Summer jobs, savings, and how they affect aid

Students often hear that working will hurt their financial aid. Under current rules there's a substantial income protection allowance, and earnings below it don't reduce aid at all.

Assets are treated less kindly. Money sitting in a student's own account is assessed at a much higher rate than money in a parent's account, which is worth knowing before you decide where savings live.

In practice, a normal summer job is very unlikely to cost you meaningful aid. Large gifts or inheritances landing in a student account are a different situation and worth planning around.