate and graduate students:
  • Undergraduate students must be registered in a minimum of 1.5 academic credits (or 1.0 academic credits for students with a permanent disability or persistent or prolonged disability and registered with Student Accessibility Services) and graduate students must be registered in full-time studies for the study period applied.
  • Have a complete and error-free full-time OSAP (or applicable provincial/territory student assistance program) application on file even if the assessment indicates no approved OSAP (or equivalent) funds.
  • Have a valid social insurance number.
• International undergraduate and graduate students:
  • Entering their second year of studies.
  • Undergraduate students must be registered full-time (minimum of 2.0 academic credits) for the study period applied.
  • Graduate students must be registered in full-time studies for the study period applied.

International students do not need a social insurance number to apply, however they must acquire a valid social insurance number once employed. See the hiring department’s payroll administrator for details.

What if I am not eligible?

There are many other work opportunities that exist for students who wish to work both on and off campus. For access to these work opportunities and for help with your own career planning and job search, please contact Co-operative Education & Career Services.

How do I apply for Work Study approval?

• Submit a Financial Need Assessment Form (NAF). You will not be able to apply for positions until you receive Work Study approval from the Awards Office, Student Financial Services.
• Financial Need Assessment Forms are available two weeks before the start of each semester.
• Deadline dates to submit the Financial Need Assessment Form are as follows.
  • Third Monday in January for Fall/Winter positions.
  • Third Friday in June for Summer positions.
• Completed applications can be scanned and emailed to awards@uoguelph.ca.

What happens after I submit my NAF?

Within 5 - 10 working days you will be notified by email of your eligibility to participate in the Work Study Program.

Once you receive the approval email from the Student Awards office, you can review the list of available jobs and apply through Experience Guelph. Please note that it can take 24 hours before your approval is registered with Experience Guelph giving you the access to apply.

How do I apply for jobs?

In order to apply for jobs, you must have an email approval from Student Financial Services to participate in the Work Study program.

Once approved, log in to Experience Guelph using your University of Guelph log in and select “On Campus Employment” from the left-hand menu. At the top of the screen under saved searches is “Work Study” – this will filter for all available Work Study positions.

Work Study positions are not guaranteed and are competitive. As part of your application, you will be required to upload a cover letter, resume, and a PDF or JPG image of the email approval you received from Student Awards.

Please note that most supervisors are reviewing applications, requesting interviews, and offering employment as applications come in, regardless of the position closing date. Postings will be closed when all positions are filled. It is best to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you have questions about the Experience Guelph system, please contact the Experiential Learning Hub at experience@uoguelph.ca.

What do I need to know once I'm hired?

1. Students must have a valid social insurance number.
2. It is recommended that students do not work more than 10-15 hours per week.
3. Students are not permitted to hold more than one Work Study job at the same time.
4. Students hired under the Work Study Program are considered employees of the University of Guelph. Any questions concerning hours of work, payroll, or personnel issues should be directed to their supervisor.

Participation Agreement

All supervisors and hosting departments must agree to the following terms and conditions in order to maintain an active Work Study position and be eligible for the wage reimbursement.

All supervisors and hosting departments are required to submit a signed version of this agreement when a new position is created.

1. The supervisor and hosting department must ensure that each Work Study job:
   • is located on or near the University of Guelph campus or an associated research station.
   • has the flexibility to accommodate a student’s academic schedule.
   • does not displace full-time or part-time employees.
   • does not contravene any institutional union agreements.
   • does not generate a profit for the hosting department.
   • does not promote a specific ideological point of view.
2. The supervisor and hosting department will make hiring decisions on a competitive basis in accordance with human rights legislation, without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, ethnic origin, skin colour, citizenship, creed/religion, biological sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, age, marital status, family status, record of offense or pardoned federal offences.
3. The supervisor and hosting department will provide adequate resources necessary for the job including workspace, materials, equipment, training, supervision, evaluation and expenses incurred for travel required for the job.
4. The supervisor and hosting department will follow all Work Study hiring and payroll procedures.
5. The supervisor and hosting department must pay at least the statutory minimum wage and benefits as required by employment standards legislation, including vacation pay, pension contributions and employment insurance premiums.
6. The supervisor and hosting department acknowledge that having a job approved for posting does not guarantee it will be filled. Student Financial Services and the Experiential Learning Hub will provide some general promotional support; however, supervisors and hosting departments are encouraged to promote their opportunities to ensure a strong application pool.
7. The supervisor and hosting department, Student Financial Services, and the Experiential Learning Hub may, upon consultation, terminate this agreement.
8. The supervisor and hosting department must ensure that Work Study jobs provide meaningful development of transferable knowledge, skills and attitudes and provide adequate opportunities for students to reflect on their learning and receive feedback on their development.
9. If a student completes the Reflection Questions and Competencies within Experience Guelph at the end of their employment term, their Supervisor must complete a three question evaluation for the position to be validated on the student's Professional and Career Development Record.

Hiring Procedures

Student Eligibility

• In order to be eligible for and apply to a Work Study position, students must be approved through Student Financial Services. If approved, they will have email verification from the Student Awards Office.
• To apply for approval, students must complete a Financial Need Assessment Form (NAF). Students must apply and be approved every Fall/Winter term and Summer term annually.
• Student Financial Services determines the eligibility of students based on their financial need. Domestic undergraduate students must be registered in a minimum of 1.5 academic credits (or 1.0 academic credits for students with a permanent disability or a persistent or prolonged disability and registered with Student Accessibility Services). International undergraduate students must be registered full-time (minimum of 2.0 academic credits). Graduate students must be registered in full-time studies. If a student at any point drops below this, they will no longer be eligible to participate in the Work Study program.
• Students may not hold more than one Work Study job at the same time.

Questions about student eligibility can be directed to the Student Awards Office (awards@uoguelph.ca).

Proposing New Jobs

For information about proposing new jobs, please see the Posting a Work Study Job section of the Experiential Learning Work Study page.

In years where proposals are being accepted, deadline dates are the following:

• Fall/Winter positions must be submitted by the second Friday in September.
• Summer positions must be submitted no later than the second Friday in May.

Re-posting Existing Positions

For information about re-posting existing positions, please see the Posting a Work Study Job section of the Experiential Learning Work Study page.

Recruitment Process

• All jobs are posted and all applications are received through the On-Campus Employment section of Experience Guelph. Supervisors or supporting administrative staff must have an Experience Guelph Employer account in order to post jobs and receive applications.
• All positions seeking to hire a Work Study student must be re-posted through the Experience Guelph system, regardless if the intention is to re-hire a previously employed student. This is so the Program has an accurate accounting of who is intending to hire and the number of total positions to be filled.
• Fall and Winter jobs go live approximately two weeks before the first class day in September. Summer jobs go live approximately two weeks before the first class day of the summer term.
• All students must apply through Experience Guelph, regardless of whether they are returning to a position from a previous year. This ensures students have the required Work Study approval.
• The Experiential Learning Hub reviews all postings for accuracy and completeness. To allow prompt posting, please ensure all details are completed accurately. Review the Work Study Job Posting Guide for assistance.

Questions about the recruitment process or Experience Guelph can be directed to the Experiential Learning Hub (experience@uoguelph.ca or x.58551).

Hiring Procedures

The procedure for registering a student in a Work Study position consists of:

1. Making an offer through the Experience Guelph system,
2. Submitting a Confirmation of Employment form to the Student Awards Office, and
3. Completing departmental payroll paperwork and creating the data form on the Human Resources system.

All three steps must be completed in order to receive the Work Study reimbursement. This process ensures that all students have valid work records in Experience Guelph to track participation and reimbursements.

Payroll Procedures

1. Once a student has accepted your employment offer through Experience Guelph, promptly inform the person in your department who is responsible for payroll that you have hired a Work Study student.
2. Complete an Employee Data form as you would for any employee. Use your departmental code for part-time employment.
3. Student must be paid at least minimum wage ($17.60 per hour, effective October 1, 2025). Please refer to the Student Wages section of the Human Resources website for guidelines on rates of pay beyond the minimum.
4. The hosting department must complete and submit a Work Study Confirmation of Employment form to the Student Awards Office when the student is hired. Failure to return this completed form to the Student Awards Office will result in no reimbursement.
5. Students should be paid bi-weekly through the university’s normal hourly payroll system. Please make sure that students submit their hours every two weeks in order to get paid. Students should not be paid for hours not worked during that time period.
6. Reimbursements are processed for hours worked beginning the first class day to the last day of exams each semester, except when students are registered for both the fall and winter semesters; the fall first class day and the last winter exam day will be used.
7. The hosting department should ensure there is a clear agreement on the hours to be worked. It should be emphasized that the first commitment of the student is to academic priorities. Students should not be asked to work more than 15 hours per week.

Reimbursement Procedures

At the end of each semester, Student Financial Services will reimburse hosting departments according to the coding provided on the Confirmation of Employment form for 75% of the salary, vacation pay, and benefit-cost to the hiring department to a maximum of $3,000/student/semester.

All departments must ensure that hours of work for all Work Study students are submitted in accordance with regular university hourly payroll guidelines.

• For ‘time entry’ appointments, ensure hours worked are reported regularly with all hours worked in the semester reported no later than the last day of exams.
• For ‘weekly appointments’, departments must email the Awards Office (awards@uougelph.ca) confirming the hourly wage and the total hours worked for the semester no later than the last day of exams.
• Student Financial Services fiscal year end is April 30. Departments must ensure that all of their Work Study students’ hours are reported prior to this date. Student Financial Services will not reimburse departmental budgets after the fiscal year end.

Student Awards will process a journal entry to the coding provided on the Confirmation of Employment form: Fall reimbursements processed by the end of January; Winter reimbursements processed the last week of April; and Summer reimbursements processed by the end of September.

• Departments that do not submit the Confirmation of Employment forms to the Awards office at the time the HR data form is submitted will not receive reimbursement.

The aim of the Work Study program is to help students with financial need meet their education costs and develop valuable transferrable employability knowledge, skills and attitudes through part-time work on campus during the academic year.

Students must have a demonstrated financial need. Eligible domestic undergraduate students must maintain a minimum semester credit weight of 1.5 academic credits (or 1.0 academic credits for students with a permanent disability or a persistent or prolonged disability and registered with Student Accessibility Services), and international undergraduate students must maintain a minimum of 2.0 academic credits. Graduate students must be registered in full-time studies throughout their Work Study period.

Students must apply to Student Financial Services by completing the applicable Financial Need Assessment Form.

You would be notified by email within 5-10 days after we have received the application.

There are many other work opportunities that exist for students who wish to work both on and off campus. For access to these work opportunities and for help with your own career planning and job search, please contact Co-operative Education & Career Services.

No.

No, there are no guarantees. Your employment is subject to the employer finding your skills, experience and knowledge acceptable for the position. Search the list of currently available Work Study positions on Experience Guelph.

It is recommended that you work no more than 10 to 15 hours per week, but students and employers work out the schedule. Jobs are designed to be flexible in nature to accommodate a student’s academic schedule. If working hours above the recommended number is having a negative impact on a student’s academic success, the student could become ineligible to continue working under the Work Study program.

The rate of pay may vary depending on the department and the job complexity.

You will be paid bi-weekly by the department that has hired you. The Work Study office does not pay Work Study students. You will be asked to submit hours to the department's payroll clerk. Any discrepancies or concerns will need to be worked out with the hiring department.

Yes. Work Study positions are treated under the Employment Standards Act, like any other part-time position.