Welcome!
As students make decisions, one of the questions that we have received is related to Federal work-study programs. In order to help other parents, we have put together a quick guide for those who may be wanting to understand more about the program.
What is federal work-study?
Federal work-study is a form of need-based financial aid that provides students (college and grad) the opportunity to work a part-time job to help cover expenses.
What makes this different than regular work-study is that that the cost is subsidized by the federal government in part. That means that some part of the student’s pay is comes from the employer and the other part is paid by the federal government.
Who qualifies for work-study?
To qualify for work-study, you need to:
Be a full-time or part-time student
Be in college or grad school
Demonstrate financial need through the FAFSA
Select that you are open to participating in a work-study program in the FAFSA
Not every person gets the same amount of aid either. Because each work-study is funded by both the federal government and the employer, funding will vary based upon the institution.
One lesser known fact: the earlier you complete your FAFSA and submit your aid forms, the better work-study opportunities that will be available to you. Funding is not consistently there, so you want to get your applications in as soon as possible.
Assuming you meet all of those requirements, you still need to be interviewed and accepted into a given role.
What types of roles are available?
One thing that makes federal work-study different than college specific work-study are the options of jobs.
Most people assume that work-study jobs are working in admissions offices, financial aid, or a library. While those are opportunities, federal work-study also provides opportunities with jobs that are “in the public interest,” like the government or non-profits.
That can be good (you receive additional experience that may be more valuable) and it can be bad (hours are not built around your college schedule in the same way). But the important thing is knowing the types of roles that are available.
Two things to be aware of in the earnings:
You do not receive a lump-sum of money upfront - you have to work to get the money that is paid either weekly or bi-weekly. That also means the money will not be available at the beginning of the semester to help with costs.
Money earned through work-study programs do not count as earnings for the purposes of FAFSA.
And that’s federal work-study in a nutshell.
Have questions? Feel free to reach out.