Many students get a job or internship in college to help pay for tuition or gain professional skills — or both.
But some institutions — designated federal work colleges — put work-based learning at the center of their models and curricula. Residential students at work colleges are required to be employed on campus, or sometimes within the local community, while earning their degree.
“At most schools, work-study is optional and tied to financial need,” Curt Essenburg, dean of students and work at Kuyper College in Michigan, wrote in an email. “At a work college, every residential student works, no exceptions, every semester. … Wages go straight against tuition rather than into a student’s pocket, sometimes covering it entirely. And students are actually evaluated on their work performance, similar to a course grade, not just clocking hours.”
Here’s what prospective college students and their families should know about attending a federal work college.
History of Federal Work Colleges
The designation of federal work colleges was created as part of the 1992 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
According to the 1992 amendment to the law, to be eligible, colleges must “be public or private nonprofit institutions with commitments to community service; have a comprehensive work-learning-service program for at least two years; require service by all resident students through a comprehensive work-learning program as an integral part of the institution’s educational program and philosophy; and provide through the institutional work program an opportunity for the students to contribute to the overall educational program and the welfare of the community as a whole.”
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But “the idea itself is older” than this legislation, Essenburg says. “Back in the 1820s to 1860s, there was a ‘manual labor college’ movement pairing coursework, often ministry prep, with farm or trade work. Berea College started the modern version in 1855 and later pushed to get the model written into federal law.”
Today, there are nine U.S. federally recognized work colleges, including:
— Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky
— Antioch College in Ohio
— Berea College in Kentucky
— Blackburn College in Illinois
— College of the Ozarks in Missouri
— Ecclesia College in Arkansas
— Kuyper College
— Paul Quinn College in Texas
— Warren Wilson College in North Carolina
Out of these nine, Ecclesia — a Christian work college — is the only one not part of the Work Colleges Consortium, which conducts research on work-learning and supports member institutions. Sterling College in Vermont, a work college originally part of the consortium, shut down its degree programs at the end of spring 2026.
“When I was an undergrad myself, I participated in the federal work-study program and I was glad to have the opportunity to do that and to lower the cost of my college tuition,” says Luisa Bieri, dean of cooperative, international and community-based learning at Antioch. “But not all those students on campus had to do that, so it sort of created a two-tiered system.”
But at Antioch, she adds, “we’re really seeing that all of our students, in all of them participating, have the sense of wanting to roll up their sleeves and help and be a part of it. And it’s not because of their socioeconomic background. It’s in spite of that.”
[Read: How Undocumented Students Can Get College Financial Aid]
What Type of Jobs Are Available at Work Colleges?
Residential students must work at least five hours a week or 80 hours a semester, and are paid the highest applicable hourly minimum wage, according to the Work Colleges Consortium. Requirements vary per college, but students who are commuters, have part-time status, have documented medical conditions, or are part of a certain graduate pathway typically don’t have to participate in the work-learning program.
Jobs are available in different areas of campus, such as the dining hall, admissions office, library or maintenance.
Some students “are very fortunate and they know what they want to do” for work, says Larry K. Lee, president of Blackburn College, which has a work program run and managed by students. “They come in with that in mind, they stick to it and they’ll graduate. … (But) most students change their mind multiple times. So this gives them that opportunity to explore before it really matters.”
The process of assigning jobs varies by institution. Admitted students at Blackburn, for instance, select several work areas of interest before being assigned their first job. Job changes are allowed in the following semester or year, but require the submission of a resume and cover letter and participation in an interview, Lee says.
“We also coach them, too,” he adds. “When the interview is over, we ask for the supervisors — who are also students — to give them feedback on what they did well or what they might have prepared for differently. Or our career services might help them with their resume and those things, too.”
Applying to a Federal Work College
The application process for federal work colleges and other four-year colleges is typically the same. Some work colleges use the Common Application, while others have their own application and may require interviews, experts say.
“?What they will find with work colleges is usually a very generous financial aid package that includes the work grant,” Bieri says. “That is sort of in exchange for this work program. … All of the work colleges really see accessibility and affordability as a key virtue because we feel that any person who would like to go to college shouldn’t have cost be the barrier.”
[Read: What You Need to Know About College Tuition Costs.]
Federal Work Colleges vs. Traditional Colleges
Both types of institutions offer extracurricular activities, such as clubs and sports. However, it’s important to know that free time may be tighter at a work college “since work sits on top of a full course load,” Essenburg says.
Additionally, while traditional colleges vary in size — from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands of students — work colleges all have smaller-than-average enrollment, ranging from about 150 to roughly 1,600 students, according to the Work Colleges Consortium.
Smaller student populations often allow for a closer-knit community and ability to build relationships with faculty, but may offer fewer academic offerings.
“As a student who has transferred into a work college from a traditional college, it has its benefits, but to me, it doesn’t differ a whole lot,” Kayveon Kirk, a senior studying graphic design at Blackburn College, wrote in an email. “From my experience, traditional colleges are more of an ‘I say and you do.’ As for a work college, they put effort into you growing in that workplace and taking something away from it that can be used in your future.”
Ultimately, when deciding where to earn a degree, students should consider their career and personal goals, as well as a college’s employment and debt outcomes for graduates, experts say.
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Attending a Federal Work College: What to Know originally appeared on usnews.com
