PACE Program

PACE (Providing Aid through Campus Employment) is a program that was created in an effort to address the financial needs of incoming students for whom a part-time job on campus would significantly affect their ability to attend Elon University. Students accepted into the program are given access to a registry of jobs created specifically for them, and are then invited to apply for jobs of interest to them. Current PACE students can be found all over campus, in jobs that include working alongside faculty with their research, assisting in offices within the Student Life division, tutoring local high school students through the Elon Academy, working with Elon Athletics, and many, many more.

The entry point for PACE is the freshman year. Students who qualify for consideration for the PACE program are first-year students who have applied for financial aid, but whose SAI (Student Aid Index, as determined by FAFSA and the student’s CSS profile) exceeds the range for eligibility for need-based scholarship or grant monies, yet falls below the established eligibility cap. These students qualify for loans, and nothing more. We recognize that for many of our students, however, a job on campus can make a big difference for them and for their families, as it will allow them to contribute to their educational expenses in some way. These are the students for whom the PACE program was created. We have openings for up to 50 new students each year.

Through the PACE program, a student is able to work up to 15 hours per week while school is in session. Starting pay for PACE students is $13/hour, as it is for all students on campus. Students are paid directly for the hours they work; they receive a paycheck via direct deposit into a bank account of their choosing every two weeks. Students may work a maximum of 15 hours/week. There is no minimum number of hours required; the number of hours will vary from one job to the next and is determined by the supervisor, the work available, and the student’s schedule. PACE earnings are taxed, just like earnings from any other job on campus.

Students who wish to be considered for the program must first complete and submit the FAFSA and the College Student Scholarship profile (CSS). Once these forms have been submitted and assessed, eligibility will be determined by the Office of Financial Aid. Students will be notified that they are eligible to apply in an email that will be delivered to their Elon email accounts. This email will direct them to the appropriate site to access the program application. Applications will be evaluated and students will be selected in early summer. Acceptance notifications are delivered via the student’s Elon email account.

Once selected into the program, students are given access the PACE Job Registry, where they will find positions available to them in offices and departments all across campus. Students are required to go through a natural hiring process, which will include the submission of a resume and a cover letter, and then a subsequent interview with the job supervisor prior to being hired. There is no guarantee that each student will land their top-pick job, but every PACE student will have a job on campus. Job supervisors are responsible for choosing the students they hire.

Students accepted into the program will not need to reapply as long as they perform satisfactorily in their jobs and they maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher. A student who is placed on academic suspension or probation due to grades will not be eligible to work in the PACE program until their GPA is raised to a minimum of 2.0. If it takes more than one semester to raise the GPA back above a 2.0, the student will no longer be eligible for the PACE program.

Yes, you can. PACE students are expected to conduct themselves at the highest levels of professionalism. Job supervisors will complete an annual performance evaluation for each student in the program. Underperforming students can be fired, just like any other student worker on campus. If you are fired from your PACE job, you will lose your place in the program and will not be allowed to reapply.

The following are just a few examples of positions held by PACE students (jobs vary from year to year):

• Early Childhood Education Intern – Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education
• Football Videographer- Athletics Department
• Publicity/Social Media Manager – Belk Library
• Sustainable Food Production Technician – Environmental Studies Department
• Student Assistant to the Dean of Elon College
• Image Technician and Photographer – University Communications
• Student Ambassador – Kernodle Center for Civic Life