To: Wellesley College Students
From: Piper Orton, Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer, and Joy St. John, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid
Re: Spring 2021 Student Work-Study Expectation and Employment Update
Date: November 6, 2020
We recognize that this has been a difficult and complicated year for students who are looking for employment, both at Wellesley and in their communities across the country and around the world. We also know that the College’s need to prioritize the health and safety of the community and the decision to prohibit off-campus employment for the spring 2021 semester may have a significant financial impact on students.
In response to this, senior leadership has decided to replace the spring 2021 work-study expectation with grant aid in all student financial aid packages. This totals just under $1.2 million in grant funds, and is in addition to the $2.8 million granted this past summer to students receiving need-based financial aid when Wellesley waived students’ summer earnings contributions.
Student Financial Services (SFS) will adjust aid offers accordingly, and changes will be reflected in students’ spring semester bills. Additionally, Wellesley College Student Government has decided that students who are studying remotely for the full year will see their accounts adjusted to remove the student activity fee for the 2020–2021 academic year.
Students receiving these grants will still appear in Handshake as work-study eligible (though they will have no work-study expectation to fulfill). They will still have priority for on-campus jobs in the spring semester.
Over 1,100 jobs will remain available for students in the spring, with some conditions and new guidance regarding hiring. Students currently employed by the College will receive more detailed information about spring 2021 employment in the coming days.
The earnings limit will still be 10 hours of work per week. We understand that some students may need to work more hours, but the College already has fewer jobs available to students this year as a result of changes in activities and decreased population density on campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 10-hour limit is consistent with the work-study expectation in financial aid awards and allows us to offer jobs to more students.
As a reminder, if any students—whether they receive aid or not—have critical needs that arise as a result of the pandemic, the College has reserved emergency funds from the federal CARES Act as well as the Wellesley College Emergency Fund. Requests for assistance can be made through the Emergency Fund form. The College will continue to award funds until we have exhausted CARES Act funding and the restricted-giving funding contributed for this purpose. SFS is also still accepting financial aid appeals for spring 2021 from students who experienced significant changes in their family financial circumstances in the 2020 calendar year.
As we continue to plan for the spring semester, we will update you with any new or additional information about student employment and financial aid. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact SFS.
