While summer jobs for students can range from lifeguarding at a swimming pool to scooping ice cream, students can use their summer work experience to further their careers, a financial aid officer said.

Bob Snyder, University financial aid coordinator, said a student who demonstrates financial need can participate in three different programs this summer: the On-Campus Work Study Program, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency's Off-Campus Work Study Program, or the State Work Study Program.

Snyder said the on-campus program employs students in University offices.

To apply, students must file a needs-analysis form for the following academic year, he said. For this, students should file the needs-analysis for 1990-91.

In addition, students should file the Financial Aid Form and a special application for the program, which will be available in the Office of Student Aid sometime in March, Snyder said.

The salary for on-campus jobs will be $4 an hour, he added.

PHEAA's Off-Campus Work Study program offers jobs with non-profit, state or federally supported organizations, Snyder said. These jobs could include working for the Social Security Administration or a local school district, he added.

Students interested in the Off-Campus Work Study program must file both the needs-analysis form and the Financial Aid Form.

Sherry Freundel, PHEAA's coordinator for work study programs, said that under the off-campus program, PHEAA reimburses the University for 50 percent of the student's wages in order to stretch federal dollars.

That program affects eligibility for aid, Snyder said.

"Everything you earn counts somewhere -- either as an aid source or as a part of your required student contribution," he said.

Freundel suggested concerned students contact a University financial aid officer for more information.

The University offers both the On-campus Work Study Program and PHEAA's Off-campus Work Study Program to graduate and undergraduate students who are returning for either the Fall or following Spring semesters, Snyder said.

The State Work Study Program attempts to match students to jobs in their majors, Freundel said. Under this program, physical therapy majors can work in rehabilitation centers, education majors can teach people how to read and accounting majors can work as accounts for hospitals or small businesses, she said.

To apply for the State Work Study Program, students should complete and application available at the Office of Student Aid, 314 Shields. Forms can also be obtained by calling PHEAA at (717) 257-2550, Freundel said.

Although there is no specific deadline for application, Freundel said she recommends students apply before March 30.

Freundel said students should supply PHEAA with a list of counties in which they would like to work. PHEAA then compiles a list of jobs available in those counties.

Freundel said all jobs must be either high-technology or community service employment. Students are responsible for making contact with prospective employers, she added.

Salaries range from minimum wage to $15 an hour depending on the job, but the average salary for last year was $5 to $6 an hour, Freundel said.

The pay rate is determined by the student in conjunction with the employer, Freundel said, but she added that PHEAA reimburses the employer for 50 percent of the student's wages.

"It's an incentive for employers to hire students if they don't already, and to pay students better if they do," Freundel said.

Any money earned must be claimed on subsequent requests for financial aid as a part of the student's expected contribution, Freundel said.

Snyder said income from the summer of 1990 would be claimed on financial aid forms for the 1991-92 academic year.