Work-study hours at Marshall University have been cut in half, leaving many students concerned.
“I fear for a lot of my fellow students and co-workers,” sophomore Brooke Barker said. The cuts took place at the start of the Fall 2025 Semester and caught a lot of students by surprise.
Students that are eligible for work study depend on those finances for several educational needs.
“Work-study is a form of need-based aid,” the Director of Financial Aid Cody Call said. “Each university is provided a specific allocation of this funding by the Department of Education.”
In previous years, it was common for students to work several hours during the week, which raised concern for financial aid due to the limited budgets.
The cuts resulted from the university’s need to adjust the pay rates following special measures taken in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Coming out of the COVID period, it was more difficult to spend the funding provided. To help combat this, a decision was made to increase the pay rate to $12 an hour for our students as well as allow students to work over the allotted number of hours if they were eligible,” Call said.
“With this period behind us, Marshall continues to see strong student interest in work-study positions, but funding is limited.”
Students will have to adjust to the new hours and paycheck they will be receiving, leaving them frustrated.
“How are they going to afford groceries or rent?” Barker asked. “Especially last year, we had a lot more hours, so that means a lot more income.
“Buying a new parking pass has been difficult,” she said. “I waited till I got paid just to make sure I had more of a buffer in my bank account before that $270 charge hits.”
Students depend on their work-study pay checks for a variety of essentials.
“I feel for people that don’t have a meal plan or pay rent or live on their own,” Barker said.
“I completely understand and feel their stress and frustration,” Call said. “The loss of hours is certainly not a reflection of their value and effort in their positions.”
Call recommends impacted students speak with Student Financial Aid about their situation and seek non-work-study jobs on and near campus.
“An example would be the Sodexo positions in the student center. Our office of Career Services can also assist with these types of opportunities,” he said.
The work-study supervisors are responsible for scheduling students the number of hours they are allowed to work a week.
“If a student works over their allotted 10 hours per (week), then a supervisor should be monitoring the total hours to ensure this doesn’t continue to happen,” Call said. “The financial aid office also monitors this to prevent this from happening, but ultimately, the supervisor must make sure the 10-hour average is maintained.”
Jaidyn Carter can be contacted at [email protected].
