Beginning in the summer semester, the university has reduced the number of available work-study positions by half due to a drop in “external funding and carry forward [funding].” This year, the Work Study program offered 2,600 positions — a steep decline from the 5,000–6,000 opportunities available to students in previous years. 

“These funds are no longer available”

A community letter released in May by U of T’s Work Study Governance Committee explained that the number of opportunities in previous years was due to external and carry forward funding — unspent funds from the previous budget — which “allowed for more positions to be approved.” 

Work Study positions rely heavily on university funding, making the program particularly vulnerable to budget changes. Departmental employers cover only 30 per cent of the pay rate, while the remaining 70 per cent comes from university funding. The student pay rate is set to rise from $17.20 to $17.60 per hour after Ontario’s minimum wage increase takes effect on October 1.

“These funds are no longer available,” the letter stated, calling the reduction a return to U of T’s “original” Work Study budget, and noted that it is “predicted to remain static for the next five budget years.”

As a result of this decreased funding, historically approved positions are no longer guaranteed. In past years, proposed Work Study positions had to be submitted for approval through a job review process. This year’s review process involved “a set of principles… leveraged to ensure equitable distribution of positions per the program budget allocation,” as outlined in the letter. 

Equity considerations included proportional representation across campuses, balanced distribution across academic divisions, and alignment with the experiential learning goals of the Work Study Program.  

Under the new budget, approximately 1,100 summer positions and 1,500 fall-winter positions were approved. By comparison, the letter noted that previous years had offered “5000-6000+ student opportunities,” acknowledging that the now-limited program capacity meant “many worthy positions and valuable opportunities” were not approved.

Impact on students

“We recognize the significant impact this reduction has on students and the broader University community,” Work Study Governance wrote in the community letter. “We share in the concern about this impact.”

The letter makes clear that it is up to the affected departments and supervisors to “explore alternative strategies and plans.”

In the letter’s FAQ section, when addressing alternative ways to hire students and support experiential learning, Work Study Governance lists two resources: the U of T Co-op program and the Woodsworth College SEE U of T program.

Undergraduate students in the Co-op program are “strongly advised” not to take classes during work terms, whereas Work Study students must maintain a minimum course load of 0.5 Full Course Equivalent (FCE) in the summer session and 2.0 FCE during the fall-winter session. 

Woodsworth’s SEE U of T program is designed for Grade 11 and 12 Toronto District School Board students, and does not offer opportunities for undergraduate or graduate students. 

The letter stated that Work Study Governance partners “are continuing to explore future administrative and financial pathways that could help create meaningful student opportunities and support hiring needs across the University.”

Following the reduction of available Work Study positions, members of the U of T community took to the university’s subreddit to discuss how the changes have impacted them. 

“The prof I’ve been doing research with usually employs around 3-4 undergraduates every term to help out with lab chores and has done so for years, but starting this summer, that number was cut down to only 1 undergraduate,” user Educational-Food2764 posted.

“My work study boss this summer told me… he went from 7 in fall/winter and 3 this summer to 0 positions available,” wrote user ihatedougford.