Information for Students
Federal Work Study Program
The Federal Work-Study (FWS) program provides jobs on or off campus to enable students to earn a portion of their college expenses. Your eligibility for the Federal Work-Study Program is determined from financial information you submit on the FAFSA each year. Your ability to utilize this resource is determined by your academic schedule, job availability and your willingness to work.
Federal work study eligibility is renewable provided the student continues to meet Financial Aid SAP requirements, and has not completed the graduation requirements for their degree program.
Earnings from Federal Work-Study positions are paid monthly by check directly to you. The amount of your Federal Work-Study award cannot be credited to your account or be used in calculating any deferred tuition payment plans; therefore, you should not plan to use any funds awarded through the Federal Work-Study Program to purchase fall semester books or pay your portion of fall semester tuition, fees, room and board prior to registration.
Hours and Paycheck
The average number of hours you work each week will depend on the amount of your Federal Work-Study award, the number of hours you have available to work, and the position for which you are hired. Generally, students work 5 to 10 hours each week. You may not work more than 20 hours a week while classes are in session or more than 40 hours a week during vacation times.
Students receive a paycheck, via paper check or direct deposit, every two (2) weeks for the hours they have worked.
In order to be employed through the Federal Work-Study Program, you must have:
- A Financial Aid Award for the current academic year reflecting Federal Work-Study eligibility.
- An I-9 Form and W-4 Federal/State Withholding Form completed by the student and the Student Payroll Clerk. These forms must be submitted to the Student Payroll Office within three days of the date of hire or the student cannot continue to work.
- Two original forms of identification must be presented to establish identity and employment eligibility. The most commonly used documents are: Passport OR Driver’s License or other government issued photo ID AND Social Security Card OR Birth Certificate
Workstudy Handbook
The Federal Work-Study Program was established by Congress as part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Its purpose is to promote part-time employment for students with financial need and to provide work experience related to a student’s interests. Work-Study is a federally-subsidized program where costs are shared by the federal government and the individual employer. The current wage cost ratio for On-Campus Employers is 0%. In other words, the On-Campus employer pays 0% of each student's wage, and the Federal Government pays 100%. For Off-Campus employers, the wage cost ratio is 25%-70%.
The Program must adhere to congressional legislation which is regulated by the U.S. Department of Education. Federal regulations mandate that student employees must not displace or replace existing employees (including those on strike). The Federal Work-Study program is directed by the Financial Aid Office at Willamette. At the Financial Aid Office, we will make all efforts possible to promote job openings, but unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all students will be hired.
Students and employers should remember that each has responsibilities toward the employment relationship. Federal Work-Study students are instructed that their job is second only to academics. They are also expected to practice common employment courtesy, such as calling well in advance if they are unable to work at a scheduled time. Employers should also be sensitive to the special needs of college students, who occasionally may request a day off to study for exams. If both parties consider the concerns of the other and do not abuse the relationship, a work-study job can be a rewarding experience for all involved.
If a student reaches the earnings limit and believes that there is additional need, or that the original award was too low, a letter may be submitted to the Financial Aid Office for a review of the aid package. Unfortunately, if a student has reached the maximum limit and wants to continue working, this is not justification for an increase, per federal regulations.
Both the student and their supervisor will be notified once the student's earnings are within 75% of their Federal Work-Study award. Appeals for extensions should be made as soon as possible before the student reaches the earnings limit. Two types of extensions are granted by the Financial Aid Office. If federal money is still available, a student may receive additional work-study money. If all federal money has been awarded and the employer is willing to pay 100% of wage costs, a student may be granted a non-work-study extension.
There are two main offices where an address change should be made: The Registrar's Office and Mail Services. Changing the address with the Registrar automatically changes it with Financial Aid and the Payroll Office. Students should be reminded that writing an address on their time sheets will not affect any Payroll records.
Students wishing to work in a specific department on campus should contact personnel in that department directly to determine if they are hiring. Current job openings for both on and off campus are posted online on CareerConnect. Questions about the work-study program should be directed to the Office of Financial Aid, 503-370-6273 or toll free 1-877-744-3736.
Any University position for which there is a professional staff person to provide regular supervision is eligible for consideration under the Federal Work-Study Program. Work performed for a professor must be in relation to the work as a Willamette University professor, not for personal projects. Work-study students may not be employed by graduate students to assist them in research unless the student is hired by the department.
Off-campus, the Federal Work-Study Program has been expanded to include community service organizations. As defined by federal regulations, community service is designed to improve the quality of life for community residents, particularly low-income individuals, or to solve particular problems related to their needs, including such fields as health care, child care, literacy training, education, welfare, social services, transportation, housing and neighborhood improvement, public safety, crime prevention, recreation, rural development and community improvement.
Willamette University participates in the 'America Reads Program' to meet part of the community service portion of the Federal Work Study program. Through this program, work-study students will be able to make a contribution to the community by working as reading tutors at several local public schools.
The Off-Campus Federal Work-Study Program is currently at capacity and not accepting new community partnerships.
Participation in the Federal Work-Study Program is awarded to eligible full-time students as part of a financial aid package which is based on financial need: the difference between educational expenses and family resources. Since financial aid packages are reviewed and revised annually, student eligibility and earnings limits may change from one academic year to the next. Every student who is granted a work-study award is given an "earnings limit," as indicated on the student's Financial Aid Award Announcement. This is the maximum amount a student may earn from any source (before taxes) during the academic year. Whenever a student's work-study award is changed, a revised Financial Aid Award Announcement is sent to the student. Student work schedules should be adjusted as soon as possible to prevent over- or underearning. It is extremely important to acknowledge the shared responsibility between the Financial Aid Office, the student, and the employer to monitor a student's earnings. The student must stop working when the earnings limit is reached. Both the student and the employer will be notified when a student approaches the earnings limit. If an oversight occurs and the employer continues to charge the federal account past the earnings limit, the Student Payroll Office must charge the over-earnings directly back to the employer or department.
Appeals
If a student reaches the earnings limit and believes that there is additional need, or that the original award was too low, a letter may be submitted to the Financial Aid Office for a review of the aid package. Unfortunately, if a student has reached the maximum limit and wants to continue working, this is not justification for an increase, per federal regulations.
Both the student and their supervisor will be notified once the student's earnings are within 75% of their Federal Work-Study award. Appeals for extensions should be made as soon as possible before the student reaches the earnings limit. If federal money is still available, a student may receive additional work-study money.Students' work-study files are confidential and should not be viewed by anyone other than the individual student or the Office of Financial Aid.
Per University policy, work-study supervisors approached by outside agencies or employers for reference checks may give only the title, wage rate and dates of employment of former work-study employees. Additional information may be given out only if the inquiring agency provides the student's signature to release this information.
Bi-weekly pay period calendars can be found on the Payroll Office site.
The undergraduate academic year is assumed to be 30 weeks (15 weeks per semester). The basic formula to figure out how many hours you will be able to work per week is:(Earnings Limit ÷ Weeks per Year) ÷ Hourly Wage = Hours per Week. Please note that if the student expects to remain on campus and work during winter or spring break, this will reduce the number of hours he or she will be able to work during the regular academic term, and will also count towards the student's annual work-study award limit. Please keep in mind that a higher wage rate reduces the number of eligible employment hours.
Summer employment after the last day of finals and ends on the first day of classes. If funds are available, students may be hired for summer employment after receiving approval from the Financial Aid Office. Summer work-study is an opportunity for students to help meet the cost of their education through full-time summer employment on campus or at a participating Community Service agency. Students are allowed to work up to 40 hours per week, and are expected to save a portion of their earnings to meet the cost of their education for the following year.
How do I find out if I'm eligible?
Students must be work-study eligible during the regular academic year, and also enrolled as a student the following academic year. It is very important that returning students have all of their financial aid reapplication materials in by the specified deadlines or they will not be able to do summer work-study. For an explanation please contact the Financial Aid Office.
I am graduating this year - can I still do work-study over the summer?
Graduating students do not qualify for Federal Work-Study. However, graduating students can work on campus the summer following their graduation if the department they are working for can pay 100% of their wages.
I have an on-campus job lined up for the summer - can I do it as Summer Work-Study?
Because summer work-study is a federally funded program, you must first file the FAFSA. Once your data has been calculated and reported to Willamette, we will be able to determine if you qualify for summer work-study. You must also fill out a Summer Work-Study Request Form and submit it to the Financial Aid Office before your summer job begins.
Where do I find out about summer work-study jobs?
You may contact the department you are interested in working for to determine if they have any summer openings. Other campus and community jobs are posted on Willamette’s CareerConnect job board.
Student employees are covered by Willamette University worker's compensation insurance. It is the student's responsibility to report all injuries to their supervisor. Students must also report any injuries to Human Resources (University Services Building), or call in an injury report to 503-370-6210 within 24 hours of the time the accident occurred.