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A lot of students hold a job during college. Here is how the federal Work-Study program works, what Florida law now says a paycheck must be, and what national data shows about students who work.

How many students work?

In the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report on the topic, released April 22, 2025, 41.2% of 2024 high school graduates who were enrolled in college in October 2024 were in the labor force, meaning working or looking for work. Among all college students ages 16 to 24, the rate was 49.2% (BLS, College Enrollment and Work Activity of Recent High School and College Graduates, 2024).

The gap between full-time and part-time students is wide. Among recent high school graduates in college, 37.6% of full-time students were in the labor force, compared with 76.2% of part-time students. Students at 4-year colleges were less likely to be in the labor force (32.7%) than those at 2-year colleges (58.5%) (BLS).

What Federal Work-Study is

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is part-time work for students, paid partly with federal funds that are given to colleges. Federal rules say a student can get an FWS job if the student is enrolled or accepted for enrollment and has financial need as determined under federal student aid law, and meets the general federal aid eligibility rules (34 CFR 675.9). The FAFSA is the federal student aid application, so our advice is to file it first. Our Getting ready guide covers the dates.

  • Who can hire you: your own college, a federal, state or local public agency, a private nonprofit, or a private for-profit company (34 CFR 675.20(a)).
  • How you're paid: by the hour for actual time on the job. The rules bar paying undergraduates a salary, commission or fee (34 CFR 675.24).
  • The floor: the FWS minimum is the federal minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (34 CFR 675.24(b)), which is $7.25 an hour (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)(C)). Pay must also be appropriate under "any applicable Federal, State, or local law" (34 CFR 675.20(c)).
  • Credit and pay: an FWS job can also earn academic credit, such as an internship or a research or teaching assistantship, but a student earning credit can't be paid less because of it (34 CFR 675.20(d)).
  • Community service jobs: each college must spend at least 7% of its FWS money paying students in community service jobs, including at least one reading tutoring project (34 CFR 675.18(g)).

Florida's minimum wage is now $15

Florida's Constitution set the state minimum wage to rise by $1 each Sept. 30 "until the Minimum Wage reaches $15.00 per hour on September 30th, 2026." Starting Sept. 30, 2027, the state recalculates the rate each year for inflation, and each new rate takes effect the following Jan. 1 (Art. X, s. 24, Fla. Const.). Florida's $15 is about double the $7.25 federal minimum. Tipped jobs follow a separate tip-credit rule in the same section.

Our advice

  • Ask early. If your aid offer lists Work-Study, ask your school's financial aid office how to find a job. Work-Study is paid by the hour for time actually worked (34 CFR 675.24), so it isn't money you receive up front.
  • Protect your class schedule. The BLS numbers show full-time students work far less often than part-time students. In our view, a first-semester student should start with fewer hours and add more once grades are steady.
  • Pick work that builds something. On-campus jobs, tutoring and research assistantships can count toward a resume. Watch for our Resume Prep track.
  • Check your pay stub. In Florida, an hourly rate below $15 for a non-tipped job is worth a question to your employer or school.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, College Enrollment and Work Activity of Recent High School and College Graduates, 2024 (April 22, 2025); Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 34 CFR Part 675 (Federal Work-Study), sections 675.9, 675.18, 675.20 and 675.24; 29 U.S.C. 206 (Fair Labor Standards Act minimum wage, via Cornell LII); Florida Constitution, Art. X, s. 24 (Florida Senate).

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