Federal Work-Study Program

The Federal Work Study program, FWS, is a United States federally funded program that assists students with the costs of postsecondary education. The Federal Work Study Program helps students earn financial funding through a part-time work program. The funds can be used at one of approximately 3,400 institutions across the country that participates in the program.

What the Federal Work Study Program Offers

The Federal Work Study Program, FWS, provides a method for postsecondary education students to earn funds that are used towards their education. The program was formerly known as the College Work-Study Program [http://www.ed.gov/programs/fws/index.html The Department of Education : Federal Work Study] . The FWS program helps students earn monetary awards towards their postsecondary education. The program is based on financial need and students must be accepted into the program to qualify.

Eligible college students join work programs through their college to earn money for tuition and other expenses. There are many different types of jobs that qualify for the program. Students are assured of receiving at least federal minimum wage for the duration of their employment. The FWS program helps to ensure that college students who are truly in need of the money get the jobs.

Federal Work-Study (FWS) provides part-time jobs for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay education expenses. The program encourages community service work and work related to the recipient's course of study.

How the FWS Program Works

Federal Work Study funding is given to institutions to provide part-time work opportunities for students involved in certain majors. Federal funding is made to participating institutions based on requests made by the institutions. A statutory formula is used to help institutions determine the allocations to request. Once funds are allocated to each institution it is up to that school to administer the funds. Once all the funds for the institution have been allocated no more students can participate that year.

Students can apply for the Federal Work Study Program if they have financial need. The students must qualify for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). [http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ The Department of Education : Free Application for Federal Student Aid]

Each institution provides its own restrictions on the way it allocates funds. The institution provides a number of different types of jobs both in their own institution as well as through private employers. The federally funded program encourages institutions to use the funds to help give back to the community. At least 7% of the jobs offered must be helping the community. Some of the jobs offered are often reading tutors for young children, literacy tutors and mathematics tutors. Other jobs can be on campus such as working in the library or student center or performing administrative functions in the office.

Some institutions may have restrictions on the amount of hours per week that you can work. Also, there may be restrictions that pertain to your grade point average. For example, if your grade point average slips below a certain amount the college may not allow you to work through the FWS program.

Who Can Qualify for FWS?

In order to qualify for the Federal Work Study Program students must apply for federal assistance through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) program. The program is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. Students should check with the current requirements for FAFSA. Students can start to investigate the FAFSA as early as junior year of high school. [http://www.ecampustours.com/payingforcollege/financialaidandfafsa/whatisworkstudy.htm eCampustours information about workstudy]

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is open to all students who have need. The program will determine if you qualify and how much money you will receive. The FWS program is administered through your school. You should find out if your school participates in the program before you choose to attend. Each school has a different amount of funds available to give out for the program. The amount of funds you can receive is determined and you cannot go over that amount. [ [http://www.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_work.jsp Federal Work-Study Program ] ]

How to Apply for FWS

Students who wish to apply for the Federal Work Study Program must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) [ [http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/campusaid.jsp Student Aid on the Web ] ] . The applicant's financial need will be determined based on their application. The students may be employed by any number of places including a federal, state or local agency, a private organization or by the institution itself. The student must indicate an interest in the FWS program on their application for FAFSA. If the student is eligible the amount of the FWS award will be listed along with your FAFSA award.

Students who did not indicate an interest in the FWS program on their FAFSA can still get into the work program. Each institution has its own deadline for these funds. It is worth noting that the deadline for the Federal Work Study Program is typically earlier than the deadline for filing a FAFSA. Therefore it is important to apply as early as possible. Once the funds at the institution have been exhausted there are no further FWS funds to be provided. The amount of aid that you may receive depends on the total amount of assistance that you are receiving.

To apply for the Federal Work Study program students should apply to their own school for a job. Each institution has its own campus-based program that will indicate the exact procedure for applying as well as the specific deadlines. Since the FWS program is typically a first-come-first-serve program in most institutions if you apply after the deadline you will most likely not get in. The program will accommodate the amount of students that it can through use of the monies that were federally funded.

External links

* [http://www.ed.gov/programs/fws/gtepfws.pdf Chapter on FWS from 2007 Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs]
* [http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title42/chapter34_subchapteri_partc_.html Relevant chapters of the US Code]
* [http://www.federal-work-study.com Federal Work Study Information Site] - Comprehensive Information from the Federal Work Study Information Site.
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