Kansas Work Study Employer Guidelines

The Kansas Work-Study Program (Career Component) is a state-funded program intended to provide employers incentive to hire KU students in career-related positions. The purpose of the program (as defined by the Kansas Legislature) is "to promote, stimulate and assist in the part-time employment of eligible students in jobs or positions of service that will complement and enhance the educational preparation of such students for a career."

Employer Eligibility

To participate in the Kansas Work-Study Program (Career Component), employers must meet the following criteria:

  • have a FEIN (Federal Employee Identification Number)
  • be a Kansas business using a Kansas bank
  • be willing to act as the student's employer (students are not employed by our office)

Employers must submit an application to our office. To be eligible for a contract, an employer must either have one or more eligible students working for the company or be in the process of hiring an eligible student. The amount of the contract is based on the estimated hours per week that the student(s) will work, multiplied by the hourly wage and the number of weeks that the student will work. This amount is then divided in half for the amount that will be reimbursed to the employer. If the estimation is too low, an amendment may be granted if funds are available.

Employers are responsible for interviewing and hiring the students they want to participate in the program. Students are put on the employer's regular payroll and the employers are responsible for social security deductions, etc.

Employers submit invoices at least once a month to be reimbursed. Since the program is statefunded, it can take up to four weeks for the reimbursement check to arrive. It is to the employer's benefit to submit invoices as quickly as possible.

Student Eligibility

To participate in the program, students must meet the following criteria:

  • be residents of the state of Kansas, as determined by the KU registrar.
  • maintain a cumulative g.p.a. of 2.0 or higher
  • be enrolled as a half-time student (at least 6 credits) maintain a minimum semester g.p.a. of 2.0

While this is not a traditional need-based program, there are limits as to what a student may earn. If they are financial aid recipients, the amount of aid that they are receiving is subtracted from the cost of attendance at KU to determine their earnings limit. If they receive no financial aid, then the cost of attendance at KU is their earnings limit. It is the responsibility of both the student and the employer that the student does not earn more in total net wages than their earnings limit. The earnings limit is NOT the contract salary amount awarded to an employer. We reimburse employers for half of the student's gross salary, up to the contract amount awarded.

Employer Guidelines for the Kansas Career Work-Study Program

  1. The purpose of the career component of the Kansas Work-Study program is to promote and assist the part-time employment of eligible students in jobs or positions of service that will complement and enhance the educational preparation of such students for a career (taken from K.S.A. 74-3274). Accordingly, students must be performing work that is related to the student's major or professed career field. For example, engineering students enroll in engineering firms, business students work in a management or sales training role, and liberal arts students can gain experience in sales, management, etc. Students who have declared majors in fields that are not related to the duties and responsibilities of the position would not be eligible to participate in this program.
     
  2. Employer Contract Requirements:
    • an eligible student must be selected by the firm
    • the student must complete a student application to verify his or her eligibility
    • the employer must complete an application to participate in the Kansas Work Study program
       
  3. Student Eligibility Requirements:
    • the student must be legal Kansas resident (as determined by the University Registrar)
    • enrolled at least half-time (6 credit hours), with a minimum 2.0 grade point average have an established financial need (as determined by the Office of Student Financial Aid).
       
  4. In order to stay in the program, students must maintain half-time status and a 2.0 semester and cumulative G.P.A. If a student's semester G.P.A. drops below 2.0 during this time, he or she will be put on probation. The student must raise the semester G.P.A. to a 2.0 during the probationary period in order to continue to be eligible. A cumulative G. P. A. of 2.0 must be maintained continuously while employed in the program.
     
  5. No employer may hire immediate family members on this program. Students who have family members participating in the program as employers may still participate in the program if a different Kansas Work-Study employer employs them.
     
  6. Students are restricted to working no more than twenty hours per week during the academic year. Research shows that students, who work more than twenty hours a week and carry a full class schedule, do less than their best at each activity. Therefore, while a student may work more than twenty hours per week, a firm will not be reimbursed for time in excess of twenty hours. Vacations and summers are excluded from these time periods. Our purpose is not to deny employment to students, but to enable them to help finance their education while keeping their best interests in mind.
     
  7. In order to offer the broadest range of employment opportunities, an individual employer will only be allowed to hire up to four students as participants in the Kansas Work-Study Program. Regardless of the number of employees, employer reimbursement for wages is limited to the amount remaining in the contract. 6. Contracts are not automatically increased when new students are hired. An employer may initiate a request to increase the amount of the contract and, if funds are available, they will be given priority consideration.
     
  8. It is assumed that students' wages will be appropriate to the job that they are to perform. Employers must follow minimum wage and safety regulations.
     
  9. It is extremely important that we receive employer's invoices as promptly as possible. This facilitates an accurate accounting of our funds and aids in prompt reimbursement for employers.
     
  10. The contract states that invoices must be submitted within seven working days from the date of payment to the student. We understand that it may be difficult for an employer to accomplish this in such a short time period. Our efforts to keep records accurate are a constant priority. If no invoices are received for a thirty-day period, the employer will be notified to submit invoices.
     
  11. Should a student leave a job, this office needs to be notified at or before the time of the last invoice. We will then need to consider whether the contract should be reduced or terminated. We will assist in finding a new student employee if that is the desire of the employer. With these guidelines in mind, we hope to provide quality service to employers and maintain the effectiveness of the program. Thank you for your cooperation and assistance.

University Career Center
Kansas Career Work-Study Program
1300 Sunnyside Avenue, Summerfield Hall, 203
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045
(785) 864-7664
kswkstd@ku.edu