Self-Help Aid

Loans
Student loans are long-term awards that enable you to defer paying for your education until you are no longer a student. Interest rates, deferment options, and other terms vary from one loan program to another. Loans are available for students from all income levels; loans with the lowest interest rates are awarded to financial aid applicants with the most need. When you accept a student loan from the university or from the federal government, you are legally obligated to repay the loan according to the terms of the promissory note.

Federal College Work-Study
Federal College Work-Study gives you the opportunity to apply for part-time, 'Work-Study' jobs both on-campus and in the community. You may earn up to the amount of your Work-Study award. 

Although Work-Study is included in your financial aid package, there are no guarantees that you will obtain a Work-Study job - the positions are competitive.  The UCSC Career Center, located in the Baytree Bookstore Building, maintains both work-study and non-work-study job listings for students. 

The Career Center website also provides all the information you need to search for a job and get hired. You must receive a "Clearance to Commence Work Card" before you start working. You will receive a monthly work-study paycheck on or around the eighth working day of each month.

You must stop working immediately if you take a leave of absence or withdraw from UC Santa Cruz.