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Federal Work-Study (FWS)

Overview

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a need-based employment program with limited federal funds, offered to eligible students on a first-come, first-served basis. Students are offered FWS based on financial need and availability of funding. These students earn funds by working part-time with approved FWS employers.

The work-study program provides valuable experience to students both inside and outside of their field of study. Students are encouraged to work part-time while in school to gain work experience, help contribute to the cost of their education and decrease loan borrowing.

  • Funds are not paid directly to student account balance but are earned as a paycheck as they work in part-time work-study positions.
  • The amount of FWS that students will earn depends on their offer amount and the hours they work each week. Student earnings cannot exceed the offered FWS amount.
  • The rate of pay is at least minimum wage. Typically, wages are $10.00 for on-campus positions and $11.00 for community partner (off-campus) positions.
  • Students cannot work more than 28 hours per week.
  • If you are not a work-study recipient, you can review other part-time employment opportunities on and off-campus on the Career Services website.

Eligibility and Acceptance

Eligibility

To be eligible for FWS, students must:

  1. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the March 1 priority deadline for the upcoming academic year. The priority submission deadline for submitting the FAFSA is usually March 1.
  2. Demonstrate sufficient financial need to be eligible. Financial need is calculated based on your Student Aid Index (SAI) determined by your FAFSA information (which can vary by aid year), as well as other aid you are receiving.
  3. Maintain satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility.

Accepting Your Offer

Offers are contingent based on available funding. Work-study is a limited-funds program, so not all eligible students will be offered FWS funding. Students who are offered work-study should accept their offer within 21 days of their aid offer email notification or it may be canceled.

  1. Visit our View, Accept or Decline Aid webpage for step-by-step instructions on how to accept your financial aid online.
  2. After you accept the offer, you will receive information through your MIX email on how to apply for jobs.

Earnings and Financial Impact

Work-Study funds are paid directly to you through a paycheck — they do not automatically apply to your University bill. You can, however, save your earnings to make future tuition or fee payments.

Your work-study offer is the maximum amount you can earn. For example, if you are offered $2,000 for fall and spring, you cannot earn more than that over the course of fall/spring semesters.

Federal Work-Study Resources