Campus Resources Round-Up

Financial Aid

A Closer Look At Student Employment

Office of Financial Aid

(Located in the Vagelos Center)

The Office of Financial Aid at Barnard assesses financial need. Based on this need determination, you will be awarded either Work Study or a Barnard College Job. The Office of Financial Aid is responsible for awarding funding, determining eligibility, and processing changes in aid but is unable to assist in finding a job. You may reach the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@ barnard.edu to discuss eligibility and awarding amounts.

Beyond Barnard

(Located in Elliott Hall, 49 Claremont Avenue, Second Floor)

The integrated hub for career support at Barnard. Beyond Barnard provides lifelong support to students and graduates as they define, pursue, and achieve success in their careers and communities. In addition to providing advising and resources around careers, off-campus internships, fellowships, and graduate school, Beyond Barnard works with students to help them find campus jobs and internships. In short, they are your go-to resource for support on identifying and applying to campus roles. Beyond Barnard also facilitates the payroll onboarding of students working in campus roles — but the office does not control financial aid packages or work-study awards.

What Is Student Employment

Whether you serve as a Research Assistant, work in the library, manage social media accounts for an administrative office, lead workshops in the Empirical Reasoning Center, answer patron questions at the gym, or anything in between—all of these roles count as Student Employment. In the context of their Student Employment roles, students develop professional skills and career experience that can be valuable on their resume, even as they earn wages to help offset their costs of education.

A student’s Student Employment Award counts toward their “self-help,” or the portion of tuition provided by students themselves. Work Study roles at Barnard are not guaranteed or assigned to students. Instead, students must apply to positions and are paid wages.

Types of Student Employment at Barnard

● Federal Work-Study (FWS): a program supported by the United States Federal Government. FWS is offered to students demonstrating the highest level of financial need at Barnard. FWS-eligible students may apply to work at Barnard, at Columbia University (including in jobs specifically earmarked for FWS students), and at a select number of Off-Campus Federal Work-Study Partners.

● Barnard College Job (BCJ): all students who are eligible for financial aid, but who are not awarded FWS, are able to pursue Work Study at Barnard College, and are assigned a BCJ. Students designated as BCJ recipients may not apply for jobs that specifically list Federal Work-Study as a criterion of eligibility.

What To Bring To Barnard If You Plan To Work This Fall

Whether you’re planning to work in a campus role, a paid internship, or off-campus at the local coffee shop, all new employees are required to complete a federal form called the I-9 within three days of being hired. This form is completed in two parts, including presenting identity and work authorization documents in-person.

Which documents can you present? A passport is easiest, but you can also present specific combinations of documents that prove both your identity and your authorization to work legally in the US. Click here to view acceptable documents, but please note - they must be originals, not copies. Add these documents to the items you plan to hand-carry on your journey to campus, and you’ll be all set!

Highlights to note:

D Students must apply for, and be hired into, positions in order to access funds.

D Students can earn more than their awarded amount listed in their financial aid package.

D Neither FWS nor BCJ awards constitute a guarantee of a job offer or position.