Federal Work-Study (FWS) enables eligible students to acquire work-study jobs, the wages for which are largely funded by the federal government. FWS recipients find their own jobs, either on campus or in the community. Although FWS appears as part of a student’s financial aid package, earnings do not credit directly to the Bursar; rather, the student earns a paycheck based on an hourly pay rate (wages vary but are never below minimum wage).
Even if you are not awarded Work-Study you can still find a job on or near campus. Work-Study jobs and non-work-study jobs are essentially the same as far as the type of work and the rate of pay. However, the federal government pays a portion of the wages for a work-study student. This can be an advantage to the employer who may be able to hire multiple work-study employees for the cost of one non-work-study employee. Visit the Career Development Center site to search for non-work-study employment opportunities.
FWS is a type of campus-based award. This means that federal funds are provided to individual universities to administer at their discretion (although always within federally governed parameters); FWS amounts and eligibility requirements may therefore vary from university to university.
FWS is a need-based award and thus counts towards fulfilling a student’s overall need figure.
Undergraduate Student Federal Work-Study Details
- Eligibility:
- A student must meet all eligibility criteria for financial aid.
- The FAFSA must be filed on-time
- A student must indicate that he/she is interested in Federal Work Study on the initial FAFSA
- A student must demonstrate exceptional financial need
- Incoming freshmen must accept the Federal Work Study (FWS) award via their OneStart account; returning students are not required to accept their award.
- To accept a FWS award:
- 1. Log on to OneStart at https://onestart.iu.edu.
- 2. Click Student Self Service tab on left side of screen.
- 3. Click Go To Student Center.
- 4. Click Accept/Decline Awards under the Finances section.
- 5. Click 2012 for the Bloomington campus.
- 6. Check Accept box for the FWS award.
- 7. Click Submit button located below award list.
- For upper-class students, award priority is given to previous recipients
Federal Work-Study Authorization Cards
- In mid-August, you will receive an email from our office with instructions for printing your Authorization Card on-line.
- Please note, students who are selected for Verification or are not enrolled, will not be able to print a FWS Authorization Cardon-line.
- All FWS recipients must submit a FWS Authorization Card to their employer before they may begin working. If you are unable to obtain your FWS Authorization Card, please contact our office at fws@indiana.edu.
Finding a Job & Changing Jobs
- Student's should visit the Career Development Center website (www.indiana.edu/~career) for job listings and information about the bi-annual Jobs Fair.
- Students who have switched FWS jobs, or would like to obtain a second FWS job, should contact the FWS coordinator at fws@indiana.edu.
Graduate Student Federal Work-Study Details
- Graduate students can be nominated to receive Graduate Work-Study (GWS) by participating academic departments. GWS awards are not offered automatically as a part of a student’s financial aid package.
- A GWS position typically takes the form of an assistantship offered by the student’s academic department; graduate students may also find GWS positions through the GradGrants Center (http://www.indiana.edu/~gradgrnt/).
- A graduate student must file a FAFSA, be enrolled in a degree seeking program of study, and have enough unmet need to accommodate the GWS award.
Federal Work-Study Employers
In order that our office remains in accordance with federal regulations, departments and agencies that employ FWS students must fill out a Federal Work-Study Job Description Form for each position that a FWS student will be occupying. A student may not begin employment in a FWS position until our office has received a Job Description Form for that position.
SUMMER FEDERAL WORK-STUDY
For summer 2012, FWS awards are offered to students who have utilized their FWS during the academic year and enroll in at least one credit hour at IUB during the summer. Students will not be automatically packaged with FWS; employers need to e-mail fws@indiana.edu and request a summer work-study allocation on the student's behalf. The summer FWS award amount is $800. The Office of Student Financial Assistance will contact these students by email regarding their FWS Authorization Cards.
